Namaste family and friends,

It was fantastic to return to Kathmandu in April. The city is still polluted, roads broken and a lot of heavy traffic noise, but the people are just as friendly, the temples fascinating, the curries tasted fine and it was nice to see the great temples at Durbar Square completely rebuilt after the 2015 earthquakes. To top it off, by coincidence we saw the Kumari in person on our first day. She is not only a little girl, but is honoured as a living goddess of the Kathmandu city. Of course we have also successfully completed a number of projects, read more below:

Free Health Camp:

On Saturday, April 1, 2023, we organized a Free Health Camp in the district of Nuwakot. Beforehand we bought a large stock of medicines at a pharmacy wholesaler in Kathmandu. Paracetamol, cough sirups, eye drops, vitamin tablets, antiseptic cream, and much more. Early morning we drove with two 4×4 jeeps and a car to the district, which is about three hours from Kathmandu. Four doctors, three nurses and three pharmacists traveled with us.

We also hired a local bus to give people from further afield or with limited mobility the opportunity to visit the health camp. Upon arrival in the village, many people were already waiting in front of Shree Saraswati Secondary School. The school committee had kindly provided a number of classrooms to execute the health camp.

First everyone was registered with name and age after which a nurse measured blood pressure and temperature and wrote down physical complaints. Afterwards the villagers could take a seat in a classroom to wait their turn to talk to the doctor.

Many people complained of irritated eyes, fever, infection of the lungs, back pain and muscle aches. The doctor prescribed medicines and vitamins, which they could pick up in the next classroom. The medicines were pre-sorted and handed out through the classroom window with appropriate advice from the pharmacists on how to take or use the medicines. The health camp was a great success and in total more than 200 people received free health care that day.

Our project received the attention of two online Nepalese news channels. View the article by Hamro Health Nepal, and the article by Jalapa News.  (You can find a translation of the articles on Facebook).

Distributing hats and babyclothes:

In the meantime, Anneloes and Juliette, the daughters of Alex and Samantha, handed out woolly hats, pens and notebooks to the children, who were also present at the Free Health Camp. The coloured hats were knitted by Harmiena from the Netherlands, a good friend of Samantha’s mother. The kids were delighted with this surprise and luckily we had enough things to make everyone happy. In addition to a bag full of hats, Harmiena had also knitted beautiful baby clothes, which we distributed to poor mothers with small babies in Kathmandu and the surrounding area.

Food supplies for Hopeful Home:

A couple of times we visited the children of Hopeful Home children’s home. It was nice to see everyone again after such a long time. On our first visit we brought bananas and a papaya as an extra snack. On April 11 we went with Gopini Wosti from Hopeful Home to the market in Bhaktapur to stock up on food.

The shopping list was long, but we managed to buy it all at the wholesaler. We’ve purchased 40 bags of rice with a content of 25 kilos each. In Hopeful Home, rice is eaten twice a day, so this supply will be finished after just two months. Fortunately, most other products will last longer.

We also bought many litres of mustard oil and sunflower oil, 25 kilos of red and 25 kilos of black lentils, 25 kilos of green and white beans, 50 kilos of sugar, soap, washing powder, tea, noodles, biscuits, coriander herbs, and more. At least they don’t have to worry for the coming months, food supply will be plentiful.

Sponsoring two brothers in Chitwan:

At the end of April the new school year started in Nepal and this year we decided to sponsor two brothers for school fees, school uniforms and teaching materials. The brothers live in Chitwan, a district in the south of the country, and they are the nephews of Ram, who works for the Laxmi Support Foundation.

Biplab is 6 years old and is in class 2. Sulab is 11 years old and is in class 7. The education at this private school, called Panchakanya Vidhya Mandir, is of a better quality than at the nearby government school. The brothers are very happy with this opportunity and have promised to do their best. We plan to continue to support the brothers in the coming years.

We would like to thank all our sponsors for making these projects possible. The gratitude is great with all the villagers of Nuwakot, Gopini Wosti and all the children of Hopeful Home and Biplab and Sulab in Chitwan. We will continue our work and hope that you will support us. Special thanks goes out to the Dutch Photoclub FWS Maassluis, who donated the tip jar of 2022 entirely to our foundation.

Support our projects and make a donation.
Thank you.

Take a look on our website for more photo’s, on our YouTube channel for videos or follow us on Facebook.

