In 2006, there were 12.4 million children aged 0-17 in Nepal - 46% of the country's total population - of whom 12,000 were orphaned due to: monsoons and flooding; parents dying, being incarcerated, or abandoning them; government upheaval; and other causes (source: UNICEF)

Private orphanages, some of which are also adoption agencies, are restricted by government regulations and constricted by inconsistent levels of donations and volunteers. Government-sponsored ones are over-crowded and badly in need of repair and renovation, especially in the plumbing (no hot water) and sewage systems that result in "below poor" hygiene standards for the children as well as their caretakers.

The Nepalese Children's Organization (NCO) attempts to house as many of these nearly 1 million street children and orphans as possible. It currently manages six homes with more than 400 children aged 1-16. The main home has about 325 children who all share the small kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, and bedrooms, where they sleep ten to a room, sometimes two in one bed. Each child is in need of more personal attention and supervision, which is not possible for the limited staff to provide due to the large number of children under their care.

With your generous financial support, you can help Himalayan Children's Charities place many of the NCO's children into private boarding schools where they are well educated, live in more comfortable and healthier environments, and receive the care and support that every child deserves.