DRC Newbuild
The DRC’s current location does not offer sufficient facilities to provide the children with what they need. There is too little space for all the children who need to live there. Furthermore, the building is unsuitable and cannot be renovated; it no longer meets modern standards in any way.
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The current location is on the edge of the city amid increasing construction, a lot of activity, busy roads and air pollution.
The new location is situated far outside the city in a small village, surrounded by greenery; there is little traffic and the air is clean.
Not built to house children with disabilities or illnesses. Due to its special status, the building may not be modified either.
Specially designed and built for use by children with disabilities or illnesses, and compliant with international accessibility standards.
Severely damaged by—and not fully restored after—the 2015 earthquakes.
Built to be earthquake-resistant.
The building is situated on the banks of the Basmati River, which is fed by the Himalayas; since August 2026, we have been aware of the risks associated with such a location.
The new location is not situated within a river basin.
Inadequate and non-segregated facilities for boys, girls, staff, and guests.
Adequate, separate facilities for boys, girls, staff, and guests.
Insufficient storage space for supplies, (game and practice) equipment, and the children’s belongings.
Ample storage space for supplies and materials (including those for games and exercises), as well as for the children’s personal belongings. Each child has a locker for their personal items.
Before Covid, 55 children lived in the DRC; after Covid, there were 35, because the government significantly raised the requirements for care homes.
Meets all government requirements, accommodates 30 children, provides 5 additional places for temporary (crisis) care, and offers outpatient support for individuals with an illness and/or disability living elsewhere.
The current premises in no way meet the—justifiably—increasingly strict requirements imposed by the Nepalese government on children’s homes.
It meets all government requirements, provides accommodation for 30 children, and has additional capacity for temporary (crisis) care.
There are very limited options for sustainable solutions; there are a few solar panels for hot showers.
From the outset, as many sustainable solutions as possible are being integrated into the new construction plans: gas-free cooking; solar energy for cooking, electricity, and hot water; rainwater harvesting, and the like.
Limited outdoor play area; paved, elongated, narrow, and steeply sloping; it also serves as a thoroughfare between the kitchen/dining room and the other living areas.
Ample and fully accessible outdoor space for safe play, featuring both paved and unpaved areas. There is a separate dining room.
No space for a vegetable garden and/or keeping chickens.
Space for an accessible vegetable garden of reasonable size and for keeping a few chickens.
No space for a vegetable garden and/or keeping chickens.
Space for an accessible vegetable garden of reasonable size and for keeping a few chickens.
Doing homework and chilling out take place under the covered ‘veranda’—so, exposed to the elements.
It gets scorching hot there in the summer and freezing cold in the winter.
2 aparte huiswerk/klasruimten; 1 binnen en 1 buiten. Op iedere etage een eigen chillruimte.
No facilities for a small shop and/or café.
Space for a small shop with a café, so the children can work there, learn skills, and the DRC can earn some extra money.
The children attend different schools and all have to travel by school bus for varying lengths of time—an experience that is costly, unpleasant, and unsafe. There is no specialized student transport for children with an illness or disability. Children are assisted in boarding and disembarking the bus in an unsafe manner, usually by their peers.
The children could attend the nearby school, which has a good reputation.