CIRCUS BOYS' SPORTING SUCCESS

The rehabilitation of the children we rescue includes supporting them in whatever pastime they find helps aid their recovery from the harrowing experiences they have endured.

This can range from drawing and colouring activities with the younger children, to the mosaic making that has been so successfully introduced to some of the older girls.


We encourage the children to pursue any hobby that enables them to express themselves, in the hope that they will find some catharsis in it. When they then go on to show a real flair in a discipline, it is gratifying to see the pleasure they derive from it.

Bijay and Aman are two such examples. We rescued them from The (Not So) Great Bombay Circus in January 2003 and brought them into our care in Kathmandu.

Both boys are now displaying a very special skill that is gaining them national recognition.

Before school each morning, Bijay and Aman voluntarily attend gymnastics training at the national stadium. Their talent has shone through - and in last week's trials for the forthcoming national championships in Nepal, they came first and second respectively in the Kathmandu Valley category.

Given that gymnastics doesn't really flourish in other parts of the country, it is fairly safe to say that Bijay and Aman are two of the best young gymnasts in the whole of Nepal.

It means that should they repeat their success at next month's formal national trials, they will have every chance of travelling to Japan or Pakistan for the Nepal squad's training camp, a real honour for the boys which gives us immense pride in their achievements.

They will now be showcasing their skills in an environment more befitting their talents than a grubby circus, and we will support them in any way we can.

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