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Introduction “Time is running out for the children of Nepal, [they] face an uncertain future if their health and human rights concerns are not addressed by local governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the international community in a timely manner.” - Sonal Singh (Johns Hopkins University) and colleagues
In Nepal, 1 out of every 11 children dies before reaching the age of five, and almost 70,000 children die yearly from preventable causes. The ongoing violent conflict in Nepal between Maoist rebels and government forces has disrupted the delivery of health care to children and deprived them of education. And since the end of the cease fire in 2003, say Singh and colleagues, there has been a steady increase in human rights violations against Nepalese children by both parties to the conflict. From Silas West November 27, 2006 Dear Brothers and Sisters In Christ, Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ. We have heard much about your hearts and praise God for all that you are doing and will continue to do for the poor. We thank you sincerely for the opportunity to share our ministry with you and your supporters in the following pages. Word Made Flesh (WMF) began in the early 1990’s as a response our founder’s exposure to the poorest of the world’s poor. Starting with a home for HIV affected orphans in Chennai, South India, WMF has grown, establishing communities of service in eight countries which span four continents. We are called by God to birth communities which practice the presence and proclamation of the Kingdom of God among the poorest of the world’s poor. We are an incarnational ministry serving holistically through advocacy for the poor, ministries of compassion and proclamation of the Good News. We exist that Jesus, the Word, be made flesh among the poor of the urban world. WMF has had a permanent presence in Nepal since December 1997. While being a part of WMF International, we have since established ourselves as a daughter organization to WMF, WMF Nepal. We have a Nepali Board of Directors which provides local oversight to all ministry projects and local staff issues, provides accountability to the community as a whole and gives structure for legal and financial issues on a local level. NCEG currently employs five full-time and three part-time Nepali staff members who work alongside five WMF staff members from the USA. WMF Nepal’s overall vision is a calling to the holistic transformation of the poorest of the poor in Kathmandu, Nepal. Our calling is expressed through transformational ministries of compassion among women, children and youth and unifying relationships with the poor and the local church. As a community, we are committed to make Jesus known by upholding the dignity of women, through the prophetic values of sonship and daughterhood, through the empowerment of national leadership, and through building unity among other believers in Kathmandu who share a similar vision. Currently we have three main focuses; a home for abandoned elderly widows, Prem Ghar (Home of Love), a family group for at-risk orphaned girls, Karuna Ghar (Home of Compassion), and, most recent, a rehabilitation/discipleship home for former drug addicts from the streets, Kripaa Sadhan (Home of Mercy). WMF International offers logistical support, administrative accountability and accountability to the overall vision of WMF. It does not, however, provide any funding. All support for the ministry and staff salaries has been dependant on individual donations and faith offerings. Following this introduction is a brief summary of each of the three ministry projects operated by WMF Nepal and a short description of the context out of which the ministry was developed. Again, I thank you for providing us the opportunity to share this important ministry with you. I ask you to take our needs before the Throne of God and humbly request you to become a partner with James Project in supporting WMF Nepal. Love Justice, Do Mercy and Walk Humbly, Silas West Email: silas.west@wordmadeflesh.com Overview of Word Made Flesh Nepal’s Ministry Programs A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; - Psalm 68:5-6 Prem Ghar (Home of Love) Vision: Prem Ghar is called to see the love of God ministered holistically in the lives of destitute, abandoned elderly women. This calling is expressed through providing a functional family where there was none and by giving the women an opportunity to be a part of a welcoming community. Prem Ghar is called to empowerment for the women and enable them to discover their true value and worth as contributors to society and, most importantly, as beloved daughters of God. Prem Ghar started in 2000 when one of our dear Nepali friends, Jyoti Bhattarai, took in an elderly widow who had suffered severe abuse at the hands of her son and his family. She finally fled the home and came to live at Jyoti’s mother’s home until the founding of Prem Ghar when she became our first amma (mother). Realizing that this is not an exceptional case but is, actually, a serious problem among Nepal’s elderly women, WMF Nepal took Jyoti on as a full time staff member and began renting a small house where she oversaw the addition of several other elderly women.
