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The story of Indreni children...
Since 2013, we’ve been supporting Ram Hari Khadka and his Indreni Foundation in Kathmandu, Nepal. Ram’s story is in itself quite unique. After escaping from home at an early age, he became a street child himself in Kathmandu.
He worked in a carpet factory, sleeping on the factory floor. Later, he became a Sherpa and learned English. However, in his words “I felt that my karma was to help street children in Kathmandu. I had to dedicate my life to improving their fate. I was lucky to make it out of the streets. Too many are not. I knew what I had to do.”
Ram started to work for an international children’s association, Rokpa, in Kathmandu. And later, he founded his own Foundation, Indreni (which means Rainbow), from scratch. Ram knew where to find street-children, and win their trust.
He knew what they really needed to open the doors to a more sustainable future. So he founded the Indreni house on the outskirts of Kathmandu, which today is home to 50 children from dire backgrounds.
Some of these children were found sniffing glue on the streets, an activity that is aggressively brain-damaging if not stopped in time. Others were expelled from home by violent, alcoholic parents, with nowhere to go and nothing to live on.
At the Indreni house, these children benefit from a holistic education concept, with early morning meditation, dance, martial arts, gardening, play, etc in addition of course to academic education. And most importantly, a safe, caring environment where they can regain self-confidence, emotional balance, and social skills.
We started with 10 children and added 20 more from the different poorest backgrounds.
The first batch of children that came to Indreni had already graduated and left home. Some continued their studies to pursue their professional careers, some went abroad, and others got married and started their own families.
It is indeed a great achievement. We are very proud of what Ram has built. A home with a lot of love, safety, good education, and respect for all.