About NOH

Improving the Lives of Poor Children in Nepal

Nepal Orphans Home (NOH) began in March of 2005 when a friend took Michael Hess to an ‘orphanage’ in Dhapasi in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley that she said needed help. There Michael found a small, rundown house crammed with over two dozen destitute children. Malnourished, in poor health, and not attending school, the children were forced by the owners to beg on the streets. Michael assumed control over the home, renovated the building, and began to care for the children.

A carpenter from Florida, Michael had never traveled outside the United States until he volunteered for a month in early 2004 with a nongovernmental organization in Nepal, restoring a school building outside of Kathmandu. Moved by the plight of the children he saw, living in poverty but rich in spirit, Michael vowed to return to help. Within six months Michael did return to Nepal, having sold his home in Florida. Coming across the dilapidated house that day in March transformed his life. And, Michael has since helped transform the lives of hundreds of poor children in Nepal.

Now, in its seventh year, NOH operates four homes (known locally as Papa’s Houses) for 120 children in Dhapasi. An active volunteer program, Volunteer Nepal, draws talented, compassionate people of all ages from around the world. In 2010 over 100 volunteers from a dozen countries served, several returning from the previous year.

Our Mission

Nepal Orphans Home attends to the welfare of children in Nepal who are orphaned, abandoned, or not supported by their parents. NOH provides for the children’s basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing, as well as schooling and health care, and administers to their emotional needs with love and compassion, allowing them to grow up in a nurturing environment. Our mission is not just to rescue children from abject poverty, but to enable the children to develop and realize their potentials.

Our Organization

Basic information about Nepal Orphans Home, a 501(c)3 public charity incorporated in Davidson, North Carolina, can be found on the website, www.nepalorphanshome.org. Michael Hess, the founder and director of operations of NOH, provides periodic updates of our work. Michael’s accounts of everyday life with our children best portray the implementation of our mission. In 2009 NOH began an electronic newsletter which currently has over 2,000 subscribers.

Nepal Orphans Home has a profile on UniversalGiving, an international social entrepreneurship that brings together verified non-profits with interested donors and volunteers. Some of NOH’s projects are described on the UniversalGiving site (www.universalgiving.org). NOH is also listed on Guidestar, (www.guidestar.org), the leading source of information on U.S. nonprofits. You can find the NOH profile on Guidestar and our recent 990 forms which are available as public record.

A Brief History

Each year our operations have expanded to help more children. In 2006 Papa’s House moved to a new, larger building to accommodate the growing family. NOH began supporting a school for the children, Papa’s Trinity Academy, enabling more than 200 other children from the community to attend.

In 2007 NOH was asked to take over a nearby destitute orphanage with a dozen children. Another building was leased in Dhapasi for a second Papa’s House and additional staff were hired. The enrollment at Papa’s Trinity Academy grew to over 340 children, the vast majority attending for free.

Early in 2008 NOH began collaboration with Society Welfare Action Nepal (SWAN), a Nepali nongovernmental organization operating in the Dang district to rescue kamlari girls from indentured servitude. NOH renovated two buildings in Narti and opened the Lawajuni (New Beginning) Home, providing shelter, food, clothing, schooling, and health care for girls rescued by SWAN. Over the year more than 60 girls who had been sold into slavery came to the Lawajuni Home, gaining their freedom, recovering their childhoods and attending school. NOH was able to bring 12 of these girls to Dhapasi, raising the number of children provided for in Papa’s Houses to 70.

In 2008, concerns with the management and direction of Papa’s Trinity Academy forced NOH to cease its support of the school. The children of Papa’s House began to attend the Skylark School, an English-medium private school in Dhapasi. NOH then initiated support of two schools in remote villages in the Ramechhap district, the Shree Sham primary school in Dumrikharka and the Mudkeswori primary school in Votetar, funding hot lunch programs and contributing to teacher salaries and school supplies for over 140 children, most of whom are Dalits (untouchables).

In early 2009, NOH brought another 26 rescued kamlari girls from Lawajuni to Dhapasi, where the education was significantly better, opening up a third home, known as Papa’s Kalpana (Imagine) House. The girls moved into the building formerly housing the boys, who relocated to a newly expanded and renovated home on the same grounds, Papa’s Sambhav (Possibilities) House. Later in the same year, 28 more girls rescued by SWAN came from Lawajuni to live in NOH’s fourth and newest home, Papa’s Gumba (Sanctuary) House.

Currently NOH is operating four homes in Dhapasi, all within a short walking distance of each other. Over half of the 120 children now provided for in Papa’s Houses are rescued kamlari girls. Even with all the growth in Papa's House, one constant has been the exceptional care our children receive. Papa’s House children are secure, happy members of a loving family.

