Family Volunteer Services of Nepal
Project Manager: Evangeline Neve
James and Esta Smith, along with their daughters served faithfully in Nepal for several years and turned their organization, Family Volunteer Services over to others that they had trained over the years. Family Volunteer Services of Nepal is currently involved in a variety of programs, mostly in the capital city of Katmandu, which consist of:
- Health Center in Okhaldunga Village District, Everest Region—Training community health workers and sending medical supplies on a regular basis to our health care facility in a remote village district.
- Nepal Disabled Association—Teaching English, plus music and drama training at the Nepal Disabled Association in Jorpati, in addition to health and personal hygiene classes, helping with the maintenance of the school, painting and electrical repairs, organizing various sports and musical programs, and special outings.
- Village School—Supplying the Bakteshwori Primary School in Manakamana, Gorkha District with educational supplies, books, and teaching materials, as well as sponsoring the salary for an additional teacher.
- Boarding School for Former Child Laborers—Remedial education classes to former carpet laborers at Haamro Ghar, a Boarding School in Balaju. Donating food, medicine, school supplies, clothing, and other needed items, as well as organizing special programs and outings for the children.
- Drug Rehabilitation—Positive contribution and influence through individual counseling and group discussions at the Youth Vision Drug Rehabilitation Center.
- Equipment for Orthopedic Hospital— Arranging with Family Volunteers in Taiwan for the donation and shipment of surgical instruments and orthopedic implants for the Nepal Orthopedic Hospital in Jorpati.
- Helping the Underprivileged and Mentally Challenged--- Donating educational materials and providing support and encouragement, as well as organizing fun programs for the children at Shishu Bikash Kendra, a school for the mentally challenged. Also we offer the same program at a day-care center for children from broken and destitute families in Pokhara, one of the largest cities in Nepal.
- Other Programs — Through the help of interested individuals, businesses, and organizations, the FVS of Nepal is able to deliver to the poor necessary items such as educational materials, medicine, foodstuffs, shoes, clothes, blankets, books, school uniforms, furniture, wheelchairs, crutches, sewing machines, paint, light bulbs, and more!
Real Life Story — Himalayan Sherpa Benefits Thousands— Mingmar has worked hard toward his dream to bring health facilities to his Himalayan village... (Read full story)
Katmandu, Nepal
The Nepal Orthopedic Hospital in Jorpati receives another $25,000 shipment of orthopaedic instruments and surgical implants donated from the Po-Cheng Orthopedic Hospital in Taiwan.
James and Esta, with family and volunteers.
Presenting award.
Former child laborer from a carpet factory, now attending school.
We visited a remote village of the Okhaldunga district in the Everest region of Nepal and found the people living there sadly in need of all types of health facilities. This area, consisting of a population of over ten thousand, receives a total yearly government health budget equaling a mere $150 for its nine villages! Not surprisingly, this amount is nearly depleted in the first month or two of the year.
We work with the Youth Vision Drug Rehab Center, which has a program designed for young Nepali men who have substance abuse problems. (Additionally, about half these men are HIV positive and/or infected with Hepatitis C.) We offer group therapy sessions, followed up with personal counseling.
Haamro Ghar (or “Our Home”) is a boarding school for former child laborers from carpet factories. The majority of children come there straight from the factories with little more than the clothes they are wearing and a grade one or two education at the most—if even that—though they may be as old as 10 or 12 years of age.
The Bakteshwori Primary School in Manakamana, Gorkha District is a small village school, which teaches children from classes 1-3. These children come from very poor families and would otherwise be unable to receive any schooling. FVS had arranged the sponsorship for a much-needed additional teacher.
Some time back, FVS became aware of the plight of the Nepal Orthopedic Hospital (NOH). This small, newly constructed hospital, located near the Disabled School, needed orthopedic equipment and supplies. FVS felt called to help. FVS contacted fellow volunteers in Kaohsiung, Taiwan for assistance, which resulted in the formation of the Nepal-Taiwan Cooperation Project.
One of our more significant partnerships is with the Nepal Disabled Association (NDA), based in Kathmandu. This school provides approximately 80 physically disabled children from low-income families with a free education. FVS workers have been giving free English & music/drama classes for the children in grades 1-4. We repair and maintain classrooms, as well as contribute sponsored school supplies, uniforms, and educational/sports equipment.
FVS visits Shishu Bikas Kendra in Pokhara, a school for the mentally challenged and a day care center for young underprivileged children. We deliver educational audio/visual aids that focus on health habits, positive peer interaction and wholesome family values, as well as motivational teaching materials to the dedicated staff of these schools.