Dear CNM,
Thank you for your continuing support for the Talbot Childrens Home in Nepal. CNM students and tutors have raised 520 this summer. A good thing too as Sioux Talbot is now looking after 28 children. Below is a letter from one youngster from those 24 children found in a small room he calls the warehouse. Hes one of the children who actually has parents, but they cant afford to look after him and so had sent him to boarding school, which turned out to be fraud.
Best wishes, Marianne Thatcher
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Dear Friend,
Hello.
I used to live in a place called Godam (‘Warehouse’) before coming here. It was bad out there for us as we were not given food to eat. We were weak and looked like we were about to die. We had to go collecting firewood in the morning and they used to send us to beg. We used to make a lot of money through begging and had to give it all to them. They did not give us clothes to wear and bedding/bed to sleep on. We used to cry and sleep on the floor with nothing or with very little sleeping items. They used to cook too little and we were never given enough to eat. We used to bring money in through begging and they used to spend it on their own food. They did not allow us to have a single chocolate. The school teachers used to give us better things to eat at school at times.
The food we were given and made to eat was like that prepared for animals. They used to eat better food but we never had a chance to have proper food. We lived without proper food and cried many times but they never let us eat. The money sent to us by our parents was also snatched and taken away. They took our money away and spent it on food – but never gave us to eat if asked – they used to beat us. We were not allowed to keep/see the money sent by our parents. We always cried and lived as we were made to sleep in such a place where cows are kept. We were bullied also every now and then.
We are living in Godawari at present. Food and lodging is far far better here. We’ve got a ‘big brother’ and a mother ‘Mummy’ (foreigner) here. Big brother who we have here loves us, more than our parents did. Mummy from abroad also loves us very much. We even do not want to go to our home at present as we are being looked after and cared for nicely. We are provided with better food and better sleeping facilities. We are given a variety of clothes. We are facilitated with warm water showers. We are being cared for better and we are registered or have admission to a school. We are cared for and provided with whatever is needed for us. We have proper bed with mattress. Writing books and pens are provided, big brother and mother provide us with everything. There were other friends at the centre before we arrived. We are 28 in total now. We get to eat egg and drink tea at breakfast. It is very nice for us.
Jaishi Ram Shahi
Age 11
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The Talbot Centre For Street Children in Nepal charity was set-up in response to the plight of the estimated 1,500 homeless children in Kathmandu, Nepal, one of the 10 poorest countries in the world. A recent UN report states there are over 30,000 street children in Nepal. Over 8,000 children have lost one or both parents and more than 4,000 have been displaced due to the ongoing armed conflict between government forces and (CPN) Maoist rebels. There are thought to be over 4 million children in poverty in the country.
Denied not only their rights as children but also their childhood, at risk from various forms of exploitation and abuse; over half of the street children are addicted to glue sniffing and many are exposed to intravenous drug use, among them about 10% are believed to be HIV infected.
Unlike the UK, there is no access to free medical treatment, when the street children become ill or injured, they can literally die on the streets. Please visit www.talbotcentre.org.uk to learn how you can help. Donations and volunteers are needed to help the children of Nepal.
Sioux Talbot – siouxtalbot@msn.com – 01202 247 858 – www.talbotcentre.org.uk
Registered Charity No: 1105514
