Disabled Welfare Association (DWA) Nepal and the Hope Centre
The Disabled Welfare Association (DWA) Nepal is the Nepali NGO responsible for the running of the Hope Centre home (located in a Municipality on the outskirts of Kathmandu) supported by New Futures Nepal. The everyday management and running of the home is overseen by DWA director Tilak Shrestha, who also acts as a house-father to the children. The Hope Centre is not only a home, but a family and looks after the educational, emotional, and living needs of its young residents.
Prior to the building of the current Hope Centre building, DWA Nepal were looking after several disadvantaged children. The home was struggling financially however and so the decision was made to find homes within existing families for many of the children. This left just ten children who had either no family or prospect of living anywhere else due to disability or poverty.
New Futures Nepal’s support of the Hope Centre began in 2002 when several of the original trustees saw first-hand the struggles DWA Nepal was having supporting the children under its care (please see the personal stories shared by our trustees). Originally under the guise of Disabled Welfare Association UK, the charity funded rent, food, education e.t.c. and were able to allow Tilak Shrestha to be employed as full-time manager of the Hope Centre.
In 2004, DWA UK became New Futures Nepal and were able to fund the construction of a completely new Hope Centre building (during this construction, the existing children under DWA Nepal’s care were temporarily relocated to larger rented accommodation in the village of Jorpati) and in 2005 the new home opened its doors to welcome 13 children and 2 adults. In 2006, the Hope Centre welcomed a further 7 children and the Hope Centre family became a reality.
The newly built Hope Centre building is the ideal home for its occupants. Built to earthquake-resistant specifications (which proved invaluable during the 2015 earthquake), and featuring renewable water and irrigation systems and solar-panels as well as sufficient land for the growing of crops, the Hope Centre family are able to enjoy significant independence. On a typical day, staff and older children work together to provide food for the family and help the younger children to complete their homework and enjoy extra-curricular activities. Song and dance can often be heard within its walls and colourful traditional dress is often donned as the children and staff celebrate several festivals and traditions. The children can also be seen drawing or enjoying movies. Staff are always on hand to maintain the home, provide the children with support and safety, and to provide live-in support for those with additional needs.
New Futures Nepal prides itself on providing a caring and loving environment while providing the resources for children to reach their full potential. Over the years that we have supported the Hope Centre, its young adults have gone on to live independent fulfilling lives; marrying, returning to their communities, or studying or working both in Nepal and abroad (see our Success stories).
Over recent years the home has typically had a capacity of around 25 children, with new children being welcomed in as older individuals have moved on.