A group of Ama Foundation Board Members from the Bay Area enjoyed some serious fun this weekend (May 17-18) at the Himalayan Fair – hopefully we saw some of you there! Our Founder, Shrawan Nepali, served free Nepali chai to all comers, we gave bubble blowers to our youthful guests, and everyone enjoyed eating momos and watching Nepali dancing and …
Join Us for the Himalayan Film Festival!
Ama Foundation is co-sponsoring the Himalayan Film Festival, along with our many friends at Curry Without Worry, Nepal Youth Foundation, Third Eye Travel and Sahayeta.org, among others. An amazing number of beautiful films are being shown, both on the Opening Night in San Francisco (Friday, May 16) and in Berkeley, in conjunction with the Himalayan Fair, on Saturday, May 17. …
Ama Ghar’s Fred Uncle Goes Nationwide!
Ama Foundation Board Member Fred Doar, known as Fred Uncle to the Ama Ghar kids, is at it again. As the founder of Grace Bakery, he built one of the first and finest artisanal bakeries in the Bay Area. Upon his retirement, he became an artist, creating fantastic abstract paintings that were a personal expression of his energy and giving …
An Ama Ghar Family Christmas
At Ama Ghar, we celebrate Christmas as a season of giving back and sharing love with our worldwide family. Most of the children come from Hindu or Buddhist backgrounds, but they enjoy the spirit of the holiday and the traditions and rituals we have developed over the years at Ama Ghar. Traditionally, we have bought plain cookies from a …
Ama Ghar Celebrates the Festival of Lights
The Festival of Lights, known as Tihar in the Kathmandu Valley, was happily celebrated last week by the Ama Ghar kids, their aunties and uncles and visitors. The most beautiful ceremony of the entire festival is the Newari tradition of Mha Puja, or celebration of the self. At this event, intricate and beautiful designs are drawn on the floor where …
Planet Freddo Raises Ama Ghar Funds with Artful Ties!
On November 7 and 8, Ama Foundation Board Member Fred Doar hosted a showing of his art ties and gentleman’s accessories in Mill Valley, California, with all profits donated to support Ama Ghar. The event was a great success, with over 50 people attending each night and sales of 20 ties, 12 scarves and 6 micro paintings, resulting in …
Ti’s Excellent Ama Ghar Adventure
Here’s a wonderful note we got from Titus Ellison, our Uncle Ti’s son, who visited Ama Ghar this summer… we love this! “Ama Ghar was one of the best places I’ve ever been. Although the rest of Kathmandu was crowded and noisy, it was very peaceful in Godavari village. I had so much fun and I liked the simplicity. In …
Gai Jathra Celebration!
Last week was the week of Gai Jathra, a very special celebration in Nepal. The festival of “Gai Jatra”, the procession of cows, is generally celebrated in the Nepalese month of Bhadra (August-September). The festival of cows is one of the most popular festivals of Nepal. According to tradition, every family who has lost one relative during the past year …
Ang Maya’s Almost-Permanent Ring
It’s probably hard for anyone who hasn’t done it to imagine what it’s like caring for 50+ children every day – the cliche “never a dull moment” has never been truer! For example, the other day Ang Maya had a stainless steel ring stuck on her finger! Nobody seemed to know where the ring came from, but she put it …
The Perfect (or not so perfect) Storm!
Early in May, Ama Ghar had its own version of the tragic tornadoes that have blown through Oklahoma. Around midnight on May 6, there was a heavy downpour of rain – a huge, booming thunderstorm with horrendous winds. The wind blew the rain under the balcony doors all the way across the house and swirled like a tornado. The tiles …