This would be the before picture of what used to be the library/storage room!
The kids enjoying games and books!
Santi, enjoying a Classic Disney movie book, "Toy Story 2". The Disney Movie Books have been a GI-NORMOUS (Anita Schwartzman, 2006) hit among the kids. We bought a couple of illustrated books that feature Tarzan, Toy Story 2, Bambi, and Lilo and Stitch among others.
Jordan and I first had the idea to create a "study room" out of the old storage room last fall. But, with Christmas, the coat drive, and several other things, we really had to put this project on the back burner. We started last week! We pulled out all the furniture and junk, painted the whole room (with the help of 2 nepali kids), shopped for some furniture, and bought some great books. It was a fun time to be able to do something so great for the kids. One of our friends here in Kathmandu, Susan (an interior design major) helped us pick out fabric for the curtains and the couch, and she did a fantastic job at that. Good Job, Susan!
The whole room cost a total of somewhere around $600. That included paint, a table and chairs, a couch that seats 6-7, a coffee table, a couple of shelves, a small computer desk and chair, and about 20 books to help educate the kids and help them practice their english (science books, disney books, childrens bible, fictional stories, etc.). Their "old" library already had a large number of books, but when we sorted through them we realized that most of them were either 10 yr. old textbooks, books in other languages, or very odd scientific nepali books that counter the Christian faith. Most of these books had been given from European donors. We were excited to get the children books that would help them in their studies as well as entertaining ones.
The first night we opened the Study Room there must have been 25 children all sitting around reading, playing games, drawing, or doing homework. It was really neat to see the kids excited about their new room. It is a comfy environment that gives them a place to go after school or dinner and read a book/ study/ do homework. We also set up all the crafts so that the kids can color, draw, paint, or just get creative as they please.
Before, the storage room stayed locked up all day and the kids had no access to any of the books or crafts unless we opened the room. Now they can come and go as they please, which they really like, especially since they can get bored around the orphanage sometimes.
SO, a BIG THANKS, again from the kids and Jason and Jordan from CWC!!! We could not have done it without your financial support. Know that your contributions made a HUGE impact across the Pacific. (Plus, Jordan and I now have a comfy room to sit in with a good book. We definitely are enjoying the fruit of our labor there)
This is seriously where we are heading off to. This picture is taken from Kala Patthar. That is exactly where we are headed. We leave on March 16th and should get back around April 1. I will post pictures and stories about our trip when we get back.
