Nepal is a country landlocked between India and Tibet with a history of civil war and the persecution of religious groups. Hundreds of thousands of children live in isolated remote mountainous villages where the possibility of an education is simply a dream and the lure of child traffickers is a serious threat. In these villages, families are often trapped in poverty through the bondage of debt and the stigma of their low caste.
Nepal
Our work in Nepal
In 2010 we adopted the Children’s Hostel having witnessed a local man's compassion for children, considered as ‘untouchable’, living in isolated villages with no access to education. Today the lives of over 100 children are being transformed as we rescue them from abject poverty and discrimination to care for them at our home and provide a great education.
2011
We partnered with a local man and adopted a children’s hostel, providing a loving home for children from remote villages with no access to school
2011
We provided 290 of the poorest children, many from the lowest castes considered 'untouchable', with educational scholarships
2011
A well equipped kitchen and dining room was built and an extra floor providing four large rooms, toilets and showers was added to the boys’ hostel
2011
A large building was acquired. In the following years it was refurbished and equipped with bathrooms and furniture providing a new hostel for 60 girls
2013
After completing their high school education many of our kids began studying courses in engineering, business studies or nursing diplomas
2015
An earthquake devastated the country. Our teams delivered essential relief and began to build earthquake resistant homes for up to 40 families
2015
Stand by Me is actively promoting work to prevent child trafficking and early marriage for teenage girls
2017
We built a school in the remote mountains to give children an access to a great education and be a centre to help the wider community
Dipti*, Maiya*, Rayana*
These are our kids in Nepal. They're playful, kind and adventurous. We love watching them grow.
Dipti’s* parents could not afford to care for her on the father's very low income as a rickshaw driver, so when Dipti was just five years old she was brought to our Children’s Hostel.
Dipti now enjoys regular nutritious meals, a warm bed, a good education and lots of playtime with her new siblings. She is a feisty girl with a great attitude for trying anything and working hard at it. She is amazingly co-ordinated and has the achievement of being the only child at the home who could pedal a bike the first time she tried – she just sat on it and away she went!
Maiya* is from a remote hill village where she lived with her parents and three sisters. Her father became physically unable to work, forcing them to sell all their land to pay the medical bills.
Maiya now lives at our Children’s Hostel during term time so she can receive a good education.
When the Nepal earthquake struck, Maiya's family’s house collapsed, forcing her family to shelter in a wet and cold cow shed. Maiya’s father had no hope of rebuilding his house and life looked bleak. We built Maiya’s family an earthquake resistant home giving them security and protection. Now Maiya can enjoy school, happy that her family are safe and comfortable.
Rayana* comes from a remote hill village in Nepal which in the wet season is a four day walk from the nearest town.
Her family is from the very low Chepang caste and both her parents are illiterate, working in the fields to earn money. Sadly, there are issues concerning child trafficking in her village - she knows there is more than just leopards and tigers to fear.
Now Rayana is a Stand by Me child she has all the opportunities that an education can provide, good nutrition and health care, and lots of new friends! When she arrived at our hostel she had never had a bath, never used a toilet and never been to school. Now she is learning her numbers and letters and can even speak English. She may be little but she definitely has a big personality.