Sometimes, unforgettable incidents occur in our lives. Some incidents even spoil people’s lives. For example, there is nobody to support a child if his/her parents die. Street kids can be seen indulging in substance abuse to escape life’s harshness. This happens because there is no one to guide or support such kids.
Many organizations in our country have been working to protect children’s rights. Bal Mandir is one such organization that helps in protecting the rights of orphans. I had gone to Bal Mandir from my school to donate stationery to the under-privileged kids.
Bal Mandir is also called Nepal Children’s Organization (NCO). It was established by Ratna Rajyalaxmi Devi Shah in 1964 AD. It has education department, administrative department and admissions department. Orphans, children who lived with their parents in prison for years, babies discarded in hospitals, kids that are not accepted by their families and disabled children live in harmony at Bal Mandir.
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The kids are provided with food, shelter, education, and health facilities. Currently, they have 54 working staffs at Bal Mandir, which has its branches in Naxal, Sifal, Bhimphedi, Myagdi, Paachkhal, Dolkha, Kapilbastu, and Sarlahi.
A total 300 children between the ages of 1-16 years are currently residing at Bal Mandir.
The organization, however, does not accept kids without recommendation.
Children are treated well in that place. Bal Mandir also offers adoption for willing and needy parents. Administrative staff Sabita Lamsal informed that they don’t have a stable income source to run the organization. She added that running on insufficient donation and charity had made it difficult for them to provide the kids with adequate facilities.
Bal Mandir also has special health care service for children. Two nurses are responsible to look after the kids’ well being, while a doctor from Kanti Bal Hospital also visits the organization in an interval of every two weeks.
Children at Bal Mandir keep themselves entertained with various dance and musical programs. They are also allowed to watch television for at least two hours a day.
I found that the children at Bal Mandir are happy to have a suitable environment for learning and exploring. These types of organizations contribute in shaping the children’s future.
The writer is a grade IX student at LRI School, in Kalikasthan, Kathmandu.
