Building Sam's House

SLC Success for Sita

2011-11-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

With Dinesh's initiative, Sam's House started a scholarship program in 2009 for local children who, without your support, would have to drop out of school and discontinue their education.

Each year, graduating high school seniors (or the Nepalese equivalent of) take a nationwide exam for the School Leaving Certificate. SLC, for short. It's a massive comprehensive test that students spent the better part of a year preparing for.

A few months ago, Sita Thapa, one of the scholarship students learned she not only had passed the SLC, but earned first division marks. They celebrated her accomplishment at the house.

This is just one of the many things you make possible with your support of Sam's House. Thank you.

That's Sita in the brown, ready for the celebration to start.

Dinesh with a gift from the house.

After receiving her gift, Sita gives out candy to the children with help from Maya.

Mina and Sita

Holiday Season in Nepal

2011-11-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

Another holiday season has come and gone in Nepal. After nearly a month free from school, the Sam's House gang has gone back to school to resume their studies and the didis take a collective breath as they can enjoy a few peaceful moments during the day.

As has become SH custom, those children who have relatives (that we can find and/or contact) go home for a day or two during Deshain, mostly to keep those familial ties current. They return to the house and have several celebrations and visit Dinesh's home to receive tika. After Deshain, they celebrate bhai tika for Tihar, a holiday to commemorate the bonds between brothers and sisters.

A few photos below...

Tika and gifts from the didis.

Picnic in the yard.

Tika from Dinesh and Rekha.

Wading in the river near Dinesh's house.

Plenty of time for soccer.

In real Deshain fashion, they killed and prepared a goat at the house this year for the first time. We'll spare you the photos, but the children were delighted with the event!

Medical Care

2011-09-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

Recently Sabita and Parbati were held home from school. Sabita had contracted something flu-like while Parbati needed to have a cavity filled. I tagged along with those two and Tara for a trip to Manipal Teaching Hospital in Pokhara.

First, there's a very warm bus ride.

Walking to the lobby area. Manipal is Indian-owned and most of the doctors hail from there.

In the waiting area.

When all was said and done, Sabita got some flu medicine and Parbati had her tooth fixed without the aid of novocaine. I looked into the dental lab (you can do that here), and she was laying still as a doll while the dentist worked the drill. Tough little Muppet.

But the larger point of showing you these pictures is this kind of medical care was not possible for these children before you decided to support Sam's House. Now all our children have excellent care available every day. Thank you.

Short Holiday

2011-09-06T02:33:00.000-07:00

I'm at Sam's House this week. Been here since last Wednesday, the day of Teej. The children also had Thursday and Friday off from school which made for an especially nice visit (for me) because there was little else to do but play all day around the house. We went to a movie on Friday afternoon. Made a music video on Saturday and took new annual photos of everyone. There was also ice cream and football and dancing and lots of general goofing around.

Dance class on Saturday afternoon with Shiva (the dance teacher, not our tutor).

Amrit and Sharmila prepping for morning dal bhaat.

Dipa, Sharmila and Parbati.

Ritika organizing the stuffed animal closet during Saturday's cleaning session.

Saturday is shower day. Greeted mostly cheerfully by the little ones. The older children now bathe on their own schedules.

Will you look at this face? Dipika. What a killer! Sweet as sweet can be.

Was walking downstairs in the house the other day thinking about how far Bishal had come in terms of behavior. When he first arrived at the house four years ago, he was, by all accounts, a terror. Poor language, tantrums, combative, etc. Today he is just the sweetest boy with an artist's heart. However, he does lapse on occasion. When I got to the bottom of the stairs Bishal was sitting on the wall, crying, not talking to anyone. He showed me a large bump on the side of his head. The didis informed me that he had rapped Suroj and was running from retaliation when he tripped and knocked his head on a step. The time out would last the rest of the afternoon. Prema doesn't suffer fools gladly.

