The Karuna Kinderhouse

As promised I want to introduce you to the Karuna Kinderhouse in Godavari. The facility is a catholic orphanage. My home priest suggested the house and I am glad he did. Like I said I think without the Karuna Kinderhouse I would not be able to stay here.

So here is a short profile: The house was opened in 2010. It is currently home to 29 orphans and semi-orphans between the ages of 4 and 17. However total capacity is up to 60 children. It is funded primarily by a family from Heidelberg. There is also a house for HIV/AIDS infected mothers and children close by. The kids go to three different schools depending on their age and progress but none is too far away. Two sisters, Sister Linz and Sister Francis, care for the kiddies but they get help from some kitchen staff and a housekeeper.

 After living in lodges and local homes, the house seems like a great place to me. There is running water and even some solar electricity (though not in my room). But I do have my own room with attached bathroom!
There is one PC with dial-up Internet. The kids have plenty of room, a study hall, a recreation room with games, a dining hall, many bathrooms, etc.
Compared to most other Nepali kids, these kids have it great! Really. There are many other children to play with, older children help with the homework, they get good food, even some meat, they receive medicine if necessary, there are games, and a garden, etc.



View outside the window. So quite.

 

Play Room

Study Room

The kitchen for the staff and the sisters

Set table for the sisters and me

With that in mind, the kids (and now me) are keeping a tight schedule:

Every day but Saturday (Sunday is a school day):
5.25 AM Rising
5.50 AM Morning Tea
6.00 AM Morning Mass
6.30AM Study Time
7.10AM Cleaning
7.30 AM Breakfast
8.00 AM – 4.30PM School
4.00PM Tea
4.30PM Play Time
5.00PM Gardening
5.30PM Study
7.00PM Evening Prayer
7.30PM Dinner
8.00PM Play Time
8.30PM -10.30PM Study Time
10:30PM Go to Bed

On Saturdays it is a little different but the kids still attend two masses and study a lot. They have a little praying room with an altar where they kneel on the floor (it kind of hurts my sensitive body ;)) I attend the masses, but I understand absolutely nothing. Still it is very nice to hear the children sing and pray – like a meditation.

I decided to stay here – as opposed to a small apartment in Kathmandu for a variety of reasons. First there are the smoke, the smell, the crowds, and the trash in Kathmandu. It is much better here in Godavari, about 12km out of Kathmandu. There is just a chicken farm right next to the building which smells a little bit. I will have to take the bus every morning (as biking miserably failed…). But most importantly I decided to stay here because of the kids.

They are so cute! And it seems they like me too. On the first day I had to hold six little hands at the same time. Everyone wanted to sit next to me, or on top of me if necessary, and tell me stories. They didn’t even care that I understood absolutely nothing :D but most of them speak English well. I had to sing and tell stories and they sung for me. I can help them with their homework and they are trying to teach me some Nepali. I also learned some names already: Khusi, Grisala, Maria, Ezabel, Rhosis, Tschumu, Monichia, and Heera.

I am sure I won’t get bored here. (Unfortunately it seems there are always some kids sick, so I will have to breed some good antibodies fast). I like it here more than anywhere else so far. It is nothing compared to home but still a thousand times better than what we have already experiences. Funny how fast things move into perspective.

I hope I was able to describe the Kinderhouse well enough so you have some ideas about what it is like. The pictures should help as well. (The kids are cute, aren’t they?)

This is breakfast :) (yummy rice)

Stay tuned in!
Namaste!
Annika