AHLADINI FOUNDATION

A healthy, happy humanity requires an interwoven net of relationships with earth, with ourselves, and with all beings. We consider our most profound impact to be inspiring and nurturing children’s curiosity, and deep connection and love of nature.

The Ahladini Foundation brings a holistic approach, to help serve the human quest for harmony with each other and with nature. With a primary focus on young families and orphans, the approach encourages exploration and learning from the wisdom and healing power of nature, through a lens of local traditional practices as well as using curious, creative and reflective play.

The vision of Ahladini Foundation is deeply rooted in nurturing aspiration in children to keep their culture and lifestyle alive, resilient and a unifying source of joy and inspiration. In the face of many traditional cultures having experienced dissipation as a result of industrialisation, Ahladini Foundation hopes to help communities that are still rooted in their closer-to-natural traditions, preserve their integrity, mitigating the trend of the youth migrating away to external, industrial labour.

To find practical answers the team are humbled to co-create the programme with a Nepali community in Lukum, a village in the Rukum District. Together they are researching the condition and the means for local traditional-based thriving to existing alongside inner satisfaction and richness.

Lukum Pilot: providing the means for children to flourish

Working with a local leader, Dipak Giri, the team are exploring a school-based project in Lukum. A Lukum school with 120 students, 20 of which are orphaned, is piloting this holistic approach. Local community engagement with parents, teachers and children, is well underway and the team and the concepts are being warmly received.

Listening phase

The early part of the project involves:

observing and listening to the ideas, wishes and needs of parents and local people
understanding the limitations of the government education system
assessing the talents and skills of the teaching staff.

After tuning in with the natural environment and resources, simple tools will be provided within the existing structure of education that will allow the children to learn by playing and creating. The next stage will be to develop key educational resources to help inspire natural curiosity supported by science and skills.

early successes

School Supplies

Thanks to generous gifts, Ahladini Foundation was been able to distribute schools supplies in their first year. The notebooks and pencils literally gave the children the basic tools they need for daily lessons. Warm, colourful Nepalese wool jackets arrived in time for 20 orphans to stay warm in the chill of the winter. In addition Nepalese wool hats were distributed to all 120 children in the school.

Annual Festival

During the summer solstice Ahladini held the first large event at the local school. Children, parents, teachers and local community leaders were invited to share food, play ethnic music, dance and celebrate. Here the Ahladini team reiterated their commitment to social integrity, education and prosperity, keeping the children the central focus as bearers of the cultural and human vales for generations to come.

The Lukum community has agreed to co-host an annual festival during the time of the summer solstice. Ahladini’s intention is to co-create the event into a dynamic art and crafts fair which could reap an abundance of locally generated economic, social and educational benefits.

In a short time the Ahladini Foundation and its supporters are already making a difference in the lives of these children.

Children outside the school house in Lukum, Nepal

Lukum Villagers gathered for their annual Jhakre Ram

Local leadership

The School project draws on the experience of local leader, Dipak Giri. Dipak is a native from Rukum and has family ties in the entire community. He is a wonderful person, clear and honest. He has young family and currently he takes care of one of the orphan girls. He speaks the local language and has a deep understanding of the local culture and its people. Dipak’s inner fire has convinced the Ahladini team to pilot the project there, doing so with full heart and trust. Rukum is a remote region little touched from the modern commercial approach, therefore an ideal place to learn, inspire and implement.

How you can help

Support financially, a little goes a long way.

$15 (US$10) One school uniform

$50 (US$30) School uniform and clothes for an orphaned . student

$150 (US$100) per month Contribution towards teacher’s salary

$1000 (US$650) Community event, gathering students, parents,

teachers and community members together in

a special annual celebration.

Donate and support flourishing children