A family style orphanage

Hello again, friends.

As promised, let us share with you what kind of orphanage we have in mind. Along with this, We would also like to tell you about the latest news out of Nepal. Lastly, I will try to translate the post into Swedish for our friends who prefer that language.

However, the orphanage. Laurie has from the very beginning had the vision of a family style orphanage. This would be in contrast to the typical orphanage where you have a more institutional approach. In detail, this would mean that we would have couples taking in 6-8 children each, much like a large family. This is not unusual in the culture but the major benefit is that the children would know, as best they can, what a family is supposed to look like. This in turn will help them greatly when they are trying to start a family of their own. It would also provide a support network for the kids even when they are out on their own. Also, it goes without saying that any situation that more resembles a family is to prefer over an institutional approach.

Our approach would include additional help in the form of people to help with cooking and cleaning. It would also mean that we couldn't cram in as many kids as possible. This is always a tough decision to make, but we want to make sure that the kids we are in fact helping are helped for life...and for a better life. As the orphanage grows there will be perhaps one or two additional couples with their "set" of children to take care of. It will also, depending on its actual location, involve a school and/or a trade school where the children would learn a trade along the traditional schooling. We are looking at not only improving the life of these children for a while but for life.

 

This is the short version of what we have in mind. Feel free to offer us your advice or share your thoughts. We feel that this is the best way to help the children for life, helping, as best we can, the loss they have endured of a biological family.

 

In other news, we are currently working on setting up meetings with our potential partners and churches during our trip. Our local contact, Bobby, is working on finding suitable locations and buildings. Our lawyer contact is ready to get to work on registration stuff. We have received the Nepali government registration papers and what they require and we are currently going through those.

Also, it must be mentioned, we had a wonderful time in Gothenburg with Andreas's dad's birthday. He had wished for donations for the orphanage and people responded with over 5000:- (almost $1000) in donations! We are very, very humbled by this kindness and the hearts of very generous people who seek to help us help children who truly have no hope. Again, let it be known, this is really happening.

 

Now, på svenska.

Det blir inte helt 100% detsamma som ovan men vi vill gärna berätta om vad för slags barnhem vi har tänkt oss och vad som händer just nu. Det är en väldigt dynamisk situation med nästan dagliga "updates". Barnhemmet kommer att vara ett barnhem som drivs mer som en stor familj och mindre som ett typiskt barnhem, tänk insutition. Vi kommer att ha äkta par som tar hand om ca. 6-8 barn var och bor tillsammans. Utöver detta kommer det att finnas hjälp i form av "hushållerska" och liknande.

Detta är för att hjälpa barnen för livet. Vi vill att dom ska veta vad en familj är och hur den ser ut, så gott det går, så att barnen förstår att kan skapa sig en egen familj när de blir vuxna. Dessutom ger det barnen en trygg plats att alltid ha som "bas" i livet, ett hem. Längre fram kommer vi att, beroende på var vi är i Nepal, att ha ett eller två par till som har sina barngrupper, men också en skola och/eller en yrkeskola där barnen får lära sig ett hantverk. Det finns nackdelar men denna typ av barnhem, en är att vi inte kan trycka in hur många barn som helst på minsta yta, men vi tror att fördelarna överväger nackdelarna.

I övriga nyheter håller vår kontak i Nepal, Bobby, på att undersöka och utforksa var i Nepal det är bäst att vi börjar. Vi håller på att bestämma möten och liknande med våra potentielle partners i Nepal, kyrkor m.m.. Häromdagen fick vi olika dokument som handlar om Nepals regler och lagar för barnhem...diger läsning. Det är på den nivån att vi diskuterar hur urvalet av barn till barnhemmet bör ske, vilken slags mat barnen måste få och hur viktigt det är att informationsflödet fungerar bra. Det är många detaljer, som ni förstår, men vi har god hjälp. Snart kommer en förening att bildas i Sverige för att stötta och hjälpa oss att förverkliga projektet på bästa sättet.

Till sist måste vi också nämna att vi hade en otrolig helg i Sverige där vi firade Andreas pappas födelsedag. Han hade "önskat" sig donationer till barnhemmet och vänner och familj svarade med att donera över 5000:- till barnhemmet! Det är fantastiskt och vi är fulla av tacksamhet och respekt för alla er som vill hjälpa oss att hjälpa barnen i Nepal.

