Case study

Bhejendra
During one of Philip Holmes’ regular trips to Nepal soon after establishing the charity, he visited a jail in Kathmandu where he came across emaciated children sticking their arms through the bars begging for food.

Their only crime was to have been the child of a parent convicted to serve a custodial sentence. With no other family member able or willing to care for a prisoner’s offspring, the children often ended up living alongside their parent.

Once such child was Bhejendra. Instead of attending school and enjoying a safe and happy family life, he shared a putrid cell with his father and hardened criminals. We resolved to change that situation.

Eight years on, Bhejendra is preparing to study for his A-Levels at one of Kathmandu’s leading colleges, having just secured his School Leavers’ Certificate with a Distinction – placing him in the top 5% of Nepal’s students.

The haunted, fragile boy has grown into one of the most popular children within our Kathmandu refuge, known as much for the way he cares for the younger children in the refuge as he is for his fierce intellect and burning ambition.

What We Do - Care of children

We lead the way in the provision of full-time residential childcare in Nepal. Our refuges cater to the varying residential needs of a diverse range of beneficiaries.

These children and young people include:

• Children of prisoners previously forced to live alongside their convicted parents in Nepali jails

• Former street children

• Survivors of child trafficking whom we have rescued from Indian circuses

• ‘At-risk’ children: siblings of trafficked children still living in trafficking-prone areas

• Conflict-affected children

The provision of care is divided across two primary refuges.

Bhairahawa
In Bhairahawa, southwest Nepal, we support 20 children under the age of 12. Here they enjoy compassionate support in their formative years while attending local state-run schools. This refuge is run by NCWF, a local NGO we support.

Godawari
Once children reach their teens, we encourage them to move to our Godawari refuge in Kathmandu. Here they enjoy access to good quality secondary schools and a stimulating social programme which includes the International Award – part of The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme – and training in a range of sports and disciplines such as gymnastics, karate and athletics. There are currently 105 children living in Godawari. This refuge is run by EBMF, a local NGO we support and work with.

(A third refuge in Hetauda serves as a half-way house for older trafficking survivors preparing to reintegrate fully into society.)

We also support children and young people through our PROJECT WORK initiatives.