Two ammas cleaning up after a meal In 2002, WMF Nepal received a one time donation that allowed it to purchase a small house and land for a permanent facility for Prem Ghar. Prem Ghar has seen the most turnover of all our ministries with some ammas passing away and others leaving on their own after discovering worth and value within themselves. It is currently home to six elderly women. As a part of Prem Ghar’s ministry, Jyoti also regularly visits and supports several other elderly widows who are living in places of their own outside of Prem Ghar’s facilities. It is our desire to promote independence and empowerment rather than dependency. On December 18th, we will celebrate Prem Ghar’s 6th year anniversary. Karuna Ghar is called to see the love of God ministered holistically in the lives of abused and/or abandoned girls. This calling is expressed through providing family where there was none, by freeing at-risk girls from the bondage of poverty and exploitation and by upholding the truth of their identity as beloved daughters of God. In 2001, WMF Nepal board members, Gautam and Rekha Rai, received a phone call from Jyoti (Prem Ghar Director) asking them if they would consider taking in a seven year old girl who had been living on the streets for several weeks after being driven out of her home by an abusive step mother. Gautam and Rekha were WMF Nepal’s first converts and an important part of the foundation of its community in Kathmandu. They had been experiencing a strong call to serve the community beyond providing leadership on the board. They had been praying for a door to open for them to care for young girls who had no parents of their own when they received the call. Recognizing it as God’s hand in their lives, they accepted the request and took in the little girl. This was the beginning of God’s call for them to give up everything for the sake of other girls like this one—not to merely provide for their needs, but to sincerely offer them a family. That same year, WMF Nepal took Gautam and Rekha on as full-time staff members and Karuna Ghar was established.
Most of the Karuna Ghar family Because of the extreme poverty and institutionalized exploitation of women and girls in Nepal, a girl-child living on the streets is at the highest level of risk of being abused, sold into bonded labor or sold to a brothel. It is also common in Nepal for poor families to sell their daughters to middle-men who promise them that their children will receive work as domestic labor in the city. The majority of these girls get trafficked across the border into India where they find themselves locked into dark brothels and forced to service up to 20 men a day. It is into this context that Karuna Ghar had placed itself to break this cycle in the lives of the girls who enter its doors. There is nothing institutional about Karuna Ghar. Gautam and Rekha don’t even like it being referred to as a children’s home or girl’s home. They see each young girl as their own daughter and treat them as such. They have made a lifelong commitment as parents to the girls who have come to Karuna Ghar.
The kids showing off their art project during the WMF Nepal community retreat In addition to the three children born to them, Gautam and Rekha are raising six girls with an additional two coming next month. On September 5th, Karuna Ghar celebrated its fifth year. Kripaa Sadhan (Home of Mercy): Kripaa Sadhan was established in February of this year (2006) following an intense season of revival among a group of IV drug addicts our community has been working with for the past eight years. Our staff had been developing relationships with a group of boys and young men on the streets for a long time but was seeing little taking place in the way of transformation. Deciding to step back and commit the situation to the hands of God, in late 2005, our community entered into a time of prayer and seeking God. Within days, several of the boys began attending church with us and giving their lives to Christ. The pastor of the local church we attend partnered with us to begin a bi-weekly fellowship specifically for these young men. Within weeks, the fellowship had grown from about four to over twenty and several of the young men began sharing with us how they desired to change their lives in response to God’s work in their hearts but lacked even the most basic support necessary to break addictions and strongholds in their lives. About this same time, two of the young men who were attending the fellowship took overdoses of drugs. We responded by taking them off the streets and getting them the care they needed. Together with a third young man who wanted to make a commitment, these men became the start of Kripaa Sadhan which now houses eight young men and is looking toward a new season of receiving more.
One of the boys receiving baptism Kripaa Sadhan is not solely a WMF Nepal ministry. It exists as a partnership with the local church that the young men have become a part of. WMF Nepal provides financial support and accountability, leadership support and programming support. Our staffs continue developing the relationships with the boys and men which were foundational since the beginning. We are developing some vocational training for the young men to help them as they face life after Kripaa Sadhan. We are helping in the areas of basic education, Bible training, carpentry skills, basic computer and music. Also, as the majority of them are HIV positive, we are supporting their ongoing medical costs and helping them enter the government healthcare system.
The guys from Kripaa Sadhan Nepal, officially the Kingdom of Nepal, is a landlocked Himalayan country in South Asia, bordered by China to the north and by India to the south, east and west.