Financial Support

The majority of Nepal Orphans Home's financial support comes from individual donors. Several non-profit organizations have also made important contributions. In 2008, NOH received a grant from the International Initiative to End Child Labor and the Emily Sandall Foundation for a poster project held at our homes in Narti and Dhapasi. In 2009 NOH received a grant from the William Hinman Foundation, to support the tuition of the former kamlari girls of Papa’s Kalpana House at the Skylark school.

Also in 2009, the Sanctuary for Kids Foundation, a not-for-profit organization in Canada that raises money for international and local children’s charities, selected Nepal Orphans Home for support with a contribution toward our newest home in Dhapasi for rescued kamlari girls, Papa’s Gumba (Sanctuary) House. The Sanctuary for Kids Foundation has also established a capital fund towards the construction of the first Papa’s House for girls to be built on the future campus of Nepal Orphans Home.

The mission of Nepal Orphans Home has been long supported by the Possible Worlds Foundation, a registered Canadian charity. In 2010, the Imagine Foundation, a newly-registered U.S. charity, formally added its support to NOH.

Volunteer Nepal

Accompanying the growth of Papa’s House has been our affiliate Volunteer Nepal, increasing from a handful of volunteers in 2006 to more than 100 individuals from across the world in 2010. Nearly a dozen of the volunteers were returning for second stints. NOH leases a residential house for the volunteers, near the main campus of Papa’s Samanjasya (Harmony) House.

Our volunteers provide important services to the Nepali people including: introducing healthier and more environmentally sustainable briquette ovens to the villagers of Dumrikharka, teaching classes throughout Nepal, offering yoga and music instruction to our children, leading writing workshops, assisting in medical clinics, as well as tutoring Papa’s House children. In 2010 NOH began helping a small Tibetan school for poor Sherpa children.

Volunteer Nepal advances the NOH mission with committed individuals who bring diverse skills and backgrounds allowing them to serve the poor in Nepal in numerous capacities. The income from volunteer fees significantly contributes to the operation of Papa’s House.

Our Vision

Nepal Orphans Home envisions establishing a permanent campus in the Kathmandu Valley. Currently all of our buildings and grounds are leased. We hope to acquire one to two hectares of property, where we will have our Papa’s Houses that together could provide for up to 150 children. Individual rooms in the homes will be equipped with bunk beds, desks, and lockers for several children. In each home will be a study hall equipped with personal computers and Internet connection. A common dining hall will serve all of the children.

A volunteer hostel on the campus will accommodate the continual flow of NOH volunteers. A large training room will be used for workshops and classes, including sewing and crafts. Adult literacy classes offered to the local community by our older children and volunteers will also be held in this room. All the buildings, while following traditional Nepalese style, will be equipped with environmentally-sustainable technologies. A large garden will ensure a supply of fresh vegetables. An extended area will be reserved for a playground. Hardwood and fruit trees will be carefully planted about the campus for shade and nutrition. Also positioned on the campus will be smaller buildings housing a woodworking shop to make all of our furniture and desks. Walking paths will connect all the buildings. A jogging path will follow the perimeter of the land to be enclosed by a security wall.

Our vision also includes an education center to provide vocational training, such as woodworking and motorcycle repair, and an information technology lab equipped with personal computers linked to the Internet. We will have an endowment to pay for instructors and tutors and a scholarship fund to send our students to institutions of higher education. We aspire to having all of our children receive a quality education, allowing them to realize their potentials.

Post Script

Begun seven years ago by Michael Hess, Nepal Orphans Home has been successful as a grassroots organization. Over the years, many others have learned about his work, often through the Nepal Orphans Home web site or from volunteers after they return home, and have been inspired to join him as volunteers and donors. Nepal Orphans Home is making a significant difference in Nepal…one child at a time, each one special.

Director of Operations

Michael Hess, the founder of Nepal Orphans Home, is also the current director of operations for NOH in Dhapasi, Nepal. He is the proud father of two wonderful sons, grandfather to three precious and missed grandchildren in the States, and Papa to 120 exceptional children in Nepal. His goal in life is the eradication of child slavery and trafficking in Nepal while ensuring our children have a strong family life, turning hope into reality.

Board of Directors

Brenda Barger is an online news writer for DavidsonNews.net. She and her husband, Hugh, have lived in Davidson, NC, for the past 35 years. They have four children and two grandchildren. Although no one has traveled to Nepal, the family continues to provide annual support to NOH through donations and applauds Michael’s work making a difference — one child at a time.

Glenn Detrick, an educator, was a university administrator at Washington University in St. Louis and co-founder of a small student surveying business (EBI) before retiring in 2003. He teaches a university course now and travels extensively, having been to 80 or so countries. He founded the Chelsea Detrick Experiental Learning Center in his home school district, Webster Groves, Missouri. He became interested in NOH after meeting Michael and seeing the Papa's Houses on a visit to Nepal.

