Children's Aid for Nepal

[Ralf]

Hi everyone,

I've just returned from my holidays in the Himalayas, and during my short stay in Kathmandu I got in contact with an organisation that is involved in helping child soldiers who were exploited during the 'glorious revolution' earlier this year. There's a very good documentary about what happened back then:

"Shangri-La to hell in ten years: How did Nepal, a peaceful landlocked