Basanta Subedi (counsellor)

Where in Nepal ware you born and what is that town or village known for?
I was born in a small village called Kaski Kot. It is in the western region of Nepal. It is a beautiful place which is on the way to the famous Annapurna trekking area. Kaski Kot is famous for its 600 year old history of being the place of meditation for the Kashep Rishis. 

Favourite book or movie and why?
Wild life documentaries are my favorite movies because they give the great picture of their life in nature. My favorite book is Munamadan. It is an epic written by Laxmi Prasad Devkota (the greatest poet of Nepal). Munamadhan reflects the life of people and their culture that live in mountain region. In Munamadan, an idle person (Madan) goes to Tibet (Lasha) to find gold thinking to give some jewelry to his wife and fix his tattered old house which was the dream of Madan's mother. It shows the difficulties that he gets on the way while walking for many days in the mountain and becomes ill. It is also translated in English and many other languages.

If you could spend a day with any person, who would that person be and why?
If I could spend a day with a person, I would like to spend a day with his holiness Dalai Lama because he is a very peaceful person and a leader of peace.
 
Do you have a strong desire to visit any place outside of Nepal? Where and why?
I would love to visit Paris, France and walk around the gardens near the Eiffel Tower, because of its old world heritage.
 
What does working at Nepal House Kaski mean to you?
I feel lucky to be a part of such a creative work and I feel responsible too.
 
What is one thing you have learned from the children you work with?
There are many things that I have been learning while working with the children if I write one it definitely would be to be more respectful to them and their ideas.

Bina Pun (Counsellor)

Where in Nepal ware you born and what is that town or village known for? 
My birth place is in Magdi District. It is a small village called Dana. It is in the West northen part of Nepal. It is on the side of holy river Kali Gandaki which comes from Tibet. My village is famous for its beautiful Himalayan range and the world’s deepest gorge in between the two high peaks of the Himalayas - Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. We have a very beautiful waterfall called Rupche. This waterfall is one of the largest water waterfalls in Asia.

Favourite book or movie and why?
My favorite book is Jail Journal of BP Koirala. Koirala wrote this book during the time of imprisonment. He was a great leader and writer. In this book he has written about his feelings and experience of being jailed.

If you could spend a day with any person, who would that person be and why? 
If I could spend a day with any person it would be Nelson Mandela. I would like to talk to him about his ideas and life experiences. He is a hero for democracy and freedom.

Do you have a strong desire to visit any place outside of Nepal? Where and why?
I would like to visit the seven wonders of the world. I have studied about them in books but not seen them with my eyes. I would like to be in wonder seeing them.

What does working at Nepal House Kaski mean to you?
I think it is most important to raise children in a healthy way, and Nepal House, Kaski supports this idea. I am motivated and feel proud of myself to work as a staff of such a nice place.

What is one thing you have learned from the children you work with?
I have learned many things from the children and if I just need to highlight one it is the honesty of children which gives me a kind of inner power.

Laxmi Gautam (Tripathi) (Counsellor)

Where in Nepal ware you born and what is that town or village known for? 
I was born in the northern part of Pokhara. The village is called Mardi Khola. The name of the village is taken from a small river called Mardi. It is a beautiful place where the small river goes through the village which is the main sources of drinking water in Pokhara city. This village is popular for its local fish and it is nice spot to see the Annapurna Himalayan Range

Favourite book or movie and why?
My favorite movie is "Antra" It is the Hindi movie. This movie is about the autistic children and the difficulties they have. The movie has given a great idea how to support them in a good way. It gives the ideas to the parents how to be patience and not to give more pressure to them. It is a very nice movie to give introduction of Autism and there are great conversation with the family and the children who are suffering. It gives ideas to the parents about how and where to get extra support.

If you could spend a day with any person, who would that person be and why? 
If I could spend a day with any person I would like to spend my day with Dr. Shanta Dixite. Se is the founder principal of one of the best school in Nepal. Her strong personality and knowledge is being a great source for her school and many other schools in Nepal. She supports to the teachers teaching child psychology. I was also her trainee for one year at her school. If I get chance to visit her I will talk about Nepal Hosue, Kaski and many other things too........

Do you have a strong desire to visit any place outside of Nepal? Where and why?
I have desire to visit Switzerland if I get chance. I studied about Switzerland In my secondary level and thought it would be a nice to place to visit once. That desire is still strong in my mind.

What does working at Nepal House Kaski mean to you?
Probably Nepal House, Kaski is the first play and art therapy center here in Nepal. There are many children who need counseling. Most of the child related programs are focusing on their food, shelter, clothing, and education but their emotional part is not taken care. Nepal house Kaski focus on children's counseling who have experienced very difficult situations. I feel really grateful to Nepal House, Kaski to be a part of it. I think it is the model of great social work.

What is one thing you have learned from the children you work with?
I think there are many things that I learned while working with the children. Most importantly I would mention "it is good to let the child to be child. We shouldn't force them to act as an adult."

