Nepal: Orphanage Support
NCO Celebrates National Children’s Day: Q3 2018
November 25, 2018
Ganesh Shrestha, Program Manager and Pragya Gautam, Program and M&E Coordinator
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:
- 482 children were treated by RMF nurses at NCO homes
- NCO children attended a health camp focused on ear, nose, and throat health
- NCO celebrated National Children’s Day
- RMF Pediatricians from Kanti Children’s Hospital continued to visit NCO homes on a weekly basis

Results &
ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Addressing Health Concerns
RMF Medical Team in Action
The most common health concerns among NCO children are respiratory problems ranging from the common cold to chest infections and pneumonia. The next most common ailments are digestive problems including abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Many children also suffer from skin allergies and fevers.
RMF nurses care for the sick children to the best of their ability at NCO homes and take the children to the hospital for conditions outside of their capacity. RMF pediatricians’ weekly visits to NCO have helped the RMF nurses learn to identify more health problems and manage various conditions more confidently. The pediatricians are also able to screen children for less noticeable symptoms that may not be easily identified by the nurses.

Free Health Camp at NCO
Supporting At-Risk Children
A free health camp for the children was organized by NCO in collaboration with Leo Club of Kathmandu Medical College. The health camp was focused mainly on ear, nose, and throat (ENT) problems. A significant number of children at NCO suffer from ENT and respiratory illnesses most of the time.
At the camp, 10 ENT surgeons examined the children for ENT problems and other health conditions. They also conducted an education session on hygiene maintenance and basic infection prevention techniques.
The surgeons recommended that children with complex ENT conditions see specialized doctors in the hospital. The most common problem found among the children was the perforation of the tympanic membrane, a part of the eardrum, due to recurrent ear infections. Overall, the NCO children benefited greatly from the camp.

NCO Celebrates National Children’s Day
Special Program Held with Many Guests
On September 14, NCO celebrated National Children’s Day with a grand program chaired by NCO Chairperson Ms. Rita Singh. The chief guest of the program was His Excellency Honorable Mr. Nanda Bahadur Pun (Pasang), Vice President of Nepal.
The attendees included the members and former members of the NCO Board of Directors as well as representatives from different organizations supporting NCO, including RMF. Also in attendance were winners of the school competitions and their teachers, as well as children from NCO homes.
One of the distinguished guests was Ashok Darji, an 8-year-old boy, who was found singing in the streets of eastern Nepal. The person who heard him thought he had real talent and decided to mentor him to sharpen his singing skills. In a short period of time, Ashok became a famous singer. He was invited so that he could tell his story and motivate other children to cultivate their talents.

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

More
Photos
Click to enlarge





Numbers
Served
Direct Beneficiaries
482 Total Patients Served
- Children treated by RMF Nurses at Home: 455
- Children Treated at Local Hospital: 27

