The boys’ summer project with Ti Uncle was to build us an oven so we could bake cookies. Ti’s summer visit was prefaced by a year-long discussion of location and type of oven, which culminated in the creation of a Russian Pech, which is an oven that will also lend heat to the room. So with his team of three – Akshaya,Subash and …
Unika at Home
We know many of you are concerned about the progress of Unika, our house father’s daughter who had brain surgery two months ago. The good news is that thanks to the efforts of our Ama Ghar family around the world, she is home and healing very well. When we visited her recently, we found her playing “Pick Up Sticks” with …
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 …
Another Rescued Child Comes to Ama Ghar
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 …
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 …
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 …