Our newest and youngest child arrived this week… just in time to celebrate the time of peace on earth with her new Ama Ghar family. Tan Bahadur, our Ama Ghar Uncle, went all the way to the very remote district of Humla to rescue this little girl. She has lost her mother, and her extended family cannot afford to …
Welcome our new little girl – and good luck to our latest graduate…
We are so pleased to welcome our new little sister, Bina! We were very lucky to find Bina and bring her into Ama Ghar quickly, as she was on the street alone at just 6 years old. A local social worker noticed her at a “feeding program” and alerted us. Getting children as soon as they show up on the …
A Circus with a Soul
As a gift from Alan and Sarah Nikles, our Swiss friends who are regular donors and volunteers, the Ama Ghar children went to their first circus! But it wasn’t just any circus – it was Circus Kathmandu, which extends training and opportunities to marginalized young people who work with volunteer circus professionals from many countries. The very personal part of this …
Holiday Traditions at Ama Ghar
We love to celebrate the Nepali festivals at Ama Ghar, as performing these rituals bonds us as a family of various religious and ethnic backgrounds. Traditionally, the festival season starts right after the rice harvest, with a 10-day family holiday of Dashain. Most of the children have aunts, uncles and cousins in their villages, so as many of them as …
Preparing for the Goddess Laxmi
Tihar (also called Deepawali) is the Festival of Lights, a big celebration in Nepal that falls this year on November 19. In preparation for Tihar, we clean the house and make everything look as good as possible so that we can welcome the Goddess Laxmi, who arrives on the third day of Tihar. The first day of the festival is …
Some Happy News for Pooja
Those of you who follow our blog probably remember the story of Pooja, who came to us in 2011 because her father had been killed while working in Qatar. As a widow with very few rights, her mother could not afford to feed and clothe Pooja, so she brought her to Ama Ghar where she would be loved, cared for …
The Art of Being a Child
Art, music and dancing are so much a part of the culture in Nepal that children learn to participate at a very young age. When the children came to Ama Ghar from their villages and neighborhoods, they were already talented performers and artists, and we encourage them to express themselves freely. Some of our children play guitar or piano, many …
Re-Use and Re-Cycle at Ama Ghar!
Because we have to be very careful with our money (the money that you donate!) we think a lot about how to re-use and recycle what we have at Ama Ghar, so we’ve become pretty creative about it! We thought our family around the world would get a smile out of some of our recycling tactics, as pictured here. Old …
Zoe’s Excellent Ama Ghar Adventure
In December, 2012 I fulfilled a 30 year dream of visiting Nepal. I had not been back to Asia since I lived in Sri Lanka in 1983. I was thrilled to also be able to fulfill a shorter-term dream – to visit Ama Ghar Children’s Home. I met Shrawan Nepali in San Francisco three years earlier when my friend Kushal …
Olympic Moments at Ama Ghar
The Olympics is one of those rare events that holds the attention of the entire world. We do have cable out in our valley now (we got it so the kids could watch the World Cup) and we had great Olympic coverage in Nepal, practically 24/7. We encouraged the children to watch between their study times and activities and then …