You may have noticed that we've been referring to Kiran as Sharmila on this blog (and it will be soon changed on the official website). As you may or may not know, "Kiran" was the name given to her by the director of her first children's home, which later closed down due to lack of funding. A couple months ago, Kiran told the didis that she didn't like her name and never had liked it. It's commonly used as a boy's name, for one. At any rate, after consulting with Dinesh and our house psychologist, they agreed it would be okay for Kiran to become Sharmila, which she chose on her own. Here's the other part... you might think, "How can you just change your name one day?" Sharmila was a street child with few papers and even today is not formally recognized as a Nepali citizen (getting her citizenship will become an issue someday). In other words, Sharmila doesn't not formally exist in Nepal, so changing her name is really not a big deal because it will not foul up any sort of records. When she does finally get her citizenship, she will be, officially, Sharmila.

For those of you who have been following the blog for a while... isn't it remarkable how Rina has changed. Still cute as ever, but not the baby of the house at all.

The older boys: Dhiraj, Babit, Bishal and Amrit (getting older now; hard to coax a smile out of these guys).

The younger boys: (back) Suroj, Saran and Santosh, (front) Sandeep and Bibek.

The little ones: (back) Rina, Dipa and Chija, (front) Parbati, Dipika, Jamuna, and Ganga.

The fully "teen" older girls: Mina, Sarita, Sabita and Maya. They are inseparable and in many ways no different than teenage girls anywhere.

The middle girls: (back) Mamata, Manju and Pushpa, (front) Sharmila, Pratima, and Ritika.

The didis: Ramila, Asuna (front), Tara, Prema and Pramila. They are the proverbial five-headed monster... one house mother with five arms. It's amazing how smoothly they run a 27-child house. And each didi has her own personality and strength that they contribute to the whole. Remarkable women.

Sam's Birthday

2011-09-05T02:31:00.000-07:00

On September 1 each year, Sam's House celebrates the birthday of its inspirational founder--Sam Rothchild--and the birthdays of the 27 children. In our first year, we celebrated everyone's birthday on the proper date, with a cake and presents... there were only 15 children at that time. Then Dinesh wisely suggested one large blowout on 9/1 and then smaller, token celebrations for the children on the proper dates during the year. It has been a rousing, and economical, success.

I was pleased to be at Sam's House for the annual birthday this year. We gathered in the social room where Parbati, being the youngest, cut the cake. Tara passed out candy, and Prema gave tika to everyone. Then Ramila and Shiva distributed presents. This year, everyone received a new pair of nice jeans. We went to the roof for some photos. The children are getting new shirts at Deshain in October to go with the jeans. Shhhh. It's a secret.

It is you, dear supporter, who makes these celebrations possible. Once the children could not have imagined celebrating their birthdays, and a few of our children likely didn't know on which day their birthday fell. But thanks to your generosity, they celebrate the passing year with high times and fun. Thank you, thank you, thank you...

Parbati cuts the cake with some assistance from Ramila.

Prema gives tika to Rina.

Tara didi passing out candy.

Chija with Ganga and Jamuna, modeling their new jeans.

Dhiraj and Suroj.

Maya and Sarita... every bit the self-conscious teens now, though they did allow for this photo to be taken.

Rina and Dipa.

Teej

2011-09-05T01:34:00.000-07:00

Hindus (particularly Brahmins and Chhetris in Nepal) recently celebrated Teej, an annual festival to celebrate when, in Hindu lore, the Goddess Parbati fasted and prayed fervently for the great Lord Shiva to become her spouse. Touched by her devotion, Shiva took her for his wife. Goddess Parbati, in gratitude sent an emissary to preach this religious fasting among mortal women, promising prosperity with their family So, on the ground, Teej is festival for women when they are free to dance and rest and have temporary relief from domestic duties.

On Teej, women typically dress in red, if they are married, and put kohl around their eyes.

When I arrived in Pokhara, several of the didis and a line of younger children were headed to a Teej festival. I tagged along and we hopped a bus to Lamachaur. The older children, it should be noted, have entered true teendom and did not deem the festival interesting enough for their attendance!

Then, after the festival, we had our own dance circle at Sam's House, initiated by the women, per tradition, and later a free-for-all where even your author contributed some spastic moves.

A few photos below....

First, there was a crowded bus ride to Lamachaur. Parbati sits in Manju's lap.

Asuna and Dipika.

Me and Dipa.

Arriving at the festival grounds.

In one corner of the festival tent, a group of older girls were organizing games, including musical chairs. Sharmila made the first cut.

