By Ellen Currin and Shari Davis | GlobalGiving InTheField Representatives
Shari Davis & Ellen Currin are InTheField Travelers with GlobalGiving who are visiting our partners’ projects throughout Nepal. Their “Postcard” from their most recent visit in Nepal:
Ama Ghar is a lovely place to grow up: the garden is overflowing with flowers, there is a spacious house with plentiful art and musical instruments, and the mountain air is fresh. Although all of the younger children were at school during our visit, it was easy to imagine the 48 students of Ama Ghar playing and filling the space with laughter. The outside of the house is styled like a beautiful Nepali building, but the inside is open, modern and full of light. It is equipped with green waste management, water-conserving plumbing, and practical/multi-purposeful designs. Throughout the home, bulletin boards are filled with photos of the children’s drama performances, their art projects, or newspaper articles. I was most impressed by the shelves and shelves of books that filled Ama Ghar’s library! We met one older girl who had been at Ama Ghar for 11 years. When we asked her whether she liked Ama Ghar, her face lit up with a smile instantly and she answered “Yes!”
During our visit, The Ama Foundation’s Country Director, Bonnie Ellison, served us tea and spoke with us about the children’s schooling. For the past 10 years, Ama Ghar has been her home and the children have been her children! She pushes the children to work hard and achieve high marks in school, explaining that “passing grades” in school are not high enough to be “passing grades” in Ama Ghar. She also shared the future goals of the older students: they range from hotel management to engineering to electrical training. The hope is for every student who passes through Ama Ghar to come out with a marketable skill.
Our afternoon in Godawari passed quickly as we toured the grounds and spoke with staff and students. I was so impressed by the facilities and care that the children receive at Ama Ghar. The fresh air, the beautiful landscape, and the welcoming house made leaving very difficult!
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