NEPAL
In 2011, Friends For Global Change made its first visit to Nepal. The group was in contact with an orphanage in Kathmandu, CHEF Nepal. After several months of communicating via email, the group ventured halfway around the world with 400 pounds of donated items. Upon arriving in Nepal, the group was greeted by eight children with smiles on their faces despite the fact that they lived in extreme poverty. FFGC had also been in touch with a second orphanage that serves 32 children, My Small Help. They had the opportunity to spend time with the kids there as well, which lead to some of the older children developing friendships with several members from FFGC.
In 2015, Friends For Global Change partnered with My Small Help to build a school in the remote village of Ladkeshwor. The school serves over 100 children, some of which travel several hours by foot daily to be able to attend class. The organization was able to raise the funds necessary and secured a partnership with the Nepali Ministry of Education and with the village elders to ensure the project went smoothly. Shortly after the school was completed, Nepal was devastated by a massive earthquake. Several families from surrounding villages lost their houses and were able to use the school as refuge until they were able to get back on their feet. In 2017, Friends For Global Change embarked on an additional joint project with My Small Help where the organization would fund additional teachers for the school. These additional teachers would go through additional training which focused on increasing the retention level of the children and would teach them additional life skills in addition to receiving basic education.
In 2016, Friends For Global Change was made aware of a situation where an eleven year old boy, Ramesh Darji, was in dire need of medical support. Ramesh and his family live in a remote village in Nepal and are part of the lowest social caste. Ramesh had been born and immediately developed a rare skin condition called Ichthyosis. His skin developed thick scales and caused extreme amounts of pain to the point where his mother could not even bathe him because of the agony it would cause him. He was also malnourished and his limbs were twisted due to lack of healthy bone development. Friends For Global Change was able to partner with local organizations in Nepal to help raise funds to help his treatment. Several doctors and hospitals also donated their time and resources to treat young Ramesh. After one year of treatment, which included several surgeries, Ramesh is doing significantly better, and is even able to walk using a walker. Some of the funds which FFGC was able to raise also went to the purchase of land for his family where they will be able to raise crops and become self sufficient, as well as the building of a house where Ramesh will be able to grow up while having a sturdy roof over his head.