The Cause

The Orphan Help Centre - Kathmandu

The Orphan Help Cente is a not for profit NGO (non govermental organisation) based in Kathmandu Nepal. http://www.orphanhelpcenter.org/

Established in August 2004, the orphanage cares for Nepalese village children whose parents have either passed away, disappeared or are too poor to feed and educate them. At this time, the orphanage is home to 17 children.
In a country where there is no social security and the political situation is highly controversial, OHC provides a unique opportunity for orphans to be educated at a private school and to be loved and cared for in a small, family-like environment.

With the average annual household income in Nepal varying from a little over $500NZD in rural areas to around $2000NZD in Kathmandu many children are forced to work as labourers of cleaners from a very young age just to help provide for their families or end up on the streets exposed to drugs violence and crime.

The Orphan Help Centre runs under the philosophy that education is the key to breaking this poverty cycle. It not provides the children that live there with a home but pays for their uniforms and private education as well.

OHC was originally founded by Biba Tamang, a Nepalese orphan who was raised by her grandparents in August 2004. At that time, along came three travellers with an interest in helping Nepalese orphans; Nonna Lamponen, Amanda McKay and Leen Lievens. Together they have created a home that exceeds most orphan centres. The center is home to no more than 20 children at a time, so a family environment is nurtured. The focus is on love, nutrition and education

My goal is to raise $20,000 for the Orphanage which should fund it for an entire year. I am running a Charity Gala evening on the 13th of September and am seeking donations as well as prizes that can be auctioned off on the night. The guests at the event will be from some of Auckland’s most affluent areas with large amounts of dispoable income and would be a great target market for many businesses.

There are also opportunities to sponsor children at the orphanage directly through the website. The great thing about this charity is that 100% of the money donated actually gets put to use for the children. With many other large scale save the children/tear fund type charity's as little as 7-12% of money donated ends up in the front line due to the scale of operations and administrative costs of running them.

Please have a good look through the website especially the childrens profiles and you will get a real sense of what these fantastic people are trying to achieve and why! http://www.orphanhelpcenter.org/thechildren