Joining Hands Nepal
A Family Orphan HomeArchive for Mission
The Rise of Buddha
Our little Buddha came to us from the most difficult situation, and as a result has had the most trouble adjusting. When he first arrived, he would often wander off silently until someone asked, “where is Buddha?”, and we would find him standing by himself in another part of the house staring off into the green fields that stretch out towards the Himalayas. Even when he did stay with the whole family, he would sit quietly, and if asked a question, stare down towards the ground and answer barely above a whisper, if he answered at all. In the village where we found him, like most small villages of Nepal, they have no proper toilets, so the transition to not only using a toilet, but a western toilet, has caused him trouble as well and made for a few accidents. However, with the proper love and attention we have been giving to him, he has slowly begun to come around.
First, he began to be more open to touching and holding hands until he would finally come of his own will to rub his uncle’s arm or sit in his lap. Then he began to play more and more with the group and we got to hear his squeals of excitement and see his eyes grow big when he is having fun. And this past week and a half with our volunteer Bina has been a huge breakthrough for him. The first day or two after she arrived, it seemed he was reverting back to the shy and frightened boy we found. However, through her personal attention to him and her patient and loving teaching style, he quickly shed the shell he had been hiding in and began to raise his voice and speak more loudly. This extended beyond class and his speaking started to become more clear. The other day Bina and Himal came upon Buddha alone again, but this time not staring silently to the outside, but singing and dancing to himself inside his home. It was the first time anybody has seen Buddha singing and dancing. Through this whole journey, the one thing that hasn’t changed is the beauty and radiance of his smile when he lets it shine, which has been happening more and more often these days.
Room For One More
This weekend we had the pleasure of meeting the energetic and adorable Karsang from Mustang. She had been living in the streets of a remote village of Lower Mustang until a concerned villager transported her to a Buddhist monastery near Swayambhu with two other street children for temporary residence and care. This responsible person also happened to be acquaintances with one of our staff, and informed us of the children’s situation. One of the older children was taken in by a family with means to provide for them, while the other older child took the opposite path, continually running away to be on the streets of Kathmandu and get into trouble. That left little Karsang, all of 7 years old, the last one remaining in need of a loving home. Luckily for her and us both, we still have an opening and cannot wait to take her into our permanent care. Only the matter of sorting out the official government certification documents remains, which can be a challenge from such a remote village, but we have faith things will work out and the loveable Karsang of Mustang will be joining our family for good any day now.
Joining Hands in Nepal
Welcome to the official blog of Joining Hands Nepal, a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the upliftment of orphaned and disadvantaged children in Nepal. This blog will be a place to share with our friends all over the world our work and our progress in carrying out our mission. We will do our best to keep you updated on new developments and programs, relate volunteer stories and experiences, track the growth of our children, and interact on a personal level with our followers and supporters around the globe. Here’s to the beginning of a brand new day, we look forward to sharing this journey with you!
Joining Hands Nepal 