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.
Thank You Connie for Many Years of Service to Mitrata!
This week, we would like to take a moment to celebrate the retirement of Connie Colvis. Connie was a faithful Mitrata volunteer until 2016 when she officially became a part-time Mitrata employee. Since then, as Alexis Mead said, “Connie has been a constant savior and friend.” Connie has supported every sponsor, board member, and committee. She has all our thanks for the past seven years of hard work and dedication she has shown to Mitrata. Thank you Connie! Enjoy your retirement!
Happy Holidays!
Dr. Christine Schutz, Executive Director, reflects on the past year’s events, including the 20th Anniversary Celebration, in-person Holiday Bazaar, and finally returning to Nepal! It was a year filled with many wonderful experiences, and it wouldn’t have been possible without YOU, our Mitrata friends.
The Holiday Bazaar 2022 is a Wrap
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Holiday Bazaar. This was our first in-person Bazaar since 2019 and we were amazed by the turnout. Thank you all for spreading the word about the event, attending the event, and sending others to shop in your stead if you weren’t able to make it. There were even many folks who completed their shopping over FaceTime! We are so thankful for you, our Mitrata friends, and your dedication to supporting our mission. With 225+ attendees, we were able to raise over $24,000!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Our sponsors and staff are back home in the United States, very ready to rest, recover, and… celebrate Thanksgiving! As we celebrate this year, there is so much for us to be thankful for; from celebrating 20 years of Mitrata, to traveling to Nepal for the first time in three years, our gratitude is overflowing. Thank you for the caring support of these beautiful children, for your generosity that has lifted them out of the cycle of poverty, and for your commitment to Mitrata’s mission through the years. Happy Thanksgiving!
Time to Say Goodbye… For Now!
After two wonderful weeks that were spent trekking in the Annapurna range, exploring Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, and most importantly meeting and enjoying time with their sponsored children and the kids at the Contact Center; it was time for the Mitrata Child Sponsors to head home. Three members of the Mitrata leadership team remained behind to get some important work done. Executive Director Dr. Christine Schutz, Advisory Board member Stephanie Recht, and Sponsorship Committee Chair Danny Williger settled in to tackle serious business. And they did. They tackled it Mitrata Style!
It’s a Graduation Celebration!
One of the most exciting experiences for our Sponsors, and one of the most anticipated moments in the lives of our students is the Mitrata-Nepal/BSF Graduation Ceremony.
Throughout the pandemic, our NGO partner, Bhuvaneshwori Satyal Foundation (BSF) was not able to hold a graduation ceremony. For this reason, this year’s ceremony included all our 2020, 2021, and 2022 graduates.
A Busy Day At The Contact Center
Eight sponsors, Dr. Christine Schutz and Anna Wertman spent a busy day at the new Contact Center, our early childhood school readiness program in Balaju, Kathmandu. After spending a busy morning at the Contact Center, we left the children to their studies and went to visit the Vibhuti Vidhya Mandir School. We were then able to take a walk through the neighborhood and visit a few of our Contact Center students at home.
Warmest of Reunions
Shortly after arriving in Kathmandu, six jet-lagged sponsors went to dinner with their sponsored children in a beautiful open-air restaurant in Thamel, a bustling area in the heart of the city. The fatigue left over from days of travel quickly slipped away, replaced by joyous laughter, long anticipated hugs, and the joining of communities from opposite sides of the globe who think of each other often and wait in anticipation for just this day…
Celebrating Tihar in Nepal
This week, our Executive Director and Founder, Dr. Christine Schutz, and Director of Development and Operations, Alexis Mead, are celebrating the Tihar Festival in Nepal with the entire BSF staff and Contact Center children. Tihar, also known as Deepawali, is a five-day-long Hindu festival celebrated in Nepal. They celebrate Tihar by honoring the Hindu goddess of prosperity, Laxmi. Tihar is also known as the festival of lights, where diyas are lit both inside and outside the houses to welcome the spirit of Laxmi. The festival is considered to be of great importance as it shows reverence to not just the humans and the gods, but also to the animals like crows, cows, and dogs who maintain an intense relationship with humans.
Coming Up: Mitrata’s Annual Holiday Bazaar!
We know, a blog about the Holiday Bazaar may seem out of place right now. Holiday shopping is still ages away isn’t it? Although you may not want to hear it, Christmas is TWO months away! That means it’s time to start thinking about gifts for your holiday celebrations! This year, our Annual Holiday Bazaar is finally back in-person! Keep reading to learn more: