Bright Horizon Children's Home

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Nepal is one of the ten poorest countries in the world and suffers from an unemployment rate of more than 40%. The future of its young people appears bleak. About 90% of the available labour force are engaged in agricultural production and in the rural areas the illiteracy rate can reach 70%. With an average monthly salary of some 20 Euros half of the population live below the recognized poverty line. Many parents therefore are unable to care for and provide a future for their children. As the average life expectancy is 47 and given the socio-economic instability of the country, many children grow up as orphans or half orphans. Many of these children end up on the street.

For these disadvantaged children we aim to provide a safe and caring environment, where each child can develop his or her talents. We offer a broad general education and the school is organised on a family unit basis. We provide an education starting at kindergarden level up to class 10. Moreover we provide each student with vocational and pastoral guidance. It is our intention to facilitate university entrance to those students who are capable of matriculating. We have around 210 boarders and 70 dayscholars from the neighbouring villages. Children are selected irrespective of ethnicity, religion or caste.

The school campus is located about 1 hour’s drive west of Kathmandu near the village Matatirtha (mother earth). In this rural setting, with views of the Himalayas and the capital in the distance, the children can enjoy growing up in such an environment, far from the stresses and dangers of the streets of the capital. The campus comprises 9 buildings. The project was initiated by Marlies Kornfeld, who has been actively involved in various humanitarian activities in this region.