All the best,

Laxmi Support Foundation

Namaste family and friends,

It is quite clear for us that 2023 will be a fantastic year! After a long wait due to Covid-19, finally the time has come that Samantha and Alex will travel to Nepal at the end of March. Also Dutch volunteer Bert has spend six weeks in the children’s home and has done an amazing job. Read more below:

Free Health Camp and more:

On 27 March Samantha and Alex will travel to Nepal. We have planned a number of projects, including a ‘Free Health Camp’ in the Nuwakot district. Together with several doctors, nurses and pharmacists we will travel in 4×4 jeeps to the village of Newarpani, where residents from the whole area can come for a free health check. We hope to reach and help more than 150 people.

We also want to distribute sports articles to various schools and we will visit the children’s home Hopeful Home in Jhaukel.

Volunteer Bert in Hopeful Home:

Bert spent six weeks in the children’s home Hopeful Home and did a fantastic job. He played football with the boys, cooked for the children and arranged several outings, one of them was a visit to the zoo in Patan, which was an unforgettable experience for all.

Bert also arranged new tarpaulin to be installed on the kitchen floor and purchased cushions for the library. To top it off, he arranged a painting workshop for all children, organized by the Museum of Nepali Art. Afterwards, the artwork was discussed by a true artist and the children were allowed to take their canvas home. Watch here a short video with the highlights of Bert’s stay at the children’s home:

Mount Everest sponsor trek:

Early April Julia Smith and Marina Comninos will travel to Nepal to set out for a 12-day Everest Base Camp trek. Together with a group of 11 hikers in total, they will walk 6 to 8 hours a day to an altitude of no less than 5364 mt.

For this amazing achievement, Julia and Marina have started a fundraising campaign, raising money for the Puja Norsang Tamangs University Fund, The Didi Movement Charitable Trust AND FOR THE…LAXMI SUPPORT FOUNDATION. We are very grateful for their support and wish Julia, Marina and the whole group good luck and happy climbing! Click here for more information: JustGiving.

Also support our projects and donate now:
Thank you very much!

Visit our website with more photos and videos or follow us on Facebook. 

Best wishes,

Laxmi Support Foundation

Namaste family and friends,

The end of the year 2022 is in sight and before we wish everyone a happy New Year, we would like to provide a brief overview of our activities:

Volunteer for Hopeful Home:

Good news for Hopeful Home: next week Dutchman Bert Neuteboom will start volunteering at the Hopeful Home children’s house in Jhaukel. Bert will spend six weeks with the children, where he wants to undertake activities in the field of sport and music. We are very happy that Bert travels to Nepal to support Hopeful Home and look forward to his stories, experiences and photos.

Mount Kelly Christmas Market:

The Christmas Market took place on 3 December at Mount Kelly School in Tavistock, Devon. Laxmi Support was also present with a colorful and diverse stall. The proceeds were no less than £ 234, which is a fantastic amount and will be entirely dedicated towards our upcoming projects. We would like to thank everyone for their support.

To Nepal:

Finally the time has come: after a few years of postponing due to Covid, we will go for it. Flights have been booked! On March 28, Samantha, Alex and their two daughters will travel to Nepal to visit the schools in the Nuwakot district and Hopeful Home. We are really looking forward to seeing everyone again and being immersed in the Nepali culture for two weeks. Nepal, here we come!

Donate:

Without donations we cannot carry out our projects and therefore we greatly appreciate all donations, large, small, annually, quarterly, monthly or one off. Thank you for your kind and generous support!

We wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Also consider making a donation:

View our website with more information, photo’s and videos or follow us on Facebook. 

Best wishes,

Laxmi Support Foundation

Namaste family and friends,

It’s taken a while, but here’s a new 2-minute video with highlights of our latest spring projects and a short report of our stall at the annual Scoriton Country Show in Devon.

Watch now:

Watch more video on our YouTube channel.

Scoriton Country Show:

After a long two-year break due to the corona virus, the Scoriton Country Show was finally able to take place in all its glory on August 29. The show was held on a large grassy field with beautiful views over the rolling green hills of Devon. There were many stalls, big bouncy castles, pony rides and the very popular cross-country running competition. The sun was shining brightly and hundreds of visitors showed up from the surrounding area and afar.

As usual, Laxmi Support had a large varied stall, with second-hand clothes and toys, hand-knitted hats and baby clothes, things from Nepal, and much more. The proceeds of £ 214 will go fully to our projects in Nepal.

