Finishing up at Hope for Himalayan Kids & Future possibilities for HFHK...

So this week my time at HFHK has finished up and I feel I'm about to leave family behind. I conducted my last workshop and the staff were hard at work as usual, appreciating every piece of knowledge I could give them in the dying minutes...  

They put on a beautiful going away afternoon tea with speeches and gifts, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude.

My colleagues/students and friends all attempted to express their thanks in English. A request that I had asked, that even if they could try one word I had taught them they would have succeeded and it would be the best gift. In order increase their confidence I translated my long speech (if you know me you know I don't mind the spotlight), however this was different as I know that I was attempting high level Nepali with rubbish pronunciation!

 

(Me trying to pronounce...) 
 

(My colleagues trying to understand...Although at the end they swore they really did understand so I was stoked..even tested them on it!)

 So then we celebrated with some traditional Nepali Masala Tea and Nepal's version of samosa....so good!

 In the last few days since then Hope for Himalayan Kids has moved offices as we have outgrown the small headquarters we were in. This has been an exciting time for all staff as this was the first HFHK office: (Nicki's briefcase 6 years ago...)

Then over the years as more donors have come on board and HFHK has been able to hire more case workers to care for the children, they moved (from the briefcase) to Nicki's spare room, to a small one room office, then to the office I was in...... And now we say goodbye to this office:

And we look forward to the new range of possibilities that our new office can bring for the children of Nepal currently residing in  institutions. 

  To merely move into a new building means greater capacity for work, influence and productivity. It means the deistituionalisation process will happen quicker and the children will receive the much needed support a lot sooner, so everyone is excited about this. One of our children, Ashis, whom we are currently finding alternative care for (as he is living in one of the residential centres associated with HFHK) came to visit the new office. I asked him what he thought of all his new helpers (his big brothers and sisters-social workers) and the big new office...I didn't need an interpreter this time, I understood he was as stoked as us.

So we look forward to the new realm of future opportunities for all the children like Ashis. My favorite Blog will be introducing you to Ashis' new family when we find him foster or adoption parents, or any of the alternative care arrangements we are piloting. It's then he will get the individual love and care he deserves.