Mina safely in an unoccupied chair.

Santosh would finish third in musical chairs.

A large dance circle.

Walking from our first festival to a second.

Parbati, who looks, adorably, like a Muppet.

Mamata, Sabita, Pushpa and Sarita.

Mina and the didis dance.

First Term Marks of 2064 Year

2011-09-05T01:19:00.000-07:00

As you know, education is heavily stressed at Sam's House. The children do a compulsory two hours of homework every night with the help of a tutor, and another hour and a half in the morning, also with a tutor. Given the children's backgrounds and lack of traditional family ties (the usual way of finding employment in Nepal), education will be extremely important to their future success.

They took first term exams in July (the school year in Nepal starts in April) and Ramila, the house manager, shared their results. Her e-mail is below...

Respected sir,

I hope all is going well with you and your family and here is also well . We miss you and your family. When are you coming to KCH? I am very happy to share this good news with you that our children did excellent in their 1st term exams. Many of them placed in the top three of their class.

Class - 5
Amrit: 90.25 -2nd position
Sabita: 86.45 -3rd position

Class - 2
Kiran: 93.90 - 2nd position
Pratima: 93.20 -3rd position

Class -1
Dipa: 99.11 -1st position
Ritika: 96.06 -2nd position

Lower Kindergarten :
Jamuna: 99.67 -3rd position

Nursery:
Parwati: 99.58 - 1st position

I hope you will be happy to hear this good news .

Ramila Shrestha
KCH

6th Annual Fab Friday

2011-09-05T00:06:00.000-07:00

Once again our Cleveland family topped itself with an outstanding Fab Friday Picnic at the Bay Village Community House. On a warm and sunny August evening there were arts and crafts, tattoos, corn hole games, delicious burgers and hot dogs, and, most impressively, incredible balloon animals from Ronnie the Flower Clown. Best of all, we raised just over $22,000 for Sam's House, which nearly accounts for a half-year's budget. That's love and education and brothers and sisters and clothes and games and medicine and security for six months to 27 children.

Especial heartfelt thanks to our Sam's House angel Jennifer Forshey and her legion of friends, family and colleagues who made it such a wonderful event.

We hear the word freedom often these days, but there seems to be a lot of disagreement about what freedom actually entails. Here's my favorite definition (paraphrased) from the Nobel economist Amartya Sen: freedom is the opportunity to have a life worth living.

That's what our Sam's House supporters provide to the children: freedom... the opportunity to have a life worth living, free from fear, free from hunger and oppression, free to learn and make a contribution to this world.

From the bottom of my heart and theirs, thank you, thank you, thank you...

The Bay Community House was a new setting for this year's Fab Friday.

Fearless leader Jennifer Forshey penning a direction sign in the hours before the event.

Hannah Smith helps decorate the Community House.

Ronnie the Flower Clown valiantly kept the children entranced for three hours with his magical creations. Seriously, if you're looking for incredible children's entertainment, this is your guy.

Mike Kraft (coming to a movie theater near you soon in the "The Double") ponders his chances in the annual cornhole tournament.

Sam's House director Dinesh Rajbhandari was a special guest this year, all the way from Pokhara. He made a short speech of thanks and then drew winning lottery tickets with event organizer Jennifer Forshey.

6th Annual Sam's House Fabulous Friday

2011-07-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

Please note the new address!

Dinner, games, and raffles from 6-9p at the Bay Community House (303 Cahoon Road)... plus a special guest appearance from Ronnie the Flower Clown. And, all the way from Pokhara, Nepal, our director, Dinesh Rajbhandari will join this year's celebration.

A starlight swim at Bay Pool from 9-11p.

Reserve your family's spot today!

E-mail: jforshey@gmail.com

Recommended donations are $20 per person or $50 per family. All donations are tax-deductible and 100% of the proceeds go to Sam's House--A Nepalese Orphanage.

Please spread the word and invite your friends!

Dherai dhanyabaad! (Thank you very much!)

www.samshouse.org

Photography Project

2011-06-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Katie Hyde, a trustee, visited Sam's House while on a school trip in Nepal. Katie teaches at Duke University and directs a program called Literacy through Photography which "encourages children to explore their world as they photograph scenes from their own lives, and then to use their images as catalysts for verbal and written expression."