Nepal boasts eight of the world's highest mountains, including Mount Everest on the border with China. After a long and rich history, Nepal became a constitutional monarchy in 1990. However, the monarchy retained many important and ill-defined powers. This arrangement was marked by increasing instability, both in the parliament and, since 1996, in large swathes of the country that have been fought over by Maoist insurgents. The Maoists, alienated from mainstream political parties, went underground and started a guerrilla war against both monarchy and mainstream political parties. The Maoists have sought to overthrow feudal institutions, including the monarchy, and establish a republic. This has led to the ongoing Nepalese Civil War in which more than 13,000 people have died. On the pretext of quashing the insurgents, who now control about 60% of the country, the king closed down the parliament, dismissed the elected prime minister in 2002, and started ruling through prime ministers appointed by him. He then unilaterally declared a state of emergency early in 2005, and assumed all executive powers. On April 24, 2006, as the result of domestic and international pressure, the king agreed to relinquish the sovereign power back to the people and reinstated the dissolved House of Representatives. Using its newly acquired sovereign authority, on May 19, 2006, the newly resumed House of Representatives unanimously passed a motion to curtail the power of the king and declared Nepal a secular state. A complete rewrite of the country's constitution was still expected to happen in the near future. Nepal has a population of about 27 million, with an annual per capita income of $250, with more than 50% of Nepalis surviving on less than one dollar a day. Nepalis have suffered from many years of conflict and insecurity. Economic growth is slowing down to two per cent, inflation is approaching double digits, and public services are not effectively functioning. Poor people are facing physical insecurity, shortages, rising costs of basic goods, difficulties in making a living, and reduced access to health, education, clean water and sanitation. The United Nations reports that the price of a kilo of tomatoes has leaped from 42 cents to $1.50 – more than a day's wages for most Nepalis. Life expectancy in Nepal has increased in recent years, but at 59 years, it is still lower than neighboring South Asian countries. Maternal mortality is amongst the highest in the region. One of eleven children dies before they reach their fifth birthday (the vast majority during their first year), and almost 50% of children under five suffer from malnutrition. Moreover, Nepal is in the midst of a concentrated HIV epidemic, the World Health Organization/United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that 14 Nepalese adults become infected with HIV in Nepal every day. One of the contributing factors is that children are sold or stolen from Nepal, taken to India as sex slaves, and then returned with HIV. Between AIDS and starvation in Nepal the situation is bleak. Nepali culture is influenced by the cultures of Tibet, and India. There are similarities in clothing, language and food. A typical Nepali meal is dal-bhat - dal (boiled legumes) served with rice and vegetables, and some spicy relish. This is consumed twice daily, once in the morning and again after sunset. Between these main meals, snacks such as chiura (beaten rice) and tea are consumed. More than 80% of Nepal’s population is Hindu, which is higher than the percentage of Indian Hindus, making it the single most Hinduic nation in the world .The Hindu caste system has deep roots in Nepali culture, and even the Buddhist population and the very small but growing Muslim and Christian communities have adopted pernicious caste-like systems. Kathmandu the capital of Nepal (its largest city) is in the Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal and stands at an elevation of approximately 4,265 ft (1,300 m). The Kathmandu metropolitan area suffers from increasingly dangerous levels of air pollution. The Himalayan range to the north and Mahabharat range to the south form a barrier around the Kathmandu valley that inhibits suspended particulate matter from being disbursed outside the valley. Kathmandu is an urban and suburban area of about 1.5 million inhabitants along the Bagmati River. Kathmandu is home to most of the embassies, businesses, and the palace. The King's Palace stands right next to Thamel - the main tourist center. Kathmandu has been popular with tourists from the US, Europe, and the Middle East since the 1960s when it became a key stop on the hippie trail. Thamel consists of two parallel streets just to the west of the palace. It is home to lots of hotels, and lots of "hole in the wall" type establishments where trekkers and backpackers tend to stay. Word Made Flesh partners with local aid organizations, local churches, and national believers that work among children at risk. We are called by Jesus Christ to birth communities which practice the presence and proclamation of the Kingdom of God among the poorest of the poor. These Kingdom communities will be placed and nurtured within the Two-Thirds World mega-cities. We believe nationals have the greatest opportunity for the intense identification necessary for on-going transformation among the urban poor. Word Made Flesh works toward preventing children from living on the streets. High-risk communities are targeted for education and community development projects with the hopes of keeping children off the streets. Word Made Flesh also partners with local aid organizations that rescue and rehabilitate boys and girls who have been sexually exploited; helping to provide education, rehabilitation, discipleship, and care. For more information - www.wordmadeflesh.org
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