Current Projects
The ISIS Foundation (ISIS) is currently funding and running numerous projects in both Kathmandu and Humla, via Nepali partner organisations. Their current Nepal projects are listed below – one or all of these are or could be supported by Kathmandu Kids Club funds in the future.
In Kathmandu city and outskirts:
ISIS Children’s Homes
Background:
In 2006, ISIS established ten homes for 136 impoverished kids from a very remote region in NW Nepal called Humla. Child traffickers operate almost freely in Kathmandu and the incidence of children being trafficked increased dramatically during the Nepali civil war. There are an estimated 40-50,000 children displaced by the civil war. Parents in the mountains, desperate to get their children out of the line of fire during the war, were giving money to people who they believe would care for their children, feed them, and get them into boarding schools. These were hollow promises – the children mostly ended up on the streets begging for money, starving and seriously ill. The child sex trade between Nepal and India is also booming as a result of this flood of vulnerable children into Kathmandu.
Before:
Prior to ISIS involvement, the ISIS kids were living in four awful homes, jammed with children, with little or no adult supervision. In one home, ISIS found 30 children in one room, with one mattress. Malnutrition, lack of hygiene and illness was the norm. In another, there were 64 children – a sea of dirty, sick, and unhappy kids. In that time, the children have suffered from illnesses ranging from typhoid and cholera to leprosy, TB, and pneumonia. ISIS fought for over two years to obtain guardianship of these children and get them into safety.
After:
ISIS now manages 7 kids’ homes and one ‘Youth Flat’. In addition ISIS has repatriated or reintegrated some of the older kids or have placed them in boarding schools. Each home has a maximum of 17 children, with up to six children in each bedroom in bunks. Each child has his or her own bed. There are three to four live-in home-care staff (‘Didis and Dhais’) and one full-time ‘Home Parent’ for each home. The children have clean water, clean clothes, and plentiful food. They all go to school. After school, the kids enjoy activities such as sports, games, singing and dancing and reading time. The ISIS team also closely monitors the kids’ medical and psychological health.
ISIS has worked tirelessly to find the children’s families and to see if they can support the kids to reconnect to their family of origin, as the political situation stabilises. To date, they have found the parents and/or established links back to the families of all but one of the kids and almost half of the kids have returned home to visit their families at least once. ISIS has established a phone for parents in the region they come from, so parents can call their children. ISIS works very hard to ensure the kids have an awareness of their culture, village and family of origin.
The Future:
As ISIS are now responsible for their future, their goal for the next three years is two-fold:
Increasing independence and promoting family links
Going forward, where ISIS thinks it is safe and appropriate, they want to encourage the children to either move back to their families or villages of origin, with their assistance, or be supported in kinship care (living with relatives). ISIS plans to encourage all kids as they get older to go to boarding schools or their ‘youth flat’ (for older children). This is more culturally appropriate than living in group homes, and healthier in terms of the child’s development of links with other children and adults in Nepal. All the ISIS kids will be case managed and supported by ISIS throughout their childhood, even as they move them to a stage of more independence, to make sure they are always safe and loved.
Reducing the root causes of trafficking:
ISIS are taking a variety of measures in 2010 and beyond to reduce the incidence of trafficking in this region, including the establishment of infrastructure and projects in Humla to provide awareness campaigns for parents on the dangers of trafficking. ISIS works with a non-profit organization, The Himalayan Innovative Society, to repatriate trafficked children, educate the community on issues of trafficking, heath and cultural preservation.
ISIS also provides assistance to individual villages to ensure effective education and health care for children, and a basic standard of living and ongoing assistance to repatriated children.
Health Care from a Monastery
ISIS supports the work of Benchen Free Clinic, a small clinic operating out of a monastery in the Swyambunath region of Kathmandu. This clinic provides health care to approximately 6,000 impoverished people.
Education for Children in Dire Need
ISIS partners with Hands in Outreach (HIO), a Nepali NGO dedicated to supporting girls education in Kathmandu through scholarships as well as family support initiatives. HIO currently provides sponsorship for 106 children into schools in Kathmandu. ISIS supports HIO by providing funding for wages, medical, dental, and family assistance costs.
In Humla, North West Himalayas:
ISIS is currently working on their 3 year Humla plan so will post more information on the projects soon.