Carola Drosdeck is a fifth grade teacher in the Shaker Heights (OH) City Schools, and has over 25 years of teaching experience at the elementary level. Carola was Assistant Director of Teacher Education Programs in the Education and Allied Studies Department at John Carroll University. She volunteered at Nepal Orphans Home June 2010, and continues to be inspired by the resilience, curiosity, and spirit of NOH's children.

Chauncey (Greg) Gregory is President of Builders Supply Company in Lancaster, South Carolina. The father of two, Greg is a member of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees and the South Carolina Senate.

Barbara (Boo) Hess, formerly a church accountant and tax preparer, is the secretary/treasurer of NOH. She and her husband, Peter, have two grown sons and a granddaughter. Boo hopes to see the children living at Papa's House grow into responsible and contributing citizens of Nepal.

Peter Hess is a professor of economics at Davidson College. Peter has served as president of NOH since 2006. He and his wife, Boo, have volunteered at Papa's House several times over the past few years. Their lives have been immeasurably enriched by Nepal Orphans Home and seeing the children of Papa's House grow up in a caring family of brothers and sisters.

George McNeil is a psychiatrist practicing in Portland, Maine. His wife and two grown children share his wish for a more equitable world. He is proud of the efforts of his nephew, Michael Hess, to nudge things in this direction at Nepal Orphans Home.

Antonia (Toni) Thomson is a Senior Film & Television Editor based in Toronto, Canada. Toni first spent time with the precious children of NOH in June 2007 and was so truly inspired by Michael Hess' extraordinary efforts that she accepted a position as Director on the Board. With continued inspiration and a special affection towards all of the NOH children, Toni founded a registered Canadian charity "Possible Worlds Foundation" to further support the efforts of Michael in improving the quality of life for children impoverished, abandoned, neglected, and sold into indentured servitude. Nepal is a second home for both Toni and her husband Paul, and a new addition…their first born son, Tashi. Many years into the future, plans remain to be actively involved in the growth and future of the children of NOH, thanks to the inspiration of Michael, and the incredible team at NOH!

Board of Advisors

Jesse Bach is an Industrial Arts instructor in Parma, Ohio. He has a Bachelors and Masters degree in education and is currently pursuing a PhD in Education. He is committed to Nepal Orphans Home and their care of children rescued from the kamlari system. Jesse is most interested and passionate regarding the issues of child slavery, debt bondage and indentured servitude in the developing world.

Rick Bieterman is a teacher at Hinsdale South High School in Hinsdale, Illinois. Rick served through Volunteer Nepal at Papa's House in late 2009.

Aaron Hess is an RN who is currently pursuing graduate studies to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. He is also a husband and father of three. As the son of the founder of Nepal Orphans Home, Aaron became inspired by the joy that his father experiences and brings to so many people in Nepal. Aaron’s first trip to Nepal is planned for a month of volunteering in hospitals and rural clinics in 2012 with a number of his student nurse anesthetist colleagues, professors, and CRNA’s from the Florida community where he lives.

Benjamin (Jamie) Hess has worked in the fields of education, communications, and international development. He volunteered at Nepal Orphans Home in June 2008.

Jerry Hess is an attorney at Harris, King and Fodera in New York City. He is also a veteran and aspiring musician. He is the son of the founder of Nepal Orphans Home and plans to visit Nepal in the future. He became inspired by reports from his father and from volunteers about the good work being done in Nepal.

Randi Miller is an American attorney currently working as a consultant with RayYin & Partners P.R.C. Lawyers in Beijing, China. She is passionate about the need to fight the global human trafficking problem and fell in love with the kids at Papa's House when she volunteered with Volunteer Nepal in 2009. Randi is grateful for the opportunity to contribute by editing the Nepal Orphans Home Update and Newsletter.

Marc Nathanson is the Senior Development Executive for Youth Opportunities Unlimited, a non-profit organization in Cleveland, Ohio, which empowers youth (14–19) through entrepreneurship, employment and education. He is a father of two and has three beautiful grandchildren. Marc learned about the mission and services of NOH through his once-in-a-lifetime Yoga for Freedom trip to Nepal in June of 2010. He is committed to the organization and to the children it serves after meeting Michael Hess, the founder, and spending time with these amazing and courageous children who are living examples of faith and hope!

Katy Welter is a research attorney for the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice in Chicago, Illinois. In late 2009, Katy volunteered at Papa's House in Nepal.

Lauren Yanks teaches literature and writing at the State University of New York. She is also a freelance writer and journalist, focusing on the issues of impoverished people throughout the world. She volunteered at NOH in 2009 and 2010, and was touched by the loving, open nature of the children. She is especially interested in helping the children attain a well-rounded education. Her goal is to provide an education that empowers and inspires, enabling the children to develop the skills needed to pursue their grandest dreams.