Children's Homes

Umbrella currently cares for three hundred and twenty six children in eight different homes in the suburb of Swoyambhu in Kathmandu.

The houses sizes range in size from 20 children to 50. There are three girl's houses and five boy's houses, the houses are also divided according to age; there is one house or the older girls and two for the older boys, two houses for the young girls and three for the younger boys. Though there are eight separate houses they are all within five minutes walk of each other and together they create an Umbrella community.
 
Each house is managed by the house parents, usually a married couple with children of their own. This couple acts as house parents and offer a foster parent type relationship to the children of the house.

Education is a high priority in umbrella and so each house has a live-in college student who acts as tutor in the house. They help the children with their home work, studies and act as role models for the children. The tutors themselves often come from underprivileged backgrounds and so Umbrella helps them with their college fees and encourages their education and offers them an allowance in exchange for their work with the children.
 
Other house staff includes two cooks and cleaners to help with the household chores.

As the children get older in Umbrella they are encouraged to take on more responsibility and many take the role of 'big brother' or 'big sister' in the younger houses.
 
Umbrella try to create a family atmosphere in the houses and all the children consider the other Umbrella kids their brothers and sisters.

There is a simple routine in every house. They have an early start, waking up at 6am. There is study time in the morning which is followed by their first Dhal Bat meal, a meal of rice (Bat), lentil sauce (Dhal) and curried vegetables. They then walk to school and are in school from 10am to 4pm. After school the children return home, they have a snack, play and then start their studies. They have their second Dhal Bat meal followed by more studies. The children will often have activities with their volunteer in the evenings or watch an hour of t.v., as long as there is electricity, then is time for bed.
 
Future homes
Umbrella will move the majority o its children to the village of Gurje. Umbrella wants to preserve the community and family feel that has been created in Swoyambhu so will be building an Umbrella Village in Gurje.
 
Umbrella plans to build enough houses to keep the number of children in each house low and again encourage a family atmosphere for all the children.