Stichting Veldwerk at Nepal

Secretariaat: Stichting Veldwerk Postbus 163 1850 AD Heiloo The Netherlands

Tel:+31 (0)72-5339585 veldwerk@wlink.com.np Gironumber: 8289522 Attn. Stichting Veldwerk, p/a Egmond binnen Bank: ABN-Amro 543703266

Stichting Veldwerk, aims and projects.

The aims of Stichting Veldwerk summarised;
Improve the life chances and circumstances of street children, orphans and handicapped young persons in Asia.

In Nepal most of the street children are from the lower caste, the Dalit's also known as the untouchable or the outcast. This caste system is coming from Hinduism, a very discriminating religion which specified the hierarchy with in a big part of the Asian population.
Within the Nepali society the Dalit's are known as the working class, they are the one's who are doing the hard work and then again they are also seen as the scum of the society. They hardly have any chances to get higher up in the system, the caste that you are born in will follow you the rest of your life. The lower caste gets this dogma from the higher caste and the Brahman priests, so they resign to one's fate as well. A handicapped child is a punishment of the gods, so a child is a mistake in the experience of the religious Nepali and end up on the streets. Without any facilities they are left in the hands of the "Gods".
A lot of these people have a difficult time surviving in this society; they are living in hovels made out of bamboo, cardboard and plastic, built on the riverbank or near the bus station. At these places they can sometimes find some useful rubbish, and maybe make some money. They don't have the Money for a better place to live and the neighbourhood will not accept that they live there. This is because according to Hinduism they are carrying bad energy with them. It is forbidden for the lower caste to enter a house of some one from the higher caste or use the water supply in the neighbourhood. These outcaste children are sent out by their family to collect useful rubbish or beg on the street. Sometimes they find a job as a cycle rickshaw they also sleep in the rickshaw far away from their house and family.
Early in the morning in the cold and fog you can see children, on bare feet or flip-flops at the river banks in the garbage between the pigs looking for something to eat. And if the parent's pass away because of bad circumstances or the mother leaves with another man, they really have to live on the street. And if they can't find a job as a rickshaw driver, then they may come in contact with crime, the use of drugs, glue sniffing or prostitution. And some mafia traffickers sell a lot of children to work in stone factories, carpet weaving mills or as prostitutes in India.
At this picture you can see a small child beating Stones the whole long day at the riverside. For that, his relatives are earning 40 or 50 rupee a working day from 06.00 until 6. pm. No school or better future for these children.
Stichting Veldwerk try's to provide a better life and future for a number of this big group of lost children.
Independence and respect for their own equality, sense of standards and values are central in their development. We try to raise these children in a homely and safe atmosphere. We do this by giving them respectable accommodation, regular and healthy food and good education. But also; medical care, rehabilitation, sports & games and love and attention for the individual child is within our aims.

Within this starting point we cooperated with a reliable Nepali Partner Organisation's who have the same aims as Stichting Veldwerk.
In the town Pokhara:

• Sponsoring students of the project of Children Nepal
• A newly-built Job training centre together with Child Welfare Scheme, see the letter of Jyoti.