About Us

In Nepal, we play a small part in poverty alleviation by supporting healthy homes and funding good food and education for children who otherwise would not have access to these things. In the face of so much need we can only contribute in a small way but we hope that to each of these children it can make a large difference. Although nobody can guarantee what awaits these children in the larger Nepalese society, we do know that for now they are receiving good food in a safe and caring home, a decent education, and a strong foundation for whatever awaits them. Ideally our support provides opportunities for the children to become self-sufficient, contributing members of their society.

History

In 2008, our support went to 12 impoverished, lower caste children living at the Save Blessing Child Home (SBCH).  Over the last decade SBCH has cared for many children, 34 at one point, and currently has 22 kids ranging in age from preschoolers to grade 10. Since 2008, we have also supported many of the ever-growing number of children cared for in the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC); these children had previously been living in prison with their moms.

As the children have aged out of SBCH we have continued to support their education past grade 10 so that they are able to be self-supporting. Glasswaters is keen to make sure that motivated students have the opportunity to complete their career paths. In 2013 we were given a generous donation that enabled the creation of Anne’s Education Fund. A large part of Anne’s Fund provides for the post-secondary education of the children and will continue to do so into 2020.

In April of 2015 a massive earthquake hit Nepal. Thousands of people were killed and injured and hundreds of thousands were left homeless. Glasswaters took on direct relief projects through local initiatives to help rebuilding efforts. We also provided grants for immediate food, shelter and health supports for rural villagers; you’ll find more information on our international grants page.

In 2014 we began providing grants to Child Haven International’s child care work in Nepal with the Women’s Foundation of Nepal.  WFN, whose mission is to work toward a violence free society, cares for women (and their children) who have been seriously mistreated in the past.  The women and children are given a chance to make a new start.  The Women’s Foundation provides housing, education for children and adults, legal assistance, day care – a sense of security, a home.  WFN was also involved with the relief efforts in Nepal following the massive earthquake in 2015. Visit their website for more information about their multi-faceted approach. www.womenepal.org

We have grown to love the children we support and their caregivers. The statement below was written by one of our staff a few years ago and expresses well how we feel about our work in Nepal.

Why do this work?

In 2007, Glasswaters asked me to go to Kathmandu to see a Nepali project they had begun to support. I immediately thought, “Yes!” Then I had two concerns.

Before even considering the specific project that cared for 12 lower-caste, impoverished children, I wondered aloud: “With so much work to do in my own community, why would I go half-way around the world to ‘help’ somewhere else?” A friend answered, “It depends on how you define your community.”
And then there’s the notion of ‘helping’. I had no desire to waltz in with Western ideas and the money to impose them. What do I know of someone else’s world and needs? Glasswaters’ basic mandate helped me with this concern. The idea is NOT to go somewhere to create a project and tell people what to do. The idea is to fund healthy, locally initiated work in need of financial support.

Six years later, these concerns haven’t disappeared, but the work in Nepal feels full, useful, worth doing. We now support over 65 children, either from the impoverished lower class or children who have been living in prison with their mothers. We fund the care and education of these children by basically supporting the visions of the Nepali people who create and maintain these projects.
Economic support offered with the best of intentions can’t help but change their world. What is meant to ease and support their work can’t help but change it.

I’m constantly mindful of these challenges. Often the work feels like a balancing act where I tread a path through the trappings of Westernization and the dangers of growth. These difficulties are tempered by the delight and health of the children, and the broadening of their future possibilities. I’m fueled by my love for them and my appreciation of the Nepalis who care for them.
They are an integral part of my community.

Melanie Circle