Tack för er tid och ert intresse i vårt projekt. Vi tror att det här projektet kan vara till stor hjälp för många, inte bara barnen i Nepal. Det finns många i våra länder som önskar bidra till en bättre värld men inte riktigt vet hur. Det finns många som önskar göra verklig skillnad i människors liv och som vill lämna den här världen bättre än dom fann den. Detta projektet är ett ypperligt tillfälle.

 

Tills vi ses igen,

Andreas och Laurie

A good weekend

The past weekend saw some developments in our project that we wanted to share with you. First, let us introduce you to the people we are working with in Nepal, at this point.
First, there is Bobby Adhakari. He is a Nepali native who runs an orphanage while also being an travelling evangelist. He is one of the most energetic people we know and Laurie worked with him in 2007 when she went to Nepal with her old company/organization to set up an orphanage/adoption program in Kathmandu. He is highly capable and very knowledgeable when it comes to Nepal, its customs and laws and how to provide care for children in need in Nepal. He has volunteered to help us with anything we need and has already been of tremendous help.
Second, there is Bobby's cousin, Indra Adhakari. He is a lawyer in Kathmandu that works with exactly these questions. He is very well versed in Nepali law and the requirements for starting an orphanage. Laurie has worked with him as well and he has volunteered to help us in any way we need help. He has also been of much help already as we investigate all the details in starting an orphanage.

Currently, from what we learned this weekend, there are several places where we could start the orphanage and several partners we could work with. We had Bobby meet up with a prospective partner and we learned a great deal about how to understand the culture of Nepal. Also, we learned that the most important thing are the many advantages of registering the orphanage with the government. We had always planned on this but now we know more about why this is important. For one thing, it makes sure that everything is done "by the books" and that we have accountability and transparency (which means that everything from the children to the finances are audited and inspected regularly). Also, we might not be in Kathmandu but in another district of Nepal. We will know more about this in the coming days and weeks.

In the last post we promised to tell you more about what kind of orphanage we have in mind. Yes, technically this is the next post, but we felt we wanted to share about the weekend and the local Nepali people we are working with. We will be back with our thoughts on the orphanage as soon as we can.

Until then
Andreas and Laurie

The first update

Hello friends,

Thank you again for taking the time to visit our blog and joining us on this journey of starting an orphanage. We have hinted at many exciting things happening right now so allow us to give you some more information on what is actually going on right now.
I have just spent several hours looking at different websites trying to find a good hotel for our stay in Kathmandu. But besides that, this is the current "status" of our project "Because of Two orphanage":

- Laurie has worked in Nepal before (2007) and being an adoption/child social worker she made several friends that are Nepali natives. Among these friends are a lawyer working with these specific questions and an orphanage director. Still, for years nothing solid happened. The dream lived a hidden life. Yet, it must be said that God was working. That is simply the best explanation for what has happened lately.

- A few weeks back we were still alone in the world with our vision. Sure, we had shared it with family and these friends, but is was very much a dream. However, we had set a very tentative date of a first trip to be made in february of 2013 just for things to move forward. Then it happened.

- We made a local connection with a worldwide, big and respected denomination/church in Nepal.  Let us just share the headline of their first email to us after hearing our vision and prayers: "Answer to 10 years of prayer!". Amazing! This is still in its infancy and many things need to be checked out...but miraculously it now looks like we are not only connected with friends that can help us (and that we trust) but also with a local organization that has everything from a building to orphans (currently staying with pastors all over Nepal) to connections with the government for registration and other related issues...and more.

- Our old Nepali friends have been excited and want to help us in any way they can. Without going into details quite yet it is clear to us that their help is both invaluable and exactly what we need. They know the culture and the local laws and rules, they know the world of Nepali orphan care, they know the extreme importance of financial transparency and accountability. We trust these people 100% and they will be with us for the entire project in various capacities. We are not going to Nepal completely alone. Far from it.


This is some of what has happened since October. We are so glad to be able to share it with you. We will continue to write and post updates  as soon as we can (soon, perhaps some pictures). We are a little cautious since so much seems to be almost too good and too perfectly timed to be true. Another "tricky" and difficult thing right now is to not get too excited and make sure that this gets done properly so that some children of Nepal may soon have a new home that will last for as long as it needs to.

