At last year’s fundraiser we also announced that ABIN’s Board had chosen our next school project. The Karang Sharada School project is now ready to commence construction. This is our 5th school construction project and our 7th educational support initiative since ABIN began in 2015/16. On the trip in October, we will have time to visit this project along with completed projects Him School and Sharada Secondary School as they are all within 1/2 days journey from our base which is Kandbhari.
In October 2022, ABIN Board members Craig and Kyle participated in the foundation construction of our Deaf Children’s facility. While in Nepal they also visited a few potential project sites and returned to Canada with their recommendations for our Board. This was how we chose the Karang Sharada project.
During their time in Nepal Craig, Kyle, Amanda & Carrie were invited to visit a women’s safe house and shelter that opened last year and is currently operating out of a small rented house in Khandbari. The shared experiences from the women and children at the temporary shelter was both riveting and emotionally impactful. Operated by our NGO Nepal colleagues at SODEC & Changing Lives Nepal in the US, the current women’s safe house operation provides services that previously were not being addressed in this large eastern geographic region of Nepal where ABIN currently works. When women and children were fleeing abusive situations, or other violence the only place for them to possibly find safe shelter was the local hospital if available.
When Craig, Kyle and I spoke at November’s fundraiser we shared the story of the shelter. At that time I asked for comments/feedback from our supporters with respect to the possibility of ABIN pivoting slightly to get involved with the safe-house/shelter project. The feedback that we received was overwhelmingly in favour of involvement with this important initiative. We feel that the shelter initiate still falls within our expressed mandate of children and education.
We have moved forward since November.
Land has been donated by the llocal Nepali government, and a committee has been formed made up of ABIN, team members in Victoria, Changing Lives Nepal members in the US and of course also includes Parshu and team members from SODEC in Nepal. ABIN will be the primary funding partner for planning and construction while our partner organizations will continue to run the operations temporary facility and then of course its new permanent home.
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