Here is Carola’s letter from “Roots-for-Life”!
The situation in Nepal is very serious.
Fundraising, there you can see the pictures described below…
There is no fuel for heating and hardly any food. The photos and reports from Nepal have touched me deeply. The children even burned their bookshelf because, in any event, there were no more books. In March at the very latest, the children have to be out of the house. Our goal is to build a home for the children of women who were forced into prostitution to ensure that they can again be safe.
Help for 30 children after the earthquake in Nepal
After the earthquake…
About 30 children from Raksha Nepal have spent many weeks under tarpaulins and in tents.
The new house…
…is intended to be built in 2016, in keeping with the experience and help of our partners. This new house will accommodate up to 100 children to make sure they have a safe home.
The investment per child amounts to approx. 3,000 Euros. This amount covers the rental for the house and the land.
In March 2016, the children will have to finally leave the damaged house where they are forced to live at present. Until then, we must find a solution. Our goal is to keep current costs as low as possible and to make sure that 100 children are self-sufficient.
The Project
Fortunately, we were able to find a beautiful place near Bakthapur. It can be leased for 20 years at a very reasonable price (approx. 1,000 Euros per year). The terrain, which is suitable for agriculture, comprises 2,000 m2.
It will also be possible to extend the lease and to add more land in the future.
Phase 1:
At first we will set up a simple prefabricated house consisting of a metal structure and concrete slabs.
This house will not be state-of-the-art but it can be used as a long-term training centre for the mothers and also as a recreation room for the children. A garden for growing their own vegetables will be created immediately as well as a fence around the premises. Thanks to lower living expenses on the outskirts of Kathmandu, the fact they will be self-sufficient and the possibility of working together with the public school, means as normal a life as possible can be resumed.
Phase 2:
Together with other organisations, perhaps even the technical universities, it will be possible to build an eco friendly house with low energy consumption and suitable equipment to enable the children to live there long term. The medium-term plan is to build separate bedrooms and bathrooms for both, girls and boys, to meet Nepalese regulations. For Phase 2 it is planned to build the house for at least 50 children.
Phase 3:
Following Phase 2 it is planned to build a second house for another 50 children, thus reaching the goal of housing 100 children.
Roots for Life…
… has been supporting children and teenagers by giving them guidelines for managing their own lives as well as financial aid in order to lead an independent life. In Nepal we have been working together with Raksha Nepal, making sure the children can attend school and have medical and psychological support. We house the children of women who had been forced into prostitution in order to make a living, while we educate them. We also house children who have been living on the streets as well as rape victims who are younger than 15 years old (especially during any legal proceedings or their reintegration, as far as is possible). For socio-educational reasons it is our intention to provide accommodation for as many girls as boys.
The waiting list of children for the temporary house is long and a team of psychologists, sociologists and educators (Board of the Raksha Nepal Organisation) will be in charge.
Raksha Nepal…
…has been involved since 2004 in supporting and helping women and girls who have fallen victim to sexual abuse or were forced into prostitution.
Thanks to the training opportunities at Raksha Nepal, these women are able to learn different professions. During their training period they are able to accommodate their children for as long as three years at Raksha Nepal. Their education has been supported by the “Dreikönigsaktion Austria” and the “Catholic Women’s Movement”.
