Samjhana Silwal’s Experience

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”.