| Happiness Colony Orphanage |
 | |  | |  |
(formally Helpless Colony Orphanage) in Nepal. After two years, with additional
support from Holy Grounds Farm, we pay for the children’s housing, schooling,
food, clothing and their new vegetable garden. We wanted to share their story
with you.
The Helpless Colony Orphanage was started by a man who was told an
orphanage could make money. Several years later he ended up with dozens
of kids, three of his own, and no donations or support. He borrowed money
from loan sharks, stole, cheated and lied until his death from Black Liver, the
Nepalese term for alcoholism.
When he died his wife, Nanu, was left in a filthy one-room building with no
electricity, plumbing or furniture. She had no option but to take to the streets
and beg. None of the children had ever been to school. They were sick and
malnourished.
Nanu took the kids to a tourist town where she found help in a small silver shop.
The manager there called one of his jewelry designers, Baba Sushanti. Baba told
the man to give Nanu $20.00.
The next month Nanu and the children returned. Crying and desperate, she
refused to leave. Baba drove 45 minutes to meet her. After talking with Nanu, he
found a clean house for her and the children and bought them enough food for a
month.
This was the beginning of Baba’s support of the Helpless Colony Orphanage.
For years Baba had been assisting Nepali youth through profits from his jewelry
business as well as donations from his friends around the world. These were
children whose parents were affected by the Maoist, whose fathers were in
prison, whose parents had died or whose families were too poor to keep them.
Just as Nanu had found Baba, Cathy, Lei Lotus owner, was fortunate to find
them both. Cathy was on a business trip to Nepal and had taken donations.
With only two days left, she still hadn’t found an outlet for the gifts. A friend,
Mishel, the owner of Eyes of the World in Boise had told her of Baba’s work
helping Nepalese children. The day before her departure she filled a taxi with
the donations and drove to the Helpless Colony Orphanage. This experience
changed Cathy’s life!
Lei Lotus is pleased to continue their support of the orphanage. Our dream is to
build a new structure where they can not only live but also grow food and raise
chickens, goats and cows. We would like to send the older kids to college (last
semester they passed their finals for the first time!) and help them start their
own businesses someday. Many of the children plan on going into a community
service field, so they can help their people less fortunate than themselves.
Cathy suggested a name change from Helpless Colony to Happiness Colony and
they are in the process of making it their new legal name.
Bless you all for your support!
Cathy and Jerome, owners of Lei Lotus
If you'd like to make a contribution to the orphanage, please contact Cathy.
cathy@leilotus.com
support from Holy Grounds Farm, we pay for the children’s housing, schooling,
food, clothing and their new vegetable garden. We wanted to share their story
with you.
The Helpless Colony Orphanage was started by a man who was told an
orphanage could make money. Several years later he ended up with dozens
of kids, three of his own, and no donations or support. He borrowed money
from loan sharks, stole, cheated and lied until his death from Black Liver, the
Nepalese term for alcoholism.
When he died his wife, Nanu, was left in a filthy one-room building with no
electricity, plumbing or furniture. She had no option but to take to the streets
and beg. None of the children had ever been to school. They were sick and
malnourished.
Nanu took the kids to a tourist town where she found help in a small silver shop.
The manager there called one of his jewelry designers, Baba Sushanti. Baba told
the man to give Nanu $20.00.
The next month Nanu and the children returned. Crying and desperate, she
refused to leave. Baba drove 45 minutes to meet her. After talking with Nanu, he
found a clean house for her and the children and bought them enough food for a
month.
This was the beginning of Baba’s support of the Helpless Colony Orphanage.
For years Baba had been assisting Nepali youth through profits from his jewelry
business as well as donations from his friends around the world. These were
children whose parents were affected by the Maoist, whose fathers were in
prison, whose parents had died or whose families were too poor to keep them.
Just as Nanu had found Baba, Cathy, Lei Lotus owner, was fortunate to find
them both. Cathy was on a business trip to Nepal and had taken donations.
With only two days left, she still hadn’t found an outlet for the gifts. A friend,
Mishel, the owner of Eyes of the World in Boise had told her of Baba’s work
helping Nepalese children. The day before her departure she filled a taxi with
the donations and drove to the Helpless Colony Orphanage. This experience
changed Cathy’s life!
Lei Lotus is pleased to continue their support of the orphanage. Our dream is to
build a new structure where they can not only live but also grow food and raise
chickens, goats and cows. We would like to send the older kids to college (last
semester they passed their finals for the first time!) and help them start their
own businesses someday. Many of the children plan on going into a community
service field, so they can help their people less fortunate than themselves.
Cathy suggested a name change from Helpless Colony to Happiness Colony and
they are in the process of making it their new legal name.
Bless you all for your support!
Cathy and Jerome, owners of Lei Lotus
If you'd like to make a contribution to the orphanage, please contact Cathy.
cathy@leilotus.com