LATEST NEWS FROM THE VILLAGE                                        (May 2017):  

School Year 2017-2018 Begins: It seems like each year we send more and more kids to school and this year is no exception! This year, as the new school year begins, we're sponsoring the education of a record fifty-eight kids from the Quilts for Kids Nepal community to attend school at the Lord's Light Academy.  We couldn't be happier! :-)

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Nepal Scouts & Girl Guides: This year Q4K sponsored 15 kids to participate in Girl Guides and Nepal Scouts.  We're really proud of these great kids who are learning to be self-reliant, acquiring new skills, developing a close realtionship with nature, and learning new ways to help their community!

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A New School for the Q4K Kids: As of November 2015, we've just moved all of the kids into a brand-new, earthquake-safe, environmentally-friendly school which is just around the corner from the community where everyone lives.  The school is called Lord's Light Academy and, in addition to providing an excellent education, the kids have access to sports teams, music & dance classes, Scouts, karate, and many after-school activities.  Everyone already loves the new school!

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Earthquake Update: These are difficult times, but everyone in the Q4K community is accounted for and managing just fine. In fact, in a wonderful example of human kindness during this earthquake crisis, dozens of families in the begging camp have offered their bamboo-and-plastic-sheet homes & have cooked meals for their home-owning Nepali neighbors who needed temporary shelter after the quake.  It is a beautiful thing to see.

In addition, aid from our friends all over the world has flooded in, and we have been able to fund grassroots aid projects all over Nepal.  Recently we have been able to:

• Distribute 5kg bags of rice to families in the local community.
• Provide food and medical supplies to people living in Bhaktapur
• Sponsor emergency tent shelters in remote villages.
• Fund rebuilding of homes in Patan, Gorka, Thading, Bhaktapur and Sindupalchowk
• Sponsor repairs to the Kumari Elementry School in Boudhanath

Ours is truly a global community - stitched together with threads of compassion, kindness and creativity. At times like this it's good to have family. "Many Threads, One Love"... our motto has never been more true.

Lending A Hand: Q4K now does a lot more than just make quilts and put kids in school! Thanks to generous help from our friends all over the world, last year we were able to 1) give Jatin Kumar emergency eye-care & followup, 2) fund a life-saving kidney operation for Rupa Kuar, 3) Sponsor a Women's Health Clinic, 4) Donate 5kg bags of basmati rice to each family in the camp  Thanks to everyone for helping to lend a hand!

Yoga Nepal Party! It started out as a quiet visit with the students... but it turned into a full-on Punjabi dance party!  Visting friends from the Yoga Nepal Fall 2014 tour stopped by to donate school supplies and, in appreciation, the kids taught them some great new Bollywood dance moves. Everybody had a great time!

Dental Camp: Thanks to our friends at Thrangu Monaststery, more than 60 kids from our little village were again given free check-ups, cleaning, fillings, and fluoride treatments.  The good news: very few cavities and lots of smiles!

 Fifty-one Kids Now in School!  Thanks to the generosity of our very kind sponsors and quilt-buyers, as of May 2013 there are now a total of 40 kids enrolled in the Kumari Elementary School!! This is a group of great kids who would otherwise be begging on the streets of Kathmandu. (Here're photos of some of the gang!)

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Schiciano Family Visit:  The Schiciano Family, from Boston, USA -- long-time supporters and members of the Quilts for Kids community-- came to Kathmandu for a visit! The kids threw a surprise party for "Mr. Ken," Pixley made lots of new friends, and Christina stayed for two weeks! Christina actually taught classes at the Kumari School every day, and helped kids with their homework in the study house.  Everybody had a great time!

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We Love Louisa!  Louisa Sanford, from Philadelphia USA, has come to volunteer with Quilts for Kids at the camp twice this year, and everybody loves her!  She teaches the kids English, helps with homework, takes the kids on field-trips...and let's the girls teach her about Indian fashion!

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Animals are Coming!  Evelyn Dominigo-Barker returned to the camp this year, loaded with lots of great new design ideas for the quilt-making women.  Suddenly the camp was filled with Butterflies, Elephants, and Peacocks!  As soon as we can figure out how to ship them out of Kathmandu you can buy one for your bedroom!  Coming soon....!

Parents Day 2014:  In March many of the children from the camp performed traditional Nepali dances at the Parents Day celebration at the Kumari School.  Visting Doctor Pulad made a speech, and James was the guest of honor!

 

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   Conscious Action Network:  The Conscious Action Network (www.consciousactionnetwork.com) is a project to support people all over the world who are "making a difference" by creating and sharing media that tell their stories.  Our good friends at CAN, Michael Kastenbaum & Thomas Zachmeier, discovered Quilts for Kids on their worldwide tour, and made this great little 3-minute YouTube video:

CHECK IT OUT!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mgbrLg3tQY                

Visiting Quilting Expert:For two months this winter, quilting expert Evelyn Dominigo-Barker came to Kathmandu to work and live with the quilt-making women of Quilts for Kids Nepal.  Evelyn has worked with quilt-making projects in countries all over Asia, teaching women how to better support their families through improved sewing skills.  The result: a brand new line of quilts (that we call "Fancy Quilts") which will be released in a few months, and ... a lot of fun!

         

 New "Sewing House":    In December, during Evelyn'Dominigo-Barker's visit to Q4K, we built a new sewing house in the village.  This peaceful little house is dedicated to the elite team of 4 women who will make the Fancy Quilts.  And...no men allowed (although we did let them build the house)!

   

108 Lives:  If you've never heard of the 108 Lives Project you should check them out: www.108lives.org.  This is an amazing group of people who have a unique mission: simply to raise funds and awareness to help 108 individual needy people living in the country of Nepal.  In December 2011, the 108 Lives group teamed up with Quilts for Kids Nepal to help fulfill that mission -- and the results have been spectacular!  A unique link between generous people around the world, and the economically-challenged little group of people right here in Kathmandu, which will help support women and send kids to school for years to come!

Click here to see the new Quilts for Sale!

       That's the latest from the village.  Stay tuned for more...