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Rescuing Children, Re-uniting Families

Rescuing Children, Re-uniting Families

Fighting for Childhood Freedom

In 1999 The Esther Benjamins Trust was set up by Philip Holmes in memory of his late wife. The charity was known by this name until it was changed, with the support of Esther’s family, to Child Rescue Nepal with the aim of clearly communicating their work. Philip is no longer involved with Child Rescue Nepal but continues to work in Nepal through his charity Chorachori.

In 2016, having reviewed progress, the group set an exciting new ambition:

To end all child trafficking in Nepal. With a renewed focus on rescues, they won’t stop until every child in Nepal is free.

Visit Child Rescue Nepal

Proud to Partner with Child Rescue Nepal

Namaste is a long term committed supporter of Child Rescue Nepal (CRN).

As well as contributing a percentage of all purchases we make from Nepal suppliers, we sponsor projects, run fundraising events and commit to sponsoring individual children. Our Nepalese products proudly display a Child Rescue Nepal label.

We work closely with the trust to spread awareness of their excellent work and invite others to help.

Several of our wholesale customers have volunteered to host a collection box at their premises and personally promote the cause. Many have made repeated donations over the years and never fail to step up when we take on a new challenge. We're most grateful for the continued support.

Of course, Nepal's children can be victims of natural disasters as well as human. Namaste will raise cash to help whether it be trafficking, earthquake or pandemic.

Emergency Aid due to Coronavirus

Lack of tourism has a devastating effect on Nepal's economy.

During the pandemic, three in five employees lost their jobs.

Health services are further stretched and many patients have been refused care due to Coronavirus fears.

Higher levels of domestic violence and suicides have been reported as families struggle with the loss of income.

Food and hygiene packs are still being provided by Child Rescue Nepal following a fresh funding appeal in the Spring/Summer of 2021. Namaste donated £1,000.

CRN's Just Giving Emergency Aid Page

Running for Running Water - The Everest Challenge

The threat of spreading coronavirus through a lack of hand-washing facilities was enough to spur a young man into action...

Ready access to water plays an important role in combatting COVID-19. Child Rescue Nepal was asked to install water tanks in some of the major junctions in Makwanpur. Hundreds of people directly benefit from these water tanks and hand-washing facilities.

The water tanks cost a total of £480 to install, and there was a need for at least five, giving us a target of £2400.

A country as poor as Nepal cannot sustain the briefest of lockdowns and the availability of water has a direct impact on controlling the spread of the virus.

Being home-schooled during lockdown, Namaste owners' son, Oliver aged 12 at the time, took part in a Zoom session with Child Rescue Nepal's CEO, Jo Bega. Inspired by Jo’s brilliant feat of raising money by running the vertical height of Everest on her own stairs, Oliver thought of his own idea to raise money to fund the water tanks.

Oliver set himself and his Dad quite a challenge! A keen fell runner, his idea was to run the vertical height of Everest, (29029 feet). Plus the distance from Kathmandu to Mount Everest (around 224 miles by road and path) by doing regular runs, starting on World Fair Trade Day, 9th May, 2020.

Finishing at the end of June 2020, the pair raised £3,463.29 made possible by your generous donations. Totals were 28 runs. 40,776 feet of ascent and 224.1 miles.

Educational Bursary Programme

Unfortunately due to Coronavirus, this Namaste project has been a little sidelined. Children have been attending school sporadically during the crisis, but will definitely need the support of educational bursaries in future. We hope that's soon and our fundraising page remains open.

Whilst rescuing children from slavery is crucial, preventing children from being trafficked is a far better option to prevent suffering. Children in school are safer from traffickers and benefit from an education they wouldn't otherwise have received. Through providing educational bursaries, the poorest children get an opportunity too.

Poor families are unable to buy necessities such as uniforms, shoes and stationery. The Bursary Programme gives financial support for these items, so children aren't embarrassed and keep attending school. It costs just £24 a year to send a child to school!

Donate for School Bursaries

Midday Meals for Primary Children

Families are faced with the unenviable dilemma of sending their little ones on an hour-long walk to school with empty stomachs. Some substitute meals they can’t afford with homemade alcohol to fill them up for the day.

This is why Namaste launched the project to provide youngsters with a school meal at Saraswati Primary School. After all, what better way to encourage school attendance and prevent traffickers from getting access to vulnerable children?

By the end of this campaign, attendance had risen by 41%.

It costs £2,660 per year to fund school meals at a primary school.

This works out at just 15p per day per child. This funding has now been exhausted so Namaste has committed to continue funding the school meals and ask for your support in doing so.

Support Midday Meals

Rescue Story

This is a real story shared by Jo Bega, CEO of Child Rescue Nepal. It's a harrowing story of abuse and neglect, so please don't read on if this is likely to affect you.

A 13-year-old girl was rescued and taken to the safety of Marigold House, a specialist rehabilitation home for girls. She'd been working in a hotel for a few months, waking early to clean rooms and wash dishes. When she finished work, the hotel owner sent her to guests' rooms where she was subjected to sexual abuse and taken to dance bars.

The hotel owner repeatedly threatened her, saying that no one would believe her story and, even if they did, she would be shunned by society. Scared and trapped, she felt unable to tell anyone what was happening to her. Fortunately, an outreach worker from CRN's partner, Shakti Samuha, spotted her and was able to facilitate a fast rescue.

The girl was extremely traumatised when she arrived at Marigold House. Experienced staff cared for her needs and continue to support her long-term recovery.

CRN has made a difference in many young lives. Read some of their after stories below and find out about programs offered by the charity to assist future opportunities and personal development.

Success Stories

Back Home

After a rescue, CRN staff will try and trace the child’s family. If found, they visit the home and relatives to assess the possibility of the child returning home. This isn't always possible for a number of reasons and no child will be returned if staff believe there's the likelihood of re-trafficking.

Regular visits are made by CRN staff to offer practical advice and support. In some cases, they provide a mobile phone so that staying in touch is easier. Sometimes families are given extra support to generate their own income. This gives them more security and makes them less vulnerable to traffickers.

Sadly, there remains much to do, so Namaste Fair Trade will remain advocates of this exceptional organisation.

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