Katie brought several cameras and a photo printer, and turned the gang (and the house mothers) loose on a really interesting and fun project, creating their own alphabet through photos, and taking self-portraits.

Below are a few examples and you can see the full projects here and here.

Welcome Parbati

2011-06-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Last month, Parbati joined the Sam's House gang... here's the note from Dinesh...

"Parbati mother died two years ago. Then, her father suffered from depression and left home. The family does not know where he is and whether he is still alive or not. Then, their grand parents (over 70 years old) had been looking after Parbati and her younger sister Kum Kumari. They are from Santosh's village in Syangja district. So, they knew that Santosh was at Sam's House. They filed their application for Parbati. Then, [trustee] Dinesh Shrestha [one of our Nepali trustees] went to their village for assessment and reported the details of their condition to the SH admission committee and the committee decided to admit her into the house. Parbati's sister is now three years old. She is still living with her grandparents. The grandparents wanted to keep her with them for another year. They have requested us to admit her next year."

Parbati

Parbati with her grandparents

Final Grades for the 2067 School Year

2011-04-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

From Dinesh:

"I am very happy to share this good news with you that our children did excellent in their final exams being top 3 positions.

Here are the results:

Class Five
Maya: 82.11% - 2nd position

Class Four
Sabita: 85.12% - 3rd position

Class Three
Kiran: 97.54% - 2nd position
Pratima: 96.88% - 3rd Position

(I remember seeing these Kiran and Pratima sitting in the back row of their upper kindergarten class looking, shall we say, less than studious. Proved us wrong.)

Upper Kindergarten
Dipa: 99.60% - 1st Position
Rina: 99.00% - 2nd Position
Ritika: 98.90% - 3rd Position

Lower Kindergarten
Bibek: 99.92% - 1st Position

Nursery:
Jamuna: 98.76% - 1st Position
Ganga: 97.93% - 3rd Position

Mina and Sarita had skipped a grade last year, but they have also done an excellent job. Mina came in 4th position in class 6 and Sarita in 8th position in class 4."

The Sam's House academic powerhouse rolls along... thank you.

Summertime and the Livin's Easy...

2011-04-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

April is summer vacation between school terms in Nepal. The children love it, as all kids do, but it can be a particular challenge to the didis, suddenly having 25 energetic bodies running around the house all day. Fortunately, Dinesh has planned a long slate of activities for the month, including tennis instruction, art lessons, and music lessons. There's also time for haircuts.

Babit, Amrit and the music teacher.

Dhiraj on the keyboard.

Sarita

Mina, Sabita, and Maya on guitar.

As you may recall, Ranjit, our old landlord, used to give tennis lessons at the house, which the children loved. After Ranjit moved to London, Dinesh found another local instructor to continue teaching. The rackets and tennis balls were donated by Ranjit and Dinesh Shrestha, one of our Nepali board members.

Sabita with nice follow-through.

Rekha works on a serious-looking Rina.

Manju's turn.

Sarita as the finished product.

Kiran in the Talent Show

2011-04-09T22:05:00.000-07:00

So the Sam's House gang is on summer vacation for school, but Kiran was busy this week in Kathmandu competing in a national talent show specifically for young people living in children's homes.

Kiran advanced to the national show from a qualifying competition in Pokhara (she and Mina were the Sam's House entries). Ramila accompanied Kiran to Kathmandu last week for five days of rehearsals (there were some group numbers) and to learn a new dance for the competition. It was a big week as Kiran had never been to Kathmandu before and it was her longest time away from the house since she arrived three years ago. She got a little homesick: when Kiran called Sam's House she became emotional talking to her siblings back in Pokhara, who all wished her well.

And well she did. Kiran didn't win the competition, but by all reports performed wonderfully and represented the house with style. We're so proud of her as you should be too, dear supporter, because it is your contributions that make these opportunities available to the Sam's House gang. Opportunities like dance competitions that once upon a time, they could not have imagined taking part in, but now, because of you, they are reality and will become special memories for the future.

Kiran's performance (video)

Event poster. Very formal.

