Last week, we celebrated our second festival called Dipawali. In this festival, we worshiped Goddess of wealth. Along with this, we worshiped Dogs, crow, Cow ,Ox in the form of various gods and goddess. In addition to this, we went to our relatives home and performed various dances and sing at evening. In return, the owner of the homes gave us sweets, fruits and some amount of money as blessings. The final day of this festival is called the brother and sister day where every sister worships her brother keeping him in the circle of mustard oil, putting mala (garland) of Makhmali flower and Dubo grass to pray for long life of her brother. Sisters offer brother Shaguns and in return the brother give their sisters gifts and money. The brothers also put tika to sister and bow her on her feet and assure her to protect her till the end of life.  We have a great time celebrating this festival.

In spite of all these happiness, Nepal is still battling with the blockade that has been made by India. At present, this crisis has reached a new level of intensity. According to news, none of the refueling plants has cooking gas stock due to the embargo imposed by India. According to Nepal LP Gas Industries Association, many gas bullets loaded from IOC’s refinery plants have been stuck in India and there has not been new loading of gas from IOC deopts since last three months.

People are waiting for days in long queues of vehicles, motorcycle, cars, taxis, buses and trucks at the petrol pumps. Top political leaders are holding talks with India officials to make a breakthrough, but an end to the crisis does not look in sight.

Days are getting more worst than before. It has been more than 3 months that education institutions are closed. All we want is a better Nepal and wants to enjoy New constitution which we actually are not been able to do.  

We still have hope and pray for better Nepal.

Nepal Got its First female President as the head of state .Congratulation to our newly appointed president Mrs. Vidhya Devi Bhandari. Another milestone added in the history of Nepal after declaration of Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.
Now,
All we want is a better Nepal and we want to enjoy New constitution which we actually are not been able to do. We hope she would use the power with her best effort and make a strong and better Nepal. We wish her all the best and “Big congratulation”

The year continues to bring challenges to the people of Nepal. Since the earthquakes of April and May 2015, in which over 9000 Nepalese lives were lost, sudden legislative change followed by political unrest has triggered instability across the country, particularly with the minority Indian-origin Medhesi peoples of the southern Terai plains bordering India.

After a year of political struggling, three political parties in Nepal finally united to announce a new constitution for Nepal on September 20. There was celebration and happiness in Nepal as this constitution, so long waited for, finally came into existence. However, some minority groups, including the Medhesi people, fear the new regional government areas that have been set up, claiming that they are not well represented in the new system. In Terai District, the Medhesi Front has led political protest and uprisings against the new constitution. In response, The Indian government, claiming to be only concerned with protecting truckers in areas of unrest, has brought deliveries of food and petroleum to a halt at the border to Nepal.

While people in Kathmandu take turns on alternative days receiving rations of gasoline, thousands of trucks carrying food and supplies necessary in this land-locked country are stranded at the Indian border. There has been a complete stoppage of oil supply to Nepal Oil Corporation by India Oil Corporation. Meanwhile, Indian government officials demand that Nepal make changes to its constitution according to their advice.

For the people of Nepal, while governments wrangle, blockade and impede, the suffering of the terrible earthquakes gets magnified. We are facing shortages not only of fuel for transport and cooking, but now of fruits, vegetables .oil and basic needs. People whose only source of income is what they can make by their daily lab our are without work, and facing nights without food. We cannot imagine the life of their children and what they might be facing at this time.

It is truly a very wow moment for us! The people of Nepal have a new constitution. And along with this new constitution comes new hope and happiness.
We were facing lots of problems and suffering because of the devastating earthquake of last spring. Now there is new hope brought with this new constitution, hope that it will help in the rebuilding of a new Nepal.

There is no finer gift than one that offers love,hope support to others “Our team providing uniform to the students of Jalpan Devi higher Secondary School of Sindhupalchowk district.
We are also trying to find out how many children have not been going to school so that we can reach out to those families and provide help to them
” Your support can brings huge happiness in people’s life”

Sarita Chaulagain came to WFN Shelter from her home in Kavre, Balluwapati after she came to know about the program for pregnant women and newborns from her relatives. Her home and the houses of both her mother-in-law and mother were also destroyed in the earthquake. Her mother-in-law died during the quake. Sarita says:
“My first born daughter didn’t receive proper nutrition growing up and because of this, she has a problem with her leg. I was extremely happy and thankful to WFN because of all the support my daughter received during her stay. WFN provided me the safe and secure shelter with all the facilities needed for me including the medical support, balanced diet, counseling. I think I was blessed. I was even more happy when WFN helped my daughter for her health treatment. Before I came to WFN, I was worried that my second daughter, born at the shelter, would also have the same health problem, but the support provided by WFN helped my baby to grow up healthy. Now my daughter is 2 1/2 months and she is so healthy.“

When Sarita left the shelter to return home to her family she said: “This is my lovely home and I will never forget it and I will come back to meet all the staff of WFN”.

