OFF THE MAT
ROKPA CHILDREN'S HOME
When the earthquake happened in Nepal in 2015 we really wanted to help as when Manju had a business in India he had many Nepalese staff and watching the footage of the aftermath really affected him. After reading the news about aid being held at Katmandu airport until extortionate taxes were paid and other aid being diverted away from the intended recipients, we were at a loss as to how to help.
Then suddenly we had an idea. We would ask students to donate soft toys, pack them in vacuum bags and take them to Nepal ourselves with the caveat that if we could not get them all to Nepal or through customs we would travel back to India and take them to under-served children there.
To do this we joined forces with ROKPA as one of the trustees is a friend of ours Gelong Thubten. Like all crazy ideas that come only with the aspiration to serve others it worked! We were overwhelmed with donations and managed to take over 600 toys out with us (see photo gallery below).
We visited the ROKPA orphanage in Katmandu and personally gave a toy to each resident. This was such a privilege. We left the remainder of the toys with ROKPA and when the danger of landslides had passed, one of the trustees took the remaining toys out to a number of remote villages, she sent us this message:
“The kids were over the moon! Never ever had a toy before, playing with stones and garbage in earthquake shaken village of Siphagat in Sindupalchok. Such joy! Thank you!”
We are so very grateful to everyone for donating these toys as without those donations this project would never have been possible. At the time Manju was teaching children’s classes, above is a photo of him with some of his students after they had bagged up some of the toys. At the bottom of this page is the story of our trip to Nepal in photos.
This is what ROKPA’s website says about the home:
“The Children’s Home has enough space for up to 60 former street kids. Here they experience – maybe for the first time in their lives – protection and security. They are helped to develop individually and receive training for future employment.
Orphans and children from impoverished families are welcomed with open arms in the ROKPA Children’s Home, they are lovingly cared for and receive an education both in acquiring intellectual knowledge and a better understanding of care and compassion for one another.
Thanks to your donations, these children are brought up to be responsible and self-confident human beings who will never have to resort to begging again.”