So, we are cautious and excited...but also steadily moving forward. Thanks for joining us.

Very sincerely,
Andreas and Laurie Kjernald


NEXT: What kind of orphanage are we thinking of? 

The beginning

Welcome to this blog and welcome in joining us on this incredible journey!
(Om du hellre vill läsa bloggen på svenska, klicka på länken "På svenska" här ovan, eller klicka på Google Translate på högra sidan)

Allow us to start from the beginning and tell you what we are doing and why. However, since these days are also the days when we are actually starting to talk about the "how", please stay tuned to this blog as we will update it continually.

Our names are Laurie and Andreas Kjernald. We are two ordinary people who have harbored an extraordinary dream for many, many years. However, the name of the blog, Because of Two, doesn't refer to us.
Back in 2005 we went to Nepal to adopt our first son, Samuel. For obvious reasons that trip changed our lives forever, we became parents for the first time. Flying in to Kathmandu is an awe-inspiring experience since the Himalayan mountains are everywhere and simply incredibly beautiful. During our visit in the capital city of Kathmandu we found ourselves in a different world. Walking down the street we could literally see thousands of years of culture crashing together as goat-herders walked by signs for Internet cafées and mudhuts sat next to gleaming, glass-covered office buildings.

It all began on a normal day...
...walking in "downtown" Kathmandu for some official errand pertaining to the adoption of our son. The chaos, the noise and the ever-present fog of diesel-fumes made everything seem almost surreal. After all, isn't Kathmandu one of those exotic places you hear about but never expect to visit? So there we were, walking along with our guide (who also happened to be the director of the orphanage where our son was). To our amazement, we saw a little stand where a man was selling fresh, red strawberries in the middle of all this. The contrast was stark, with the dirty, noisy chaos all around us. We were tempted to buy some but decided (wisely) against it. We moved on and crossed the street.  Our guide kept walking and we tried to keep up. For once, my sense of direction was completely confused and there would have been no small matter finding our way by ourselves.

Then we heard something.

Amidst the chaos and the noise, we heard a cry. We looked around and saw two small children sitting by the side of the road leaning on a small metal fence, inches away from the crazy city traffic. Two small children, no older than 5, sat there in the middle of this chaos, and cried. They were covered in the filth of the city, one was half-naked and was only wearing a shirt but no pants, the other had a thin shirt on. It was January. You didn't have to be a doctor to see that they were freezing, hungry and scared.
The thing was, we had just passed them by. Sure, we didn't mean to, but we had. The director kept on walking but we stopped and looked at each other. In the blink of an eye we shared the same thoughts. This was 2005 and there were two children freezing, starving and lonely in the middle of thousands of people. It shouldn't be. It was not ok.

So we turned around and sat down by those two kids. What could we do? What could we say? They didn't look at us and they didn't understand what we said. They simply sat there, one crying and the older one just staring ahead, trying to comfort his brother without any hope that things would get better. Our guide had realized that we were not following her and had stopped to see what we were doing. We could feel her impatience but we couldn't just leave. So we tried to offer some comfort, we shared what money we had and we got up and left to go about our business.

Those two boys have never left my mind (Andreas). The contrast of the fresh, red strawberries and the dirty, crying young boys was immense. The fact that the orphanage director had scolded us for taking pity on kids "probably placed there by their parents to beg". The incredible sense of not having done enough.

I know, there are millions of children in need and we can't save them all.
I know, they probably were placed there by their parents, like the local expert had said.
I know, there are lots of "if's", "and's" and "but's".

But it simply wasn't ok. No child should have to be hungry or lonely or scared or freezing or having no hope. If there was a way, any way, we wanted to offer some help and some hope.

So...
this is the story of God moving people for what moves His heart. Because of two small children, we are flying to Nepal in 2013 to start our dream of doing something for the children of Nepal. We are going to start an orphanage for children who are in need...in need of a home, of food, of warmth, of schooling, but most importantly of love and the hope found in God.

Thank you for coming to this blog and reading about our dream as it unfolds. We are so excited about this and can't wait to see how God moves among us. We will continue to share with you what is going on and keep you updated. We would love for you to partner with us and give generously to this project in money, time or prayer...or all three. Would you consider it?


Until next time,
Andreas and Laurie Kjernald