Testimonials Nepal Volunteer April May 2024
Two experiences in Happy Home nine months apart have introduced new thoughts, new affections and many emotions into my life.
Reliving even if only for a few days the daily life in Happy Home and in the town of Benighat that hosts the structure, made me feel welcomed by a lively and inclusive community, an experience that went far beyond my expectations.
Last year the volunteer group with which I left had the opportunity to stay in Happy Home during the school summer holidays and live a rather relaxed daily life, which had allowed us to establish a beautiful bond with the children and the boys that I felt very strong upon my return to Italy.
This year the experience was completely different, because it was shared with you founders and activists of the association; I was able to fill you with questions and I always received patient and precise answers, thus being able to learn more about your incredible journey and your projects.
Taking part in the many activities planned such as the inauguration of a wonderful hostel for students and an auditorium, experiencing wonderful moments such as the marathon, the volleyball friendlies and above all finding the grown-up children and young people to whom I felt like I was coming home... touched me deeply.
I found with great joy my students from last year's music course, very talented and passionate, I felt enveloped in the smiles and sweetness that I had left with my heart in my hand, I was able to meet the new children who arrived, the volunteer travel companions, experience the enthusiasm of the first day of school... in short, a real flood of emotions.
I feel very lucky to have been able to get to know these small and large protagonists a little more, who thanks to Hanuman, with their commitment to study, the serenity and determination that distinguishes them, can fully become the future of Nepal.
Happy Home is a wonderful project and Hanuman's commitment in Nepal left me speechless.
I thank you all at Hanuman and AnM for opening the doors to this amazing world for me.
Emanuela
"Describing and transmitting the experience in Happy home and in Nepal is not easy. It is a succession of sensations, emotions, moods, moments that are difficult to explain and share in a few lines.
Nepal surprises you, enters you, involves you and you live in that reality absolutely at ease. It becomes "home" just like Happy home, like the smiles of the children, their joy, their example because among the things I have learned is that I am the one who has received important teachers from them by watching them in their daily lives, in their way of interacting, communicating.
I thank Francesca with whom I had the interview that allowed me to live this experience, Vitaliano who manages this family with love and discipline and who with the association has done and continues to do a great job, my companions in adventure with whom it was possible to create a united group despite different ages and different experiences and then every face I have met, every smile I have exchanged, every gesture made and received that has enriched me deeply "
Marina Gilla
" Kathmandu, Saturday, April 27, 2024.
This morning Amresh's car that was supposed to pick me up arrived more than an hour earlier than the agreed time, leaving me just enough time to grab the last things on the fly, close my backpack and put on my shoes.
At that moment most of the kids were busy with the extraordinary cleaning of the terrace, they didn't know I was leaving that morning, only the older ones were aware of my departure and didn't immediately understand what was happening... So, while I was loading my suitcase into the car, they started to look down from above, looking at me confused, amazed, while I tried to say hello to them with my hand, trying to hold back the tears.
And then, within a few minutes, one by one they all came down to the courtyard, joining Gioia who was already downstairs with the little ones on the bench, and in an instant I found them all there, around me, all 32 kids from Happy Home, waving goodbye, with smiles, tears, looks, words and hugs that I will never forget...
I don't know how many of them will remember me tomorrow, after all we are just meteors in their lives and I know that especially the little ones will return to their routine tomorrow and then they will be taken by other faces, other smiles and other games...maybe some of the older boys and girls will be able to remember instead, maybe we managed to give some continuity by coming back here this year and maybe with some of them a bond could be consolidated. I know for sure that I will carry them all in my heart and in my head, all 31 of them, from the smallest to the largest, and that the thought of them will fill my days while waiting for a new return. Because of one thing I am now certain, that this is only the beginning of a long journey to do together.
Thank you Hanuman, for the immense work you have been doing here for years and thank you for giving me the opportunity to experience all this, I am truly happy to have become part of this great family! HappyHome❤️"
Eugenia
Happy Home is like "Neverland".
Probably if you asked me how to get there I would give you these same directions: second star on the right ... but it's not a dream. Neverland is real this time!
The house has solid foundations and is well cared for, the children are real, they really eat, they don't fly, but if it can console you they are capable of incredible acrobatics on lianas!
So why the comparison with the beautiful fairy tale of Peter Pan? Because a little magic happens there too.
The founders of Hanuman and Co.Y.On. were able to give life to a large family made up of young people, boys and girls, able to support and self-manage. A successful example of peer education.
As in the famous fairy tale, the interference of adults seems superfluous at first. However, talking to the founders, you realize of the great effort and trust that they have placed in the young Nepalese to ensure that every little member of happy home has the opportunity to take responsibility for their own life, to redeem it from a condition of hardship and poverty. All this by supervising and listening to the needs of families and the entire community with the utmost seriousness.
If it is true that, as Danilo Dolci said, “Each child grows only if dreamed”, we can say thank you to the (big) dreams of Francesca, Vitaliano, Irene and Ravi.
Namaste!
Elena
One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world”- Malala Yousafzai
Education should be a fundamental right for everybody. But it is not. It is based on where you are born, what is your social status, what is your financial status, your gender.
I was a volunteer in Nepal for a couple of weeks. I met extraordinary people making the difference. I met extraordinary boys and girls thankful and willing to go to school. Walking for hours to reach it. I met children that do not have the support for doing it. Economic or family support. I lived in Happy Home, where Hanuman ETS houses abandoned children and orphans with no family, some of which are already followed in the design of long-distance support "Happy Child".
This is the story of Himala. She is a young 19 year old girl from Benighat, Nepal. She was raised in Happy Home together with her siblings. She was offered food and a roof and clean clothes and the opportunity to go to school. She is living in Kathmandu now, and she's studying to become a nurse. One day she will help saving lives. Lives of other young girls and boys and other ordinary people. All because one single opportunity has been given to her. Himala is one of the few children having this fortune. And she is one of many children for whom basic rights are not granted or obvious.
It is estimated that approximately 750 million adults and 617 million children and adolescents lack the most basic reading and writing skills. Women represent two thirds of the total illiterate adults: therefore, there are approximately 500 million illiterate women.
It is up to us to change that number. To empower young girls and boys, to create new leaders. To built schools and to train teachers, to provide school supplies and support for poor families. To raise awareness among families and communities of the importance of education for all, regardless of gender.
Thanks to all of you at Hanuman ETS.
Ioana