Samjhana Silwal of Dhading was temporarily staying in Kathmandu before the earthquake. Samjhana is a teacher and had a job at one of the schools in Cheetrapati. When she came to WFN in April following the earthquake, she was 8 months pregnant.

Both Samjhana’s family house in Dhading, as well as her rented house here in the city, were destroyed in the quake. She was at her wits end with no safe place to go to have her baby when she heard about the program to shelter pregnant women and their newborns at WFN. She almost wept with relief when she found out about the shelter from the media and came to us right away.

“When I was in that vulnerable stage in my life, pregnant and just about to have a baby and no where to go, WFN played the role of family. They took me in and provided me the safe and secure shelter. Not only all the facilities for me including the medical support and balanced diet, they gave the counseling to me which makes me feel confident and mentally stronger. I think I was blessed. Along with me, the facilities were provided to my 2 year old child and mother-in-law who were there to take care of me. During my stay, I felt that I have received the same love and care from the staff at the Women’s Foundation that my mother used to give me. Therefore, I felt that it was really just like being in my own mother’s house”.

Pabitra (Timilsina) Rai of Bhojpur, Nepal was living in a rented apartment in Kathmandu when the earthquake hit. Pabrita has “low-vision” as well as high blood pressure. Her husband Amrit Rai also has low-vision.

The rented house that she was living in was destroyed by earthquake. Because of this, she was completely panicked and stressed about where she could stay and how she would be able to delivery her child safely. Her delivery was complicated because of her high blood pressure.

“When me and my husband came to know that The Women’s Foundation had a program for pregnant women and new mothers, we visited the organization. My situation was a little different from the other pregnant women because of my health. WFN members provided great care, love, a balanced diet and all the medical treatment before, during and after my delivery. I had my 7 year old daughter with me and now I have my new baby as well, thanks to all the support and love of the Women’s Foundation.”

Fears that the monsoon season would bring with it an increased risk to Nepalis from landslides and flooding due to destabilized land from the earthquakes seem to be coming true. According to the UN’s World Food Programmed, 105 people have lost their lives, 130 are listed as missing and 42 injured so far this season. Most of those deaths have been reported from Western Nepal, an area that has been severely effected by heavy rainfall in the last two weeks. The districts of Bardiya, Banke, Kailali, Surkhet and Dang are reeling from the damage after receiving more rainfall in a few days than usually falls in a month at this time. One station reported 545mm of rain in just 24 hours.

The World Food Programme estimates that at least 200,000 in the area have either completely lost or partially lost their homes, food sources and property due to landslides and floods. The Government of Nepal has appealed to the UN for aid to feed the people of those districts, but conditions for travel and transport are very difficult and in some cases impassable. Roads and bridges have been swept away, blocked or damaged as the heavy rainfalls continue.

Here at the Women’s Foundation, we also have been receiving calls for help and aid. Because of the terrible problems in reaching these villages in the monsoon season, we try our best and often send supplies back with a member of the village or even on their own.

This week WFN sent relief to 3 schools in Dolakha District, Northeast of Kathmandu. Our team were on these villages a couple of weeks for the survey. This is a very beautiful but poor region that suffered terribly from the effects of the earthquake. We have been there last time with the emergency aid to these villages. This time we went to the school and thought this concept of providing uniforms and metal roof would be really great help for these numbers of students we are willing to go to school but everything is lost in there damages houses. In our visit we also talked with these kids and gave the sense of hope for them.. They had almost lost all hope that they would be able to got back to school because of the caustic situation of the village which was badly hit in this area by the second earthquake. Schools had completely collapsed and all of their uniforms and books were buried under those collapsed houses. So a result we sent them those materials which was the urgent needs of the schools and the survivors. We sent relief to Shree Himalya Higher secondary school(Khopa Chagu),Shree Pargatisil Milijuli Nimna Madyamik Vhidhaylaya (Babre) and Kalnichok Nimna Madyamik Vidhalya (Thami Chagu) as they received metal roofing to build temporary classrooms and uniforms for the students. They became so pleased to get this stuff.

We are also trying to find out how many children have not been going to school so that we can reach out to those families and provide help to them. Contributing to the problem, many children are still very fearful and afraid to leave their homes. They are still scared and need counseling. We can feel the fear that is still in their minds and we try to provide financial support and love as well.

Our pregnant women and newborn baby project is continuing to run smoothly. Our great news is that we recently had a new baby boy join us. Both the mother and child are doing well and in good health. Mom and baby are having regular health checkups and receiving counseling on how to eat a balanced and healthy diet.

Our regular operations at the Women’s Foundation Nepal are getting back to normal. Our projects with shelters, micro-finance, the schools, childcare centers and the production center are all being brought back to a regular schedule. WFN has started doing legal counseling again and we now have a caseload of various severe cases of domestic violence. These files are running under district court and every day it seems that a woman with various sufferings and pain in their life story comes to us for help.

There is no finer gift than one that offers health and hope to others.

As a nonprofit organization, we rely on the generosity of others. To those who have donated time and treasure to our effort, we would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you”