Givology - give to learn, learn to give

The Umbrella Foundation Nepal need help to fund the ‘Back to School’ costs for the young former victims of child trafficking that we have rescued from mainly corrupt ‘orphanages’ and who cannot be reintegrated with their families due to extreme poverty, the children being orphans or cases of abuse, violence or alcoholism in the families.
Umbrella has reunited over 174 children (102 boys, 72 girls) in 25 districts of Nepal to date and along with regular periodic monitoring, Umbrella supports the ongoing education costs for 84 of these children. Children who cannot be reintegrated with their families grow up in Umbrella’s residential childcare homes where they are being provided with food, clothes, education and medical- and psychosocial care in a loving home environment. Just like schools elsewhere stationeries are a must for making homework, making class exercises and eventually graduate school.
Currently there are 74 children (32 girls, 42 boys) in the age between 11 – 16 years old living in Umbrella’s childcare homes. Those children are from very poor family backgrounds and most of them are victims of trafficking to illegal orphanages in Kathmandu. Umbrella has rescued 388 children from such orphanages, as well as from the street and child labor and those 74 children still living in the homes are from a high-risk category of being susceptible to child labor and/or re-trafficking if they were to be reintegrated with their families. Umbrella believes that it is very important for a child’s development to reconnect with their families, their own customs and culture. Therefore, the process for family reconnection and reunification is ongoing while the children grow up in the homes. Furthermore, Umbrella believes that educating children is key to ensuring a country’s long-term development, prosperity and independence. The educational support therefore aims to ensure children attend one of the best government schools in Kathmandu, so they can ultimately grow up to become independent young adults and contribute to Nepal’s development.
Since the Nepal school system is similar to our own school system, homework and classroom exercises are part of daily teaching and learning. Proper stationery materials like pens, pencils, notebooks, calculator, geometry sets and protractor are needed for children to keep up in school and to not fall behind and eventually risk failing their exams. Without proper stationeries the children will not be enabled to learn to their fullest potential and their right to education will be at risk of being neglected. Therefore, in order for the children to continue their education, we need your help to get our kids school stationery materials, so that they can eventually become well educated and grow up to become responsible, independent and employable young adults.

The Umbrella Foundation was set up in response to the growing number of children in Nepal who were displaced, trafficked or orphaned by poverty and the internal conflict in the country. Umbrella has rescued 388 such children since 2005.
Many displaced children from extreme remote rural areas come to Kathmandu in search of education and the chance of a better future, but end up destitute on the streets, working as domestic slaves, or living in poorly-managed and often illegal homes in the Kathmandu valley. After their rescue, the children are initially placed in our residential childcare homes, where they receive medical and physiological assessments, as well as counseling. Work then begins to trace the children’s families and obtain any legal documentation on their background.
Our long-term aim is the reintegration of these displaced children back into their home communities so that they can resume their education after their often-traumatic pasts.

The Umbrella Foundation has traced the families and reconnected 385 out of the total 388 (99%) rescued thus far. From this amount, 174 (45%) are living full time with their relatives with the support of The Umbrella Foundation. The remainder is still in our children’s homes programme in Kathmandu (19%) or they have already grown up within our homes and we are supporting them for a vocational or college education as part of our youth programme (36%).
Our dedicated teams monitor all children and youths and check that their school attendance is at a satisfactory level and that they are happy and safe living at Umbrella’s homes or with their families.

The Umbrella Foundation has been working in anti-child trafficking for 9 years in Nepal. While largely supported by volunteers and sponsorships donations internationally, an experienced local team is employed Nepal to oversee each programme.
Umbrella employs an essential team of staffs to support and monitor the wellbeing of all children under our care. This consists of a qualified Child Protection & Development Officer, six Child Protection and Development Supervisors, a Reunification Officer, a Youth Officer, an Education Coordinator and three assistant Child Protection & Development Officers. Their responsibilities involve (a) periodically monitoring the progress of children in the homes or those already reunited and resolving issues noted; and (b) counseling all children and youths under Umbrella’s care for psychosocial issues as well as for the details to effectively canvas their suspected communities of origin for parents or surviving relatives.