News
Read stories and updates from our work with the children of Nepal. To find our old newsletters from 2003 to 2018, visit the archive! Otherwise, click in the search bar below to locate blogs on a topics you’re interested in.
Reserve Your Table for Mitrata's April 21 TRIVIA NIGHT
Join us for our annual Trivia Night, an evening full of fun and interesting pop culture trivia and beautiful handmade Nepali handicrafts and the opportunity to gift our children necessary clean water, protein and a few treats!
Proceeds will fund water and after school activities for our Contact Center children as well as field trips, pizza and momo parties and an ice cream social for our 118 children.
BSF Staff Kicks Off 2018
Our partner organization in the Nepal, the Bhuvaneshwori Satyal Foundation (BSF), staff met to share stories of 2017 and take time to focus on their needs and plans to grow personally and as an organization in the new year. BSF Board President Yogesh Satyal shares his thoughts on their get together. We are eternally grateful for our partnership and shared vision for our children.
Saraswoti Puja--Our Partner BSF Fosters The Joy of Learning
With young children in is so important to encourage them to love learning and to develop an interest in education and gaining knowledge about the world, science and how to become successful in life. So at our Contact Center they make a special day for celebrating the Goddess Saraswoti, a Hindu deity of knowledge and enlightenment. The children at the Contact Center and their teachers were offered puja (honoring the Goddess) and received blessings. They had a special vegetarian meal of kheer (milk-rice pudding), puri, channa with vegetables, and mixed fruit salad prepared in yogurt – all a typical nutritious meal prepared during pujas.
Happy Holidays from Mitrata-Nepal Foundation for Children
As I reflect on this year 2017, I am full of gratitude and amazement! What a great year we have had!
Our partner organization, BSF, has made great strides in management of our programs in Nepal, providing the support services we need to help our children become successful in life. It is not an easy task! Imagine caring for the needs of 118 children! They take children to doctors, create empowerment programs, serve as liaison with the many schools we work with, counsel children and families, provide career and life skills support and handle all crises!
Holiday Wish: Help Us Tell Our Story
Stories are powerful. They not only tell a narrative, they capture our imagination and impact our hearts. We at Mitrata-Nepal Foundation for Children have an incredible opportunity to tell the story of our organization and the ways in which our work changes the lives of our children.
Many of you have already seen Amy Benson and Scott Squire's documentary, Drawing the Tiger, which focused on the overwhelming challenges faced by the people of Nepal, as seen through the lens of the Darnal family. Last month Amy returned to Nepal to shoot their third documentary about the Darnal family. And since Mitrata is now helping some of the Darnal family members, we, too, are included in the Darnal family story.
Leavin’ on a Jetplane...
I really do hate to go. The trip this year has been wonderful. There are many great memories with the sponsors Jacque Richmond, Pam and Ralph Caraffa, Angie Schutz, Nancy Williger and Reva Meadows. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with the kids, the adventures in Pokhara and the hospitality of the BSF staff. They are amazing working with the kids every day in spite of all the traffic, pollution headaches and the notorious redtape of the bureaucracy of schools and government.
You Meet with EVERY Child?!
I get this question a lot. The answer is yes! When I come to Nepal it is a priority to meet individually with every child we sponsor to see first-hand the child’s condition.
I also take pictures and videos to send out to the sponsors when I get back to the USA and give out the letters and gifts that the sponsors have sent with me to Nepal. It is really a fun thing to do, even with the challenges of shy kids who have trouble talking on camera and the difficulty getting a quiet space with enough light for filming. It does take a lot of time since we have 85+ sponsored children separate from those in our Contact Center!
Young, Dynamic Karaoke Duo Anna and Elyse to Sing at Holiday Bazaar
Sisters Anna and Elyse Abramov are all set to bring their own karaoke machine and sing holiday carols for attendees at Mitrata-Nepal Foundation for Children's Annual Holiday Bazaar on Sunday, December 3 from noon to 5:00 p.m. at the Masonic Temple in Webster Groves, MO. Anna and Elyse are so excited and appreciative to have the opportunity to perform this year at our Holiday Bazaar!
Billy Dechand Set to Play at Holiday Bazaar
Singer, Composer and Musician Billy Dechand will play at our upcoming Sunday, December 3 Holiday Bazaar at the Masonic Lodge in Webster Groves.
Shop for the holidays and listen to great music by Billy to support our underprivileged children in Kathmandu, Nepal. All textiles, jewelry, and handicrafts were personally selected from fair trade artisans by Christine and our Traveling Seven while in Kathmandu visiting our children.
Oh No! Tourists Dancing!
Much to our surprise my dear friend and travel agent videotaped one of the last fun nights with the sponsors on the trip. We had dinner at Gokarna Restaurant in Thamel where we had a delicious Nepali dinner including a little Roksi (a little goes a long way) served in tiny clay cups and then watched Nepali traditional dances and enjoyed good conversation.