Aishworya wishes all our lovely friends Happy Holi!!
Volunteers can’t help but get covered in paint!
Holi, the festival of colour, marks the beginning of spring. It took place this year on the 19th of March, and it’s one of the festivals especially loved by the kids as it involves everybody getting covered in coloured powder and water and is a great deal of fund for everyone – including the volunteers staying with us who took part too!
Citizenship for Jack
This year Jack, whose Nepali name is Dorje, turned sixteen and so he got his official citizenship card – we are all very proud of him!
Jack holds up his citizenship card
Moving on: a new home
Sanip blowing bubbles!!!
Sanip and Sidiksha are brother and sister.
They have been with Aishworya for a while as their mother has been struggling without enough money to look after them, but a a wonderful Tibetan family, friends of Nirmala, has offered to take both the children and their mother into their home.
Sidiksha (left) has fun on a swing
The Tibetan family has a business and lives in Bangalore (India), so the children have moved there to start in a new school, and their mother has also been given a job, so the children and their mother can together live with their new Tibetan family.
We love being able to support our children into finding a new home, and now we will always have friends in Bangalore!
A Musical Gift
Some of the children with the new instruments
We got a fabulous surprise from our friend Mr. Geert Jan Hoek from the Netherlands – musical instruments!
The instruments included a harmonica, a flute, a dholak & tabala (an Indian classical instrument). The children are very exited and happy to learn and play these new musical instruments!
Illness & Recovery
This year our very sweet boy Dilip Tamang was hospitalised for almost a month. Dilip has had long term tuberculosis since he was very little, and this year he contracted pneumonia and meningitis.
Dilip in bed at hospital
He was very ill with a high fever, and had to have hundreds of tests and injections. He was very strong and brave throughout, but we were very worried about him.
However thanks to our friends across the world we were able to provide Dilip with the treatment he needed, and the doctors were so very cooperative and kind to him.
Dilip is now back to his pen and paper as he loves to draw and he has been able to take part in a drawing exhibition held by one of the British NGOs. His drawing was so much appreciated, and in fact was put on display by the organisation.
Dilip is happy to be home & drawing again
Dilip’s treatment was very expensive, so this has only been made possible by our very kind friends who made a contribution for his treatments. We would like to thank: Mark Wilson and Maluz Moreno; Helen Neale and friends from New Zealand; Annuka and Minna from Finland; Louise Simmonds from England; the Bondi Runners group from Australia; Stefanie Nygren from Sweden; and all our regular donors.
Thank you so much for being there for us whenever we are in need.
School Annual Day
The children have school annual day once a year, when the kids are given awards for their best deeds, and it is also a celebration of singing, dancing, funny plays and more activities.
The bananas all dressed up for their dance
We again had many children who were given awards for their excellent performance in studies, sports and dancing. This year we were so proud of our small banana group who featured in a group dance!
As well as attending school themselves, a couple of our older boys, Yamraj and Yogesh, now visit another school in the mornings before class, where they help out with teaching and playing with much younger children and offer support to the teachers. It’s a good experience for them as well as the children they are helping.
Birthday party!
The Birthday Cake!
Just as we have been celebrating all the functions and festivals with so much joy, recently it was time to celebrate the children’s favorite event – their “birthday”.
The birthday was as always a wonderful day with lots of delicious food, dancing, singing playing games with the volunteers, and it ended with a birthday cake, which the children loved!
Making friends in Hong Kong…
Kristin Loya is an American who works in Hong Kong as a teacher. She has visited Aishworya twice and this year she ran a fundraiser at her school in Hong Kong and another one with her family and friends in the USA.
Kristen with some of the kids
With the money she raised we bought 15 brand new school uniforms and 16 sets of new bed sheets including a 16 pair of pillow covers. We are very grateful to her and all the friends, family and schoolchildren who supported her – it’s so nice to think of this connection between school children in Hong Kong and school children in Kathmandu!
… Denmark…
We had two volunteers from Denmark, Inger and Anne who were over 60 years of age. This was a very good experience to have volunteers of an elder age. We were very grateful to have both of them for a month and we all shared a wonderful time together. Inger even had her 64th birthday while she was here – and of course we all joined in the celebrations!
Celebrating Inger’s birthday!
… and America!
Jessica Pandit, an American married to a Nepali man and also a sister in- law of our ama Nirmala, volunteered at Aishworya for almost three months. Her grandmother and a friend sent many gifts for our children, like socks, slippers, underwear and soaps from America. We heartily thank them for the gifts which were so useful for the children in their daily needs.
Jessica and Amaa with the gifts for the children
She was a wonderful volunteer who the children will always remember and miss.
Merry Christmas to all our friends living all over the world!
Once again, Merry Christmas to all our wonderful friends! Over the last few years the children of Aishworya have been learning a lot about Christmas – a few years ago they could not even pronounce the name of Santa Claus, but now they wait for Christmas as it has become one of their favourite days of the year!
Opening Christmas presents
Our children have also learned that there are no boundaries between religion and celebrations, the main thing that matters is love and a pure heart -that makes the children happy.
We again thank all our friends, sponsors and donors for their regular support and the wonderful Christmas gifts sent to us.
