Children’s Home: Where Meena Aama cares 60 children

By Hari Prasad Koirala ,Urlabari, Sept. 10: In the lives of children living at Namuna Children's Home in Urlabari-7, Morang district, the grand festivals of Dashain and Tihar bring little excitement.  

Instead, they observe numerous fleeting, smaller festivals throughout the year, which carry little significance for them. These celebrations lack the power to bring joy and foster familial connections in their world.

They remain uninvited in many celebrations that take place in the city and those in the neighbouring. They lack the enthusiasm to partake in the festivities, even if, someone extends an invitation.

Since most of them are unaware of their birth dates, they never exchange birthday greeting with their friends. The children living at the shelter home follow similar daily routines.

Despite carrying the weight of pain in their hearts, their faces radiate brightness. They extend a warm and respectful welcome and exhibit a sense of closeness to anyone who visits their shelter home. They are always eager to learn from their visitors and gain knowledge they may not otherwise have access to.

They are unaware of the whereabouts of their parents and relatives, as their true parentage remains a mystery to them. Their sole source of support and care is their mother figure, Meena Baral, colloquially called ‘Meena Aama’. 

Meena started a childcare campaign in the year 2057 B.S. after providing shelter to a child born to a young mentally challenged homeless woman. She named the child Namuna and bestowed her own surname upon her.

Meena doesn't have any biological children of her own. However, through her selfless act of donating all her property to the shelter home, she has become the caring and devoted mother to 60 children. 

She spends her days teaching, feeding, and ensuring her children have a good night's sleep.

“We organise special programmes during every festival to make sure that the children don't feel the absence of their families,” said Meena. 

Inside the children’s home, there is no discrimination based on caste and race. Everyone lives together as one big family.

Sundar Sarki, a 14-year-old, has no knowledge of his home or his family. He arrived at the children's home at a young age and is currently studying in grade 8. 

Sarki, who has been practicing yoga, has already mastered 60 asanas and aims to become a Yoga teacher. 

Likewise, Karuna Chaudhary and Jay Chaudhary are siblings. 15-year-old Karuna, is in grade 7, while her 12-year-old brother Jay is in the 5th grade. They don’t have knowledge about their parents or relatives. They shared that their sole source of care and affection is Meena Aama.

16-year-old Ashma Pariyar was brought to the shelter when she was just 18 months old. She mentions, "I am aware of my surname, but beyond that, I don’t remember anything.” 

Ashma, who aspires to become a teacher, said no one comes to visit her at the shelter home.  Currently, she is pursuing her studies in the 10th grade at the local Lakshmi Secondary School.

Similarly, 11-year-old Amisa, 8-year-old, Ashmita and 5-year-old Anusha are siblings. They are aware that their hometown is in Pathari. 

They were brought to the children's home with the help of journalists, following news reports that they were being raised by neighbours.

Amisa, currently in the 7th grade, shared that her father had left for employment abroad, and her mother had abandoned them, leaving them feeling disheartened and lacking enthusiasm.

Expressing her distress, she lamented, "We've recently arrived at the shelter home, and it's challenging to care for my sisters."

The Namuna Children's Home currently occupies 18 and a half katthas of land and have three separate buildings built with the support of generous donors. 

Additionally, the children there receive pre-primary education within the home. 

Tej Bahadur Ghimire, the manager of the children's home, said they have facilitated the wedding of four daughters and one son. 

Furthermore, eight children who were raised by the shelter have been successfully reunited with their parents, while 47 individuals who grew up under the shelter's care are now leading independent lives, he added. 

The children’s home accommodates children from 14 districts within the Koshi province, along with Dailekh, Achham, and Kailali, said Ghimire. 

There are five staffs, who are dedicated to providing care and services to the children within the orphanage.