Nepal: Orphanage Support
358 Children Treated: Q2 2018
July 30, 2018
Ganesh Shrestha and Pragya Gautam
Summary of Activities
Currently, RMF supports two NCO children’s homes in Kathmandu, located at Naxal and Sifal, with 1 nurse and 2 auxiliary nurses. RMF’s nurses provide 24-hour, daily care for the children sheltered in these homes. Nurses provide both preventive and curative health services to all the children as well as the staff of NCO.
As a result of their continuous presence, they are able to diagnose children more efficiently, leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment. RMF’s nurses are especially committed to providing care for children with chronic diseases and special needs, as these children are more vulnerable to infections and require special care.
Apart from providing nursing staff for these two NCO children’s homes, RMF also provides financial support for more extensive medical treatment. When a child has a serious illness, his or her case is taken over by RMF. The child is treated at the appropriate hospital in Kathmandu, and RMF bears all the costs of investigation, treatment, and hospitalization.
During this reporting period:
- 358 children were provided with nursing care
- 343 children were independently treated by RMF nurses while 15 were taken to the hospital for treatment
- RMF Pediatricians from Kanti Children’s Hospital continued to visit NCO homes on a weekly basis

Results &
ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Overcoming Health Problems
RMF Nurses Working Diligently
Due to summer rains and crowded conditions at NCO homes, children have been especially vulnerable to respiratory problems during this reporting period. Fewer resources, buildings damaged by earthquakes, a lack of nutritious food, and other factors are the other main causes of illness. RMF nurses have been working diligently to prevent and treat these health problems, despite the many challenges they face in their work.

Ranjana Shrestha
New Nurse at NCO
Ranjana is an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) who graduated with distinction from her ANM course at Lalit Polytechnic Training Institute in Lalitpur, Nepal in 2016. She has completed 3 months of on-the-job training at Kathmandu Model Hospital where she practiced patient care in different settings.
Ranjana is now working as a residential nurse at NCO as a part of RMF’s support to the organization. She will provide care to children of all ages with or without disabilities. She will also provide health education and assistance to the in-house NCO mothers (caregivers).

Providing Holistic Care
Ensuring Proper Development
NCO not only provides shelter for children, but also all provisions necessary to ensure proper growth and development including formal school education, staff who care for children full time, an environment for physical activities, and psychological support. NCO also provides treatment and care to sick children at their homes and, if necessary, at various hospitals. This organization respects the rights of children and aims to help them grow to become responsible citizens.

Background
& Objectives
Background
Established in 1964, Nepal Children’s Organization (NCO), also known as Balmandir (The Children’s Temple) is one of the oldest non-profit organizations in Nepal working for the protection and promotion of childrens’ rights and providing residential care to the children at risk. This includes orphans, differently-abled, abandoned and conflict affected children.
After the devastating earthquake on April 25th, followed by another strong earthquake on May 12th, an estimated 2,023 children have been confirmed dead. Likewise, the number of the injured children has been established at 876 and approximately, 200 children have lost their mothers and 112 have lost their fathers. Nearly 2 million children are said to have been affected by this mega quake and the powerful aftershocks thereafter. (Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, June 2015)
Among those children who lost their parents, many have come under the tutelage of NCO, whose own shelter home was heavily destroyed by the disaster. Currently, through their 10 children’s homes within and outside Kathmandu valley, NCO has been caring for 280 children, including the earthquake-affected.
RMF will be supporting NCO in improving orphanage-based children’s health by providing better quality primary health care, including nutrition, sanitation and hygiene.
Objectives
- Provide psychosocial counseling to deeply affected children
- Construct a room for infants
- Health and sanitation trainings for house mothers and children
- Construct a room for differently-abled children
- Provide better quality primary healthcare
- Provide qualified staff nurses at NCO’s centers
- Enhance knowledge and awareness of health and nutrition

Numbers
Served
Direct Beneficiaries
358 Children Seen
- By RMF Nurses at NCO homes: 343
- At inpatient facility: 15

