A lot of food to eat, a lot of friends, a care giver who loves a lot, cuts hair, feeds food, washes clothes
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Born in a remote village in Kalikot, Jenikumari Shah (23) arrived at the orphanage when she was six and a half years old. She was studying in class 3 at that time. When her cousins told her to go to Kathmandu, she was shocked. At that time, she had only heard the name of Kathmandu.
'I was born in a remote area, when I told Kathmandu, I was like, 'When will I go?'' she says, 'In the village, food and snacks were not available as much as I wanted. Eating noodles and biscuits was like a dream. After coming to the nursery, you can eat a lot of food. There were also many friends. Much loved by a care giver. Cut hair, feed, wash clothes. When you wake up in the morning, you can pray, play indoor and outdoor games. Jenny says that the days spent in the orphanage are important in the way of life.
Raikosha Shahi (25) describes her days at the orphanage as the most memorable moments of her life. "While I was there, I got many opportunities," she said, recalling her childhood. "In 2014, I was selected from all over the country to go to Sri Lanka to raise the voice of differently-abled people in South Asia." While staying at the orphanage, her days were full of fun and opportunities.
For Selina Tamang (24), her time at the orphanage helped her learn skills and build confidence. "I learned not only education in the orphanage, but also time management and self-acceptance. The skills I learned there gave my life a new direction,” she says.
After leaving the kindergarten, Raikosha started living alone in the hostel. Flashbacks of the days spent with friends in the children's home kept coming back to him. I decided to stay alone. Because someday I had to do it myself. I used to miss the atmosphere of the kindergarten very much,” she says. As time passed, she accepted the need to live alone as a new challenge.
Jenny, a fourth-year graduate from Everest Engineering College, describes her days at the orphanage as a patterned life. "When I was in the orphanage, I was never allowed to go out. He could not eat what he liked and do what he wanted. So he always thought that he would be able to get out of the orphanage.
The warden used to watch the clock from the time of college vacation until he reached the kindergarten. It was not possible to go anywhere. One thing, money would have been less', she says, 'After leaving the orphanage, neither the government takes care of us, nor the care home. It is very difficult at this time. He used to be bullied while staying in the hostel. I couldn't tell who I was. At that time, I felt anxiety,” she remembers.
Selina, who was used to a certain routine while living in a children's home, found it very difficult to blend into the outside society at first. Everything seemed new, the world felt unfamiliar. But, over time, I learned to be independent.''She says, studying in her third year of graduation from St. Xavier's College, 'It was very difficult to stand on my own feet, but I accepted the challenge.'
Jenny did not know the importance of education at first. "I didn't know that I should study, I was an average student," she says. During her time in the orphanage, she became acutely aware of how society views her and other children. We are the responsibility of the government. I think we should be treated with a sense of responsibility, not pity," she says. According to Jenny, children in orphanages need to change their thinking that they are "driven by the kindness and support of others". "We should be guided towards self-sufficiency," she adds.
Jenny points out the need to give equal importance to skill development and not just education in kindergartens. There is only emphasis on studies. But some may be good at dancing, singing or different skills,” she says. In her experience, orphanages lacked the life skills and vocational training needed to survive. After leaving the nursery school, if the skills had been learned, he would not have been unemployed. If children can be given both education and skills, they can easily become independent in the society, she adds.
They believe that both education and skills are important for the overall development of children growing up in orphanages. Raikosha feels that kindergartens need to focus on providing opportunities for children to pursue careers in various fields according to their interests and abilities, rather than limiting them to academic achievement.
The experience of these three young women also shows that children living in orphanages have difficulty mixing with the outside society. Although the orphanage provides them with the foundation of education and self-reliance, they need additional counseling and guidance to cope with the outside society. They see the need for society and the state to try to make this transitional phase of children more comfortable.
