Happy Kids Centre sits unsuspectingly in the corner of a small concrete yard. A unassuming bamboo building with a tin roof - built to allow magic to happen. To allow the children of Bhaktapur with nowhere else to go to come and play - to be Happy Kids.
I traveled to Nepal as an associate for Photographers Without Borders my assignment being for the NGO Happy Kids Centre.
Happy Kids Centre is housed in a small unassuming building tucked away at the corner of the playground of Dyola school in the city of Bhuktapur, Nepal.
Like large parts of Nepal, Bhuktapur suffered greatly in the 2015 earthquake. With a portion of the city housing low caste Nepalese and immigrant Indian’s these people have suffered the aftermath of the earthquake more than others. Many finding it hard to regain homes and employment.
When Happy Kids was established it was not unusual to find children scouring rubbish heaps to find materials which could be recycled, helping the family earn enough to survive.
Happy kids was initially established to allow these children a little time be children, somewhere they could come and play and forget about the responsibilities put on them by virtue of their birthright.
From 4-6 each afternoon– children who spent much of their time on the streets had a safe place to come to, there were toys, and a place to play. Over time Happy Kids Centre (HKC) has become so much more than simply a play space, it has meet the needs as they arose and as a result now has diverse programmes aimed at supporting the Bhutktapur children.
Scholarship programme provides a child with the same monetary amount they would earn collecting rubbish for recycling, to go to school. Providing the incentive to go to school and ensuring that the family does not lose financially by putting the children into education.
The Health and Nutrition programme works in partnership with a local hospital to provide healthcare and nutrition screening for the children. From this programme the Community Meal Days arose, as after assessment a number of the children were found to be malnourished. Now in addition to the meals, snacks are provided after school most days. Milk tea and a piece of fruit or a boiled egg are great healthy nutritious snacks that the children love.
The programme which resonated greatest for me was the Kanya – String of hope. This is a child marriage prevention programme where the girls make bracelets – the sale of these boost dowry payments and allows the young girls to become young woman before marrying.
Happy kids like so many NGO’s survives on little money and has the ability to make any funding they do receive go a long way.
“Happy Kids Center is more than just a space,
it is a place where journeys begin”
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