Shiva Thapa (counsellor)

Where in Nepal were you born and what is that town or village known for?
The place where I was born is called sarangkot, a typical Nepali village. It is 1600m high from the sea level and it is famous sightseeing place from where we can see Annapurna Himalayan range, sunrise, rhododendron jungle, and Lake Phewa. It is the world's fifth famous place for paragliding.

Favorite book or movie and why?
My favorite movie is ''Tare Jamin par (stars on the earth)'' an Indian movie about a boy who has Dyslexia. I like this movie because it gives very powerful message for parents and teachers how to be different with the children who are having difficulties, rather then blaming them or naming to their difficulties.
My favorite book is "kids are worth it." I liked this book because it is very simple but have huge knowledge for parents and caregivers while raising children.

If you could spend a day with any person, who would that person be and why?
The person I could spend a day would be Ramdev swami (a spiritual and Yoga guru) of India. He is a great yoga teacher and researcher in Ayurved (herbal medicine). I liked his yoga classes and I am very impressed from his aspiration to make a healthy community, country and finally the whole world through meditation and yoga.

Do you have a strong desire to visit any place outside of Nepal? Where and Why?
I don't have idea where I can visit outside of Nepal but thinking simply I would visit Switzerland because it is a beautiful country where there are many hills similar to Nepal. My country is so beautiful too and there are many beautiful places that I haven't visited yet and I also love to visit those places where I haven't been yet and I am doing that too.

What does working at Nepal House, Kaski mean to you?
Working at Nepal House is for me a platform where I am learning many skills for myself and for the community and in the same time I am being a part of help to others like children, adults and for my colleague.

What is one thing you have learned from the children you work with?
There are many things that I am learning from the children, honestly saying one thing I have learned from the children that I have worked with is "how to play."

Rajan Dahal (Administrative runner)


Where in Nepal ware you born and what is that town or village known for? 
My birth place is in the eastern part of Nepal. The place is called Bhojpur. Bhojpur is a district. There is a small village in Bhojpur called Sano Dumma. It is a hilly area. A nice place to see the Makalu Mountain range in the north and to the south there is the biggest river of Nepal called Koshi.

Favourite book or movie and why?
My favorite movie is Bhagwan. It is a hindi movie based on family relationship. The movie is beautifully made. Parents love towards their children and when the children grow and become adult at that time parents get older and need support from them. In contrary their children denied to take care to the parents and adopted child feels responsible to the parents. At the same time fathers biography (book) becomes the best seller and gets big award. After seeing the big awards and money their children came back to the parents and apologized. They were the great parents and had a lot of space for their children yet.

If you could spend a day with any person, who would that person be and why?
If I could get change to spend a day I would like to spend my time with Barak Obama.( President of America) His great personality and leadership is amazing. I think he is also a great peace leader in the world. The way he is dealing with terrorism will be helpful to bring peace in the world.

Do you have a strong desire to visit any place outside of Nepal? Where and why?
I have desire to visit Switzerland once in my life. It is one of the most beautiful countries like Nepal but very much developed country and I am amazed that they still are able to preserve their nature.

What does working at Nepal House Kaski mean to you? 
It is my pleasure to work in Nepal House, Kaski. I have gained a lot of knowledge from my work and the friends here in Nepal Hose, Kaski.

What is one thing you have learned from the children you work with?
Childhood is the foundation period of life. If we give them good opportunities in different areas that help them to have better life.

Buddi Kumari Gurung  (Teacher)

Deepa Karki ( Teacher )Deepa is originally from Pokhara. She was born in a place called MachhapuchhreTole, named such because inhabitants can see the Machhapuchhre Mountain (fishtail) view very clearly. She grew up in a middle-class family where her parents always struggled for the basic needs—though they prioritized her education, which made her proud. When she first heard about Nepal House Society, Kaski Chapter, she became very interested in their mission and how she could help. She was selected for a position and immediately began skill development in trauma, counseling, play therapy, art therapy, and talk therapy, as well as teaching.

In her own words:

“I enjoyed the first few weeks with the team painting the rooms and fence, shopping for school, and many field trips where I saw many challenging situations. Now I am happy to see the girls in the school. I am very hopeful that the school will make many changes in these girls’ lives, along with counseling together and their family situations. I believe that children are gifts from god, and that they are like clay—whatever model you want to mold them into, they are ready.”

Sarita Lamichhane ( Teacher )Sarita is from Bharatpokhari, in a place called Kalikasthan. This place is famous for oranges and tomatoes (the best in Nepal). Sarita’s parents struggled to educate her and her sister—they succeeded, and Sarita was trained as a teacher. She loves teaching because it is the best way to learn. She is very excited to learn new things at Nepal House Society, Kaski Chapter, and also interested in the counseling and therapy techniques, which are something very new for her.

In her own words:

“I am enjoying my time with Nepal House, painting the rooms, doing shopping, field trips, and collaborating with the counselors. I am eager to see the school progress and interested in learning new skills. I believe children are always ready to learn if there is a safe and loving environment. Children can learn in many ways, and as the teachers, we are the key people that make them feel happy and safe.”

Dilu Gurung ( Kitchen Staff )