(asp) Second Home Child Outreach Program

The Second Home Child Outreach Program (SHCOP) is an afterschool program (asp) that takes care of 26 underprivileged children in their own neighbourhood. Children who live in adversity due to extreme poverty, single-parent families (who don’t get any extra support in Nepal), or who have to deal with all kinds of health problems and problems such as addiction, abuse, neglect, or a combination of these setbacks. These children were almost all directly affected by the earthquakes of 2015.

Asha and Devendra Aryal have been an integral part of 4 Smiling Faces from the start in 2008. Without their help, the foundation could never have done and realized what it has done so far and will keep doing in the future. They are our eyes and ears in Nepal and not only that. They do all the groundwork. Asha and Devendra are special people with a heart of gold.

It’s been a longstanding wish of both of them to do something for disadvantaged children in their community. There are many kids that have all kinds of problems you wouldn’t wish on everybody, let alone on kids. They have to deal with things like having absent parents who have to leave them all day to go to work; or they have abandoned altogether, some deal with extreme poverty, all kinds of health issues and things like addictions or a combination of one or more of the above. Whichever way you look at it, they deserve so much better. The necessity has only grown since the earthquakes of 2015. Ever since then, many more children from the severely stricken surrounding area have come to the city.

The start of this after-school program is a direct result of the earthquakes and now more than 1,000 aftershocks. Because of this and the months-long border blockade by India (August 2015 t/m in early 2016), more and more families are living below the poverty line. Others are (half) orphaned, displaced, and left to their own devices. Hence, the need for daily support for underprivileged children in Jorpati has increased enormously. The Outreach program provides just that.

The Second Home Child Outreach Program runs from Asha and Devendra’s homestay, Asha Home Nepal. But not only that, Asha works with the children directly and her foster daughters are happy to volunteer. It’s a real family affair.

This Second Home Child Outreach Program offers:

• nutritional supplementation
• educational support
• health teaching (dental hygiene, hand hygiene, nutrition education)
• emergency medical assistance
• a safe space for children to receive emotional support during times of difficulty
• a partnership with families to ensure their children’s needs are met and improve family dynamics

The program is aimed at:

• Boys and girls from impoverished families (some who suffered during the 2015 earthquakes)
• Ages 3-11
• Have been identified as at risk for not having basic needs met in the community

Currently, the program caters to 25+ at risk children and the hope is to expand if and when the funds become available.

Currently, the program runs from 3:30-5:30 pm 6 days per week. Food and hygiene supplies will be provided to each child. It costs 260 euros per month to provide for 15 at-risk children. Please donate whatever you can!

4 Smiling Faces is extremely happy to get involved and provide anything needed to help these well-deserving kids. A little bit of our help will go a really long way in Nepal.

SDG’s

With our support of the SHCOP, 4 Smiling Faces contributes to the realization of the United Nations (UN) SDG’s (Sustainable Development Goals).