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

Children's home or children at home?

There is quite some commotion going on about children's houses and orphanages these days, do they really serve the cause or are they becoming part of the problem?
The bottom line question of the ongoing discussion is whether the increase in number of needy children has led to an increase in the number of children's homes, or exactly the opposite. In other words: Is the children's home as an institute part of the solution or part of the problem? In this matter, SVN wants to explain why we still choose to have children's homes being a part of our projects.

The efforts of our organization are in the beginning focused on children at their homes, and therefore at their mother, parent or caretaker. Also, the children's education in their domestic environment, or even at their work places, is a better option than placing a child in a children's home. At home, with their mother and / or father, is the most natural way. A children's home or orphanage as institute is only a substitute and in fact an undesirable situation is something that SVN dies not desire to be part of.
But at the end of the line, when one sees or hears a child is in a situation where it is being exiled, beaten or forced into heavy child labor, something has to be done. In some cases it is possible to help such a child by supporting it at home. But if, despite our efforts and support, the basic needs (food, safety, shelter, etc.) are still not being guaranteed to the child, there is no other solution than relieving the child from its situation.
If a child is an orphan and nobody is willing to take care of it, we can not close our eyes for the child's situation. Also, if the child is being molested or abused at home, there can be no hesitation to get the child out of this situation.
A girl was brought in from a remote area. She was heavily scarred by her mother, who had cut out her eye in a moment of insanity. The village and her family closed their doors to the girl and were not even willing to take care of her with our aid. These children are bearers of bad luck, so they say.
In the big cities, there are a number of children's homes which take in children to sell them for adoption; we see it as our duty to provide a better alternative for those children, who have nowhere else to go, than to end up in one of these places.

To begin with, the children's home checks which urgent medical, mental or other help is needed for these children. At the same time we find them a good school and provide them with a heartwarming welcome from the other children. A clean bed to call their own is a first priority, together with sufficient and healthy food and a sense of safety.

SVN finds it important to provide its children in all their needs, but at the same time to avoid spoiling them. Their stay in the children's home is temporary, and after that they will return to the Nepalese living standards.
For example, presents are only given at special holidays as stated on the calendar and on birthdays, or on getting an outstanding school report.
Some of our children are physically disabled, but are being raised as normally as possible. An occasional adaptation will be very limited, as the city, and Nepal in general, are in no way adapted to disabled people. Learning to live with the personal situation is what we promote and stimulate.
As children grow older, they flow out to secondary education. This can be straight to vocational education, where they will live at their school's hostel, like at our vocational training center for street children in Pokhara, named Jyoti VTC. But there is also the possibility of supported independent living in a midway-house. Learning to be on your own, cooking your own food, ironing your own clothes, cleaning up your own mess and creating your own time schedule for getting up, going to school, doing your homework, etc. are all a part of this. And off course learning to cope with a limited budget for your daily needs. These (older) children come home for the weekends. If a problem occurs during the week they can call, but only after they have turned towards their appointed caretaker at their place of residence.
After receiving their diplomas these young adolescents move on to a living situation of their own. They then are completely reliant on their selves, with a part time post study in the mornings and a job to supply in their own needs. But at the same time our door remains open to them in case of need, just like in any other family.

With the future plans for our social living system, the function of the children's home as a gathering place for children in immediate need or those without anyone to turn to, is even more emphasized.
In short, the ongoing discussion about children's homes is a necessary one, since there are probably many children's homes which' methods and results can be doubted. This demands a critical analysis of these homes.
Hopefully, this text will convince you that not all children's homes are the same. We see our children's home as part of the limited group of children's homes with a positive effect on the development of children in need.

To measure that vision we are now testing SVN and its environment, with the Hamro Gaun project as our central focus, by the terms of the international acknowledged ISO quality label, well established amongst Dutch youth care institutes.
The aim is to further improve the measurements of physical targets and the organizational structure.

In short, we are working hard to provide care and quality for our children here. The staff members, themselves mostly coming from challenging situations, are also benefiting from this.

With kind regards from Kathmandu, and to be continued,
René Veldt,
Director SVN
Nepal.