A Safe Place for Kids

We are so proud of our older children for the work they are doing with earthquake relief. Here’s a blog post written by Pratima Bista, our remarkable Ama Ghar daughter who is taking a Bachelor’s in Social Work. This earthquake is giving her an opportunity to get some hands on practice for her future vocation.

May 13, 2015

The most vulnerable people after any kind of disaster are children and old people. Keeping this in mind, Ama Ghar came up with an idea of a safe place for children. A place where children can be safe from accidents during earthquakes and a place that helps them to cope with the stress and horrors of the destruction they see around them. We call it “Ama Ghar Child Friendly Space.”

Local kids are safe and happy in our Ama Ghar Child Friendly Space

The open space of a local school is being used. The program is managed by the three older girls Menuka, Sabita and myself with our younger sisters, Rupa, Laxmi, Jael and Samjana helping.

The program started with roughly 35 kids of ages ranging from 2 years to 15 years old. We now have 65 kids. We take games, cards, puzzles, coloring papers, crayons, storybooks and some snacks from Ama Ghar to keep them occupied. We hope it is helping them to get away from their fear that now resides in all Nepalese people.

Ama Ghar children supervising and playing in our Child Safe Space

I think it certainly has helped them to loosen up a bit. I can see the children smiling and playing now but in the beginning they used to refuse to leave their parents.

We had another big earthquake today during lunch time. Thank God no one was hurt. Some houses around the area fell down. The parents immediately came to get their children and said they were very grateful that their children were with us and that we had organized such a program. they thanked us many times.

It felt so good and I was truly happy.

Pratima Bista, taking a Bachelors in Social Work