Kanti Children's Hospital Shelter House

The Shelter House provides accommodation to nursing Mothers and Caregivers of pediatric patients from disadvantaged families. These families often come to Kathmandu from all corners of Nepal to obtain specialized treatment for their sick children.

Tucked in a corner of the Kanti Children's Hospital compound stands a very ordinary two-storey white building. This is the Shelter House. It is a basic home away from home for low-income families from rural villages when their child is an in-patient at this government hospital.

Although medical care has improved since 1996, social programs to increase accessibility to healthcare is still a dream for most Nepalese. Little has changed for rural farming families and the urban poor. These Families, for whom private hospital care is unaffordable, bring their sick children to Kanti Children’s Hospital to take advantage of free medical care, Free Ward beds and basic medicines. Often, the trip to Kathmandu has taken all of their money.

We partner with a Nepali non-profit, Social Action Volunteers–Nepal, who have been helping family Caregivers for more than thirty years. SAV-Nepal is the social-work arm of Kanti Children’s Hospital. Kanti's attending Physicians refer families in need to SAV-Nepal for assistance. SAV receives no support from either the Hospital or the Government for their work – and yet, they have continued to serve, faithfully, 365 days a year for three decades.

SAV’s Managing Director, Bacchu Basyal, has been at the helm of the organization since its inception in 1991. SAV-Nepal's Founder and original sponsor, Father Watrin, a Jesuit Priest, died in 2007, leaving the organization without Funding. Dedicated to the cause, Bacchu continued his service, without pay. He is a true Humanitarian. Our partnership began in 2008, when SAV was struggling to survive.

Priority needs at the Shelter House:
$ 185 will pay the House Manager, Krishna’s Salary for one Month
$ 140 will pay the Cook/Housekeeper’s, Bandana’s salary for one Month
$ 160 will hire a full-time Janitor for the Shelter and buy cleaning supplies for one Month
$ 500 will replace the Dormitory flooring and curtains
$ 1000 will repaint the building interior
$ 60 provides 2 Caregivers, with Dormitory beds plus 2 vegetarian meals for 1 week.

For more information, please contact Nepal Project Manager, Elsie James, at mmcinktm@gmail.com.