Visit our website: www.laxmi-support.com or follow us on: Facebook. 

Best wishes,

Laxmi Support team
Samantha, Alex, Ram, Jolanda, Geke, Sylvia

Dear family and friends,

The monsoon has started in Nepal, the rain showers are heavy and the roads are bad. Fortunately, we have been able to successfully complete three projects. Read more below:

Food parcels for 10 families:

At the end of May we distributed food parcels to 10 poor families, consisting of a large bag of rice, 3 kilos of lentils, 3 liters of cooking oil, 3 bags of salt and 3 bags of soya beans. The families live in various villages spread over the Nuwakot district.

Some families live so remote that they walked to the road to collect their parcels. The bag of rice was carried on the back with a textile band around the forehead. A few families received the packages at home. Ram also handed over two kilos of milk powder and two packs of biscuits to the grandmother of two small children, whose mother has died and father works overseas (see photo below).

Crutches for handicapped people:

Ram has distributed 5 pairs of crutches to handicapped people from different villages. Ram has ordered the crutches from the hospital in Kathmandu, where he works, and transported it on his motorcycle to the hills of Nuwakot. The people were very pleased to find out that the crutches are adjustable in height.

Sponsorship for 12 children:

In June we sponsored 12 children from four different schools, consisting of a new school uniform, shoes, backpack, copies and pencils. In the photo below, 8 of the 12 children are proudly waiting to receive the items. All children come from poor families.

The sizes for the blue uniform were measured in advance and passed on to the local tailor. Ram bought the cloth in the city of Battar and took it to the tailor in the village. As there is a daily electricity black-out of a couple of hours and, during monsoon time, people work hard on the land, it took a little longer to finish the 12 uniforms. But after some patience, it was all ready to be distributed.

The children were delighted with this support. We hope it will improve their motivation to go to school and continue taking classes. The new school year starts this month, so the kids are all set.

A big thank you to all our sponsors! We cannot carry out these projects without your donations. Special thanks go to Fotoclub FWS Maasluis in The Netherlands, who donated the proceeds of the tip jar from 2020 AND 2021 to our charity. Thank you very much for this. 

Also consider a donation so we can continue our projects!

Take a look on our website: www.laxmi-support.com or follow us on: Facebook. 

Best wishes,

Laxmi Support team
Samantha, Alex, Ram, Jolanda, Geke, Sylvia

Newsletter
Winter project for four primary schools

Namaste family and friends,

It’s time for another newsletter to inform you about two recently completed projects for four schools and the successful return of our mini stall on a quiet country lane in South West England.

To Nuwakot by jeep:

During the winter months in Nepal it can be pretty cold up in the hills of the middle Himalayas. As there’s no central heating in schools, the classrooms feel very damp and cold. Therefore we decided to distribute warm winter jackets and writing materials to 107 students of three primary schools in the Nuwakot district. The kids were extremely happy with the donations.

The black down jackets were made by a small sewing factory of Manoj Wosti in Kathmandu. The seamstresses worked super hard for a week to prepare all 107 coats in three different sizes.

Ram, who works for the Laxmi Support Foundation, has also stocked up on no fewer than 576 notebooks and other writing materials. A 4×4 jeep was hired to travel early morning to Nuwakot to deliver the goods to the three schools and return to Kathmandu that same day.

The first stop was at the Chakreswori Basic School where 85 students were pleasantly surprised with this help. Our foundation has been supporting this school since 2007 and it was therefore wonderful to be able to return once more. 

The Annapurna Basic School with eleven students also received a visit. The children come from families of the lowest caste in society, so it’s even more important that they are given a warm coat.

The final stop was at Dhadakharka Primary School with fifteen children. It was our first visit to this school and we have a feeling it won’t be our last!

Nice to mention that this project received the attention of the local news channel NDA News. Although in Nepali language, it’s still fun to watch. Click here: YouTube-NDA News.

To Pokhara by bus:

It has been some time since we executed a project for the 45 children of the Annapurna Primary School in Pokhara. After contacting the teachers, the wish was to hand out blue tracksuits instead of winter coats. And so we did…and more. We also distributed small backpacks and of course writing materials.

The tracksuits were made in Kathmandu at the same sewing factory as where the winter jackets were made. The other goods were bought in Pokhara. Early December, Ram and his wife Saraswati traveled for two nights to Pokhara by bus.

The welcome at the school was heartwarming. Wooden benches and desks were set up outside so that the ceremony could take place in the warm winter sun. Several speeches were held and Ram was presented with many traditional flower garlands as a mark of respect and appreciation. All the children were delighted with the new school clothes, backpacks and writing materials.

Mini stall on our lane:

Unfortunately, since the outbreak of the corona virus, almost all summer markets have been cancelled. So, we have set up a daily mini stall on our quiet lane in South West England (except on rainy days!).

In 2021 we earned over £415 with sales of handmade key rings and other goodies. This has been used to finance the above winter projects.

Thank you to all our sponsors!

A huge thanks goes out to all our sponsors. We simply cannot carry out these projects without your continued financial support. It’s difficult to express in words the joy our projects bring to the children and their families, but we can assure you that their gratitude is enormous. 

Please consider a donation so we can keep going into the new year. Thank you very much!

Lastly, take a look on our website: www.laxmi-support.com or follow us on Facebook.

Wishing You All a Very Happy Christmas!

Best wishes,

Laxmi Support team
Samantha, Alex, Ram, Jolanda, Geke, Sylvia

Namaste family & friends,

In early May, it became clear that the Delta variant, first discovered in India, had also taken hold in Nepal. The number of Covid-19 infections rose alarmingly fast, also in the Nuwakot district. In the beginning there were only a few infections, within a few weeks the number rose to over a hundred.

After a successful fundraising campaign, at the end of May we started providing medical support to people infected with Covid-19 in this particular area, who are in self-isolation at home or in isolation centers provided for by the government.

Beforehand, Ram Thapa of Laxmi Support, has been busy stocking up all the stuff in Kathmandu, which was not always easy due to the scarcity of the items caused by this second wave. Ram is a pharmacist by profession and works in the hospital, which came in handy as we were able to stock up on many medicines with a discount.

The relief package consisted of: vitamin B, C, D tablets and zinc tablets to strengthen the immune system, paracetamol, facemasks, hand gel, soap, thermometers and oximeters, to measure the oxygen level in the blood.

On May 24 we were ready to start the distribution of the items. Ram was assisted by his brother, Keshab Thapa, and a health worker from Nuwakot district, who was assigned to our project for two days. They managed to reach a total of 112 with Covid-19 infected people.

The mayor of Tarkeshwar Rural Municipality, Mr. Ramesh Wosti, kindly provided for a 4×4 jeep with driver for the duration of our project. This literally saved us a few hundred euros, which we could spend extra on medicines. 

The team wore fully protective clothing, which was extremely hot this time of year. The unpaved roads to the different villages were seriously bad; luckily we had a local driver who was very skilful at steering the vehicle through the hills.

The project was highly appreciated by the villagers, as we went door to door to distribute medicines, measure oxygen levels and give advice. This personal approach was very well received by all involved, one of the Covid-19-infected residents reported that his self-confidence and motivation had been strengthened by the personal attention of the team.

Fun to mention is that the project was broadcasted on Nepalese television. See the report here: YouTube.

A big thank you to our wonderful sponsors, who made it possible to make this project a reality. Thank you to your continued support, it warms our hearts and souls.

Check out our website or follow us on Facebook. We will be in touch soon.

Best wishes,

Samantha, Alex, Ram, Geke, Jolanda & Sylvia
Laxmi Support Foundation

Namasté family and friends,

Nepal has been hit hard by a second wave of Covid-19, mainly caused by the contagious Indian variant. The number of new infections increases by 7,000 and more every day. The healthcare system has passed breaking point and the peak of this second wave is not yet in sight. We must act now!

Our project will provide immediate assistance to 100 or more infected people in the Nuwakot district by means of medicines, masks, hand sanitizer, soap, thermometers and oximeters, to measure the oxygen level in the blood. It is also necessary to rent a jeep for two days to reach all the homes and to pay medical staff. 

Please consider a donation to our small but effective charity. Every amount helps! 

Donate now by clicking on the Donate button on our website (Paypal and credit/debit card options) or transfer directly into our bank account.

Our ING bank details are:

Accountname: Stichting Laxmi Support
IBAN: NL62INGB0002531574
BIC: INGBNL2A

Thank you very much for your support,

Laxmi Support Team
Jolanda, Geke, Sylvia, Ram, Alex & Samantha

Namasté family and friends,

In this newsletter we will share some good news and also worrisome news from Nepal. To start with the good stuff, last month we successfully completed our computer project at a school in the district of Nuwakot. The worrying news is that the neighboring country of India has been hit hard by a new wave of Covid-19, which will have damaging effects on Nepal.

Computer project:

Last month we successfully installed five Microsoft computers and a Canon laser printer at the Saraswoti Basic school in the village of Newarpani, Nuwakot. New carpet was laid in the classroom, we also supplied ten chairs, and two wooden computer tables, made by the local carpenter.

Students will now be able to learn the main software programs on the computers, such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Another enormous benefit is that teachers can print out questionnaires and other teaching materials to accompany their lessons. 

For most students it was a first to sit at a computer, which was hugely exciting. On the day of the opening of the new computer classroom, the school organised a grand ceremony with speeches, dance and music. 

Watch our 1-minute video to get an impression of our project:

Nepal and Covid-19:

The number of corona infections in Nepal increases daily, with 4774 new positive test on April 28, half of which are recorded in the Kathmandu Valley. The number of vaccinations is almost 2 million, which is just 3.5% of the total population. 

Hospitals in the Lumbini district, which borders with India, are overcrowded. Schools are closed until May 14 and a one-week lockdown of Kathmandu has been announced yesterday. Shutting down the economy brings great poverty for many people, however if the number of infections is not curbed, the hospitals will become overwhelmed soon. 

We keep a close eye on the news from Nepal. Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date.

Support our projects by ordering from our webshop:

Our webshop sells crocheted key rings made by Samantha and gifts from Bali and Nepal. The lavender bags are filled with lavender from Alex and Sam’s English garden. New in our webshop are cute dog paw key rings, perfect for the real dog lover. 

Orders can be placed from the Netherlands and England. To order from another country, please send us an e-mail.

We would like to thank all our sponsors for their continued support. We keep on going with our project for the children and their families of Nepal. With a new wave of Covid-19 on the doorstep, things will get worse in the months to come.

We wish everyone a good summer, do stay safe and be careful out there.

Best regards, 

Laxmi Support Team 
Jolanda, Geke, Sylvia, Ram, Alex & Samantha

Dear all,

Christmas is coming up in a few days time and the end of the year is almost in sight. What a year it has been! Laxmi Support was forced to stop two projects due to the outbreak of Covid-19 in Nepal, but fortunately we can now report that we have recently and successfully completed one project. Completion of the second project is scheduled for early next year.

Schoolsupplies for 10 students:

At the beginning of this year, we provided ten students from Taruka Hillside School in the Nuwakot district new school uniforms.These students come from poor families and have a ‘scholarship’ from the school, so that school fees do not have to be paid. As all schools were closed in March due to the outbreak of Covid-19, we were forced to put the project on hold. However in October the project was successfully completed by handing out textbooks, notebooks and writing materials sufficient to cover the entire school year. The mothers of the children were also present during the distribution and the appreciation of this support was enormous.

Computer project February 2021:

At the beginning of this year, we made preparations to set up a computer class for a senior school in Nuwakot. At the moment the students are given computer lessons using books but without any computers. The plan is to purchase a printer and, depending on the budget, four or five computers and chairs. Wooden tables will be manufactured by the local carpenter. This project had to be postponed as well, but we plan to carry it out in February-March next year.

Online Webshop:

Support our projects and order something nice in our newly opened online webshop. Handmade Christmas Snowflakes for only Euro 3.50, gorgeous for decorating the Christmas tree. We also offer handmade key rings, perfect for the school bag or bunch of keys, for only Euro 4.90 and other nice items from Nepal and Bali. Needless to say that all proceeds will go directly to our projects for next year.

Click here to view our webshop or consider a donation to support our projects:

Visit our webshop

Thanks to our sponsors:

We would like to thank all our sponsors for the support of the past year. Without your help we would not have been able to carry out our support projects.

With your help 109 families received food & hygiene packages during the months-long lock-down and all the rooms in the newly rented house of the Hopeful Home orphans have been completely painted and equipped with new carpets, curtains and bed sheets. Finally, we sponsored ten students for the entire school year. All this is not possible without the help of our sponsors! Thousand times thanks for this!

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a healthy 2021!

Namaste,

Geke, Jolanda, Sylvia, Alex & Samantha

Laxmi Support Foundation