Ramila helping Kiran dress before the show.

Kiran warming up before the show.

Kiran awaiting the announcement of the winners.

All the competitors with the panel of celebrity judges. That's Kiran to the left.

Photos in March

2011-03-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

Tending to other business in Nepal, Jennifer and I were able to visit Sam's House this month. The children were preparing for end of the year exams and very busy. Everyone is doing great, as usual. We never cease to be amazed at how much the children progress and how happy everyone seems to be, from the children to the didis. It is a loving and caring home that you make possible!

The youngest have time on the playground as their siblings study for exams.

Sarita, Sabita and Dhiraj studying for exams.

Ramila working with the young 'uns after school.

Dipika ready for school. Frilly dress over a t-shirt? Check. Hankie pinned to dress? Check.

Dhiraj helps Bibek with his tie. Dhiraj is a sweet big brother. Always helping the little ones and quick to help pacify the occasional skirmishes on the playground.

Sarita, Ramila, Maya and Pushpa

Suroj and Amrit

Chija and Jamuna. Chija is a remarkable little girl. She is 14 years old but no taller than Rina or Pratima due to the fact that she was malnourished for several years in her childhood. She never went to school and worked as a servant in another villager's home. So today, she is in first grade. Just the sweetest disposition and incredibly mature and kind with her siblings.

Bibek and Santosh

Sarita literally puts her nose to the books.

The twins with a final buff before school. I can finally tell them apart. Jamuna is a little bit taller.

The prime minister getting ready for school. You should see that coat up close. Boys are only required to wear coats in the winter, but Bishal continue to wear his in the spring. He's a very formal guy.

Pramila and Pushpa

The finished product.

Mural Finished

2011-03-25T20:40:00.001-07:00

Lauren Morrison, the volunteer who spearheaded and designed the mural in the Sam's House dining room, is now finished. It is beautiful.

I was at Sam's House last week for a very brief visit and the didis and children immediately wanted to show me the mural. They're very proud of it. Thank you, Lauren!

Dipika Sings

2011-03-25T11:34:00.001-07:00

Dipika one morning before leaving for play group...

Mural Update

2011-02-22T07:57:00.000-08:00

Lauren Morrison, a current volunteer at the house, has been planning a mural for the dining area of the house. This week she began the project in earnest. To begin, she asked the children to submit drawings of what they wanted to see and she combined these images into a composite that includes the house, the mountains, Gorkha English Boarding School, and Fewa Lake. It is going to be awesome!

Lauren began prepping the wall for the mural and I'll let her take it from here...

"I enlarged my original design using a grid enlargement. In case you’re wondering, the actual mural is 3 1/3 times bigger than my reference drawing. The kids and I struggled to draw a straight grid onto the wall using little rulers, until I got an idea from something I saw on tv one time. In one of my most MacGyver-esque moments, I asked the kids to get me some yarn and some sidewalk chalk. We chalked up the yarn, then with two sets of hands we stretched it tight in a straight line between two points measured out on either end of the mural. Then I had one of the kids snap the yarn, and a nice clean, straight line of chalk was left on the wall. The kids all enjoyed taking turns snapping the yarn for each line of the grid.

Maya, Sabita, Mina, Babit and Sarita work with the grid.

I originally intended to draw everything onto the wall myself, but it was Saturday and the kids were home from school and eager to help. So, I explained the concept of a grid enlargement to some of the older kids, and they all ran to get their pencils and erasers and set to work. As they drew I walked around and helped them draw their lines in the correct place on the grid.

Yesterday, in one seven-hour push, I managed to outline all the lines in black paint. I’m not usually a fan of outlining things while painting, but I decided early on that this technique would be the best way to make sure the kids get to do lots of painting without too much demand for skill level. I figure when all is said and done it will have kind of a stained-glass appearance, and coloring it with the kids will be almost like a paint-by-numbers project."

Shiva works with Amrit, Babit and Dhiraj to fill in the images.

Pramila takes a turn with the boys.

Today I worked with the three oldest boys in the house, Babit, Amrite, and Dhiraj, and we began filling in color. Ramila, the house manager, recommended earlier that I only have the seven oldest children paint. Originally I had grand plans of trying to include all the children, but I agreed with the wisdom of not trying to struggle with the mess that would result from working with the littler kids.

The house mothers and even the kids’ after school tutor all got excited about painting and picked up brushes to help. I was really glad to be able to get the adults in the house involved. Painting is a huge part of my life, but I know that most people almost never get to do anything creative. At the risk of being presumptuous, I might guess that it has been a pretty long time since the women who work at Kopila House have had the chance to paint. Also, I’m sure the mural will be more meaningful to the adults in the house after having a hand in creating it. Throughout the drawing process while the kids were at school, I was glad when the women spent some time looking at the design and offering suggestions (little things, like the placement of a window) since that meant that they were getting to be invested in the project and interested to see it turn out right."

Art Projects at School

2011-02-15T18:19:00.000-08:00

Lauren Morrison, a young woman from California, via Wisconsin, is spending six weeks at Sam's House. She is a fine arts major from UW-Madison and a very talented artist and she is kindly sharing her skills at Sam's House as well as Gorkha English Boarding School where the children attend.

Below are some photos from her day with grade 4. They made 3D collages with an "Under the Sea" theme.

Amrit working diligently.

Having a special guest teacher always draws a crowd. It may be hard to see, but that's Sandeep, the little one in the middle window frame, no doubt truant from his own classroom.

The class showing their finished works.

Sarita's collage.

Amrit's collage.

And, as an added bonus, a short clip from dance class at the house.

Happy 4th Birthday!

2011-02-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, Sam's House held its annual picnic, celebrating four years! Every year it seems the celebrations get a little more lavish (relatively speaking)... as they should. It's a fantastic day for the kids, the didis and all the trustees who watch over the home and make sure the children are safe and happy. This year they had a catered lunch in a park down at Lakeside with a large tent to stay out of the elements, though it looked like a beautiful day.

So here's to Dinesh and Rekha and the whole crew at Sam's House! In the Nepali way... "Congratulations! We wish you a most auspicious fifth year! Dherai dhanyabaad!"

Ramila, Pramila and Asuna serve lunch. (That's Dinesh in the back... who's taking the photo?)

Sack race

The trustees and staff. From left, with his back to camera, that's Shiva (the dance/music teacher), Shova (trustee), Shova's husband, Umar (house accountant), Ekdev (board chair) and Major Pun (trustee).

Balloon stomp

Amrit takes a big swing at the pinata.

Asuna, Tara, and Pramila

Rekha with the girls.

And one of my favorite photos from the 1st picnic... a house director's job has many unexpected tasks!

Brief Update with Parachutes!

2011-01-18T19:50:00.000-08:00

We received a brief update from Dinesh the other day. The children were enjoying a four day break from school after second term exams.

To celebrate, the older children and the house mothers went to the movies and had a fantastic time. Due to their smallness and lack of cinema house attention span, the five littlest (Dipika, Ganga, Jamuna, Sandeep and Rina) stayed at home. Probably a good call.

Earlier in the week, three British students who were volunteering at a local school visited the house. They brought music and a parachute to play with. And everyone had an outstanding time.

Alas, this play time could not last forever. The new school term started this week.

British students leading the children in a game.

Mina, Maya, Kiran and Ritika

Mina and Sarita

Dherai Dhanyabaad! Fundraiser in 2010

2011-01-07T23:25:00.000-08:00

Again this year we have so many people to thank for their support of Sam's House. It is both humbling and gratifying to take stock of all the special people who give their time, effort and money to making a difference in the lives of the Sam's House children.

In 2010 we were most fortunate to have the following people spreading the news about Sam's House...

January 2010

- For a second year, the students at Our Lady of the Assumption in Atlanta, Georgia, runs a penny drive for Sam's House.

March 2010

- Also for a second year, the Heidt family produce stand sells veggies for Sam's House in Cumming, Georgia

April 2010

- The Sam's House yard sale in Morris, MN raises a record $4,200. Much thanks all around to neighbors, friends, colleagues and family.

June 2010

- Liz Deegan's Brownie troop in University Heights, OH hosts a yard sale for Sam's House.

July 2010

- In Canton, OH, Tommy and Taylor Lundin, and Madeline and Evelyn Lundin hold a lemonade stand for Sam's House.

August 2010

- The 5th annual Sam's House Fabulous Family Friday breaks its own attendance and fundraising record.

- An intrepid and foolhardy group of runners jog all night in the Great River Ragnar to raise money for Sam's House.

- Morris Kiwanis sell snow cones for Sam's House at the Stevens County fair.

September 2010

- Maxine Weir and her Circle of Friends in Cleveland, OH host a dinner party in honor of Sam's House.

October 2010

- Oanh Ho runs her first race, which happens to be the Chicago Marathon! She ran for the challenge and she also ran for Sam's House.

- Gabriella and Karen Orellana host a yard sale in Suwanee, GA for Sam's House.

When people ask about Sam's House, we take just as much pride in the children as we do in saying that we have the most incredible array of dedicated supporters anyone could imagine. It is overwhelming to think of all the kind actions (thoughts, words, etc.) people have taken on behalf of the Sam's House children half a world away. We, they, all of us are grateful.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2011.

School Results (Fall 2010)

2011-01-07T22:53:00.000-08:00

The latest exam results from Gorkha English Boarding School show that the Sam's House gang continues to do very well with their studies.

Dipa, Bibek and Jamuna earned first position in their grades. Ritika placed second in UKG, while Ganga had the third highest exam in nursery.

Overall, 17 Sam's House children earned "distinction" for their marks, while the rest were in "first position." Nobody failed. Another solid term altogether.

Special thanks to Shiva, our tutor, the didis, and also to you who support Sam's House and make this very important education available to the children. They are making the most of the opportunity.

CB

Lions Club Program

2010-11-23T00:02:00.000-08:00

The Lions Club of Pokhara and the Network of Children's Homes in Kaski held a joint cultural program last week.

Dinesh is the current president of the Children's Homes Network so he presided over the schedule and made a speech on behalf of the many men and women who work in children's homes throughout Nepal.

We should mention here that it is no small feat that Dinesh has been asked to be president of the network. Under his leadership, Sam's House has quickly become a model home for others in Pokhara, and Dinesh is frequently sought out for advice.

Dhiraj, Babit, Sarita and Sabita performed a dance during the program. Photos below.

That's Sarita and Babit on the left, Sabita and Dhiraj on the right.

Tihar 2010

2010-11-08T19:39:00.000-08:00

The Nepali holiday season closes this week with Diwali. Last weekend, Dinesh and Rekha hosted the Sam's House gang for last day of Tihar called bhai tika, the annual celebration of brothers and sisters, which includes plenty of food, dancing and games.

As is custom, sisters honor brothers with food, usually pastries or candy. Brothers honors sisters with gifts of money and/or clothing.

Dinesh reports it was a fantastic day all around... photos below.

The didis and girls put a lot of work into preparing the blessings. Here they ready to bless their brothers. That's Ritika in the lower left showing Dipika the ropes.

The brothers pre-ceremony.

Maya draws tika on Sara

Sandeep and Bibek.

And dancing, always plenty of dancing... Sabita, Mina, Maya, Mamata and Sarita.

In this number we have Kiran, Mamata, Rina, Sabita and Pratima.

It's always a big day for the girls as it's one of the few times of the year they can wear make-up.

The boys join in... Dhiraj, Bishal (ever the dancing fool) and Saran across the back. Ritika, Rina, Pratima and Kiran in front.

Sarita (partly obscured), Kiran, Chija, Ritika and Pratima

Here's a number with brothers and sisters: that's Santosh and Rina (back left), Dhiraj and Ritika (left front), Bishal and Pratima (center), Saran and Kiran (right front)

Psychologists and child development specialists say that ritual is extremely important to young people... rituals provide a way that a child can develop a sense of security, stability, belonging, connectedness, and pride in his or her family.

Thanks to you, the Sam's House gang has that structure, that special way of marking their lives through holidays celebrated in the warm company of family.

You make that possible.

Oanh Goes a Long Way for Sam's House

2010-10-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

A big big thank you and shout out to Oanh Ho who ran the Chicago Marathon this month for Sam's House. Adding to her impressive goal of raising money, this was the first race she had ever run! Incredible!!!

Dasain 2010

2010-10-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

It is the holiday season in Nepal... a three-week stretch of celebrations and days of religious significance.

This year, Dinesh and Rekha hosted the entire SH gang at their home for Dasain (duh-sigh), a 15-day festival historically tied to the celebration of fall harvest.

Dinesh sent along these photos of the party...

Diksha passes out candy to the gang.

Bishal and Jamuna play karom.

Lunch time.

The big girls eating at the table with Rekha and Diksha.

Sandeep and Ganga playing together.

Mamata with a new doll.

Happy Birthday Sam's House!

2010-09-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the Sam's House gang celebrated many birthdays, including Sam Rothchild's, the house namesake, and more importantly, the birthdays of 25 brothers and sisters!

You may recall from earlier years that Sam's House celebrated every birthday individually. Well, they still do on the proper day, but to economize the cost of cakes and other treats, they have one large celebration of all the birthdays on September 1. Needless to say, it's quite the party... gifts and candy and tika and cake all-around.

It's nice to be able to do this, most obviously, because the children enjoy the event. But it's also significant because these events over time help form the rituals and collective memory that all families have. So, in this way, dear supporter, you make possible this wonderful party, but, more than that, you contribute to these children's evolving sense of family and belonging that will be their strength in the years to come. Thank you, thank you, thank you...

Pictures from Dinesh below.

The oldest (Mina) and youngest (Dipika) chosen to cut the cake.

Mina feeds the first piece to Dipika.

Tara gives tika to all the children.

Pramila and Santosh.

Rina receives a present from Tara (Thulo Mommy).

Shiva gives a gift to Dhiraj.

Prema hands a present to Dipika.

Tara, Asuna and Prema putting the finishing touches on dinner.

Celebration ends with dinner.

Snow Cones for Sam's House

2010-08-08T09:57:00.001-07:00

At this year's Stevens County Fair (August 11-15), please stop by the Morris Kiwanis concession stand and have a snow cone, from which a portion of the proceeds will go to benefit Sam's House--A Nepalese Orphanage.

Founded in 1915 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.

The principle core of the Kiwanis mission is the belief that the most effective way to enhance a community is to enhance its children. When you give a child a chance to learn, experience, dream, and succeed, great things will happen.

In Morris, the Kiwanis have contributed in many ways to making the community one they can be proud to raise our children in. They fundraise to provide financial opportunities for children to grow into the adults they are called to be. They also volunteer time and talents to directly impact the Morris community in positive ways.

Sam's House is honored by this partnership with the Morris Kiwanis.

So beat the heat, and have a snow cone for Sam's House... and thank a Morris Kiwanis!

5th Annual Fabulous Friday

2010-07-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

Come celebrate the last month of summer vacation at the 5th Annual Fabulous Friday Picnic and Pool Party on August 6.

The event begins with a picnic at the Bay Youth Cabin at 6 p.m. Food, games, crafts, and plenty of prizes. At 9 p.m. head across the parking lot to the Bay Pool for a Moonlight Swim.

All proceeds to benefit Sam's House--A Nepalese Orphanage. A home for today... hope for tomorrow!

A Nice Dance

2010-06-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about Nepal is that all the children know how (and love) to dance, specifically cultural dances. I imagine they learn from family members or other people in their villages.

The Sam's House gang has a dance teacher who comes on the weekends and taught the older girls (Mina, Maya, Sabita and Sarita) this routine. I asked them to dance on the roof of the house in front of a small audience. They were a little nervous, but a lovely performance you will see.

And then, the younger girls--Pratima, Mamata and Kiran--followed with their own...

Roll Call!

2010-06-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

We picked up a new video camera this summer and thought it would be nice to put some voice to the Sam's House gang. Most of this goes well, but there a little stage fright.

And now for the introductions...

Resham Firiri

2010-06-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

Our tutor, Shiva, is also a talented guitar player, having taught himself during high school and college. When studies are finished, or to give the children a break, he pulls out a house guitar and leads the group through some Nepali folk songs.

Here are a few children singing Resham Firiri, one of the most popular. It's hard to meet anyone in Nepal who can't sing this song. The lyrics are below the video if you'd like to give it a try yourself.