Stichting Veldwerk at Nepal

Secretariaat: Stichting Veldwerk Postbus 163 1850 AD Heiloo The Netherlands

Tel:+31 (0)72-5339585 veldwerk@gmail.com IBAN nr. NL51ABNA0543703266 Attn. Stichting Veldwerk, p/a Egmond binnen Bank: ABN-Amro 543703266

Him and Bhim, globe trotters!

To make a restart for our children home of the Hamro Gaun project, there had to be an official announcement in a national newspaper.
Because of the costs, the add was small, but the number of applications of children in need rose over 50 within a week, because there were already 31 children from the old Hamro Niwas. There was only place for 35 children and therefore we had to disappoint 15 children. Our aim was to take care of these children through other children homes.

Therefore I got into contact with Yanneke, who owns a children's home in the village Nagharkot, which is situated above Sankhu, and Engely, who owns a children's home in between Bhaktapur and Nagarkot.
Yanneke had some places left and therefore I send 4 of our application to her. After a while se called me that she had chosen two boys, Bhim and Him, living in Arunkhola near Chitwan in the Terrai area. I asked some friends from Chitwan to visit the boys and to verify whether the story on their application was true.




Him and Bhim were living in a small village approximately 1 1/2 hours from the city of Narayangadh close to the highway of the Terrai to India, and then a one hour off-road drive through the jungle and the dry riverbanks.
Bhim is almost 5 years old and Him is already 6. They each lived with their mother, who are homeless and don't own land and who work at other people's land from time to time. They were living in a landlord's hut where they were tolerated. Both mothers lost their husbands who drowned in the monsoon period. When I came to pick up the boys the whole village turned out, there never a car came into the village, and especially not a white person!
After filling in the official forms I asked the mothers to get the children's belongings. In a confused way they asked "which belongings?".


The children didn't own anything else than the clothes they were wearing at the moment. And what they were wearing was not that much. It was summertime and very hot, and then you don't need much in Chitwan, but still.....
The children were pretty dirty, hungry and had a lot of lice. Him also had some symptoms of a skin disease.
When the time of saying goodbye came, I felt as sad as I feel when I have a difficult fare-well. The boys got into the jeep, the mothers and the villagers waved them goodbye. But the boys didn't shed a tear and didn't even look behind. A few children ran after the car and where shouting at them. I couldn't see the mothers' faces; they could have been kind of happy; but also very sad. But the boys were in a car for the first time and the world appeared in front of them. No trace of fear or sadness, gazing in the distance. "Look a tractor, and another tractor, and there: a very big truck, whaauuuwww….!"

After the long jungle road it was still a 1 1/2 hour drive before they could spend the night at their first stop in Chitwan. I asked Saraswoti, a Nepalese friend, to put them in the shower and buy some new clothes and sandals on the market. And momo's; because as she told, they had eaten it once before with their mother on the local bazaar. They also got a ball and a drawing book with pencils. They were so happy!
The first night Bhim was screaming for his mom, possibly he had some kind of nightmare. But Saraswoti took good care of him, she told me afterwards.

On the second day we left from Chitwan and we took the bus to Kathmandu and I reserved a front seat for our two globe trotters. During the ride their faces were pushed to the window, curiously looking at all the new things they saw. With a big smile they were taking it in. At the restaurant they drank a coke and ate a plate of dhal bath. Like they were going on a trip, but after a while little Bhim got tired and fell asleep.

After arriving in Kathmandu we took a taxi to Restaurant 1905 where Yanneke and her husband Oassis from Nagarkot were waiting. A big plate of momo's arrived and the children ate like they were starving (what was probably the case). Then another coke, some drawings with colour pens and of course chasing the geese around the pond.

When Oassis, Yanneke's husband, arrived, I took a goodbye picture with the boys and saw them leave very happy again with their new father. Him and Bhim, without looking back for a moment, again on their way to discover the rest of the world full of joy.

And me?
I wanted to keep them, what a nice and happy little boys this were, but unfortunately I have no place left. But above all I am very happy to see that because of our efforts two little children from an emergency situation now have sight on a good future. Thanks to Yanneke and Oassis for their help!

René Veldt
Fieldwork foundation, action speaks louder then words,
Kathmandu-Nepal.

Look also the storey of our new childrens home at Barhabise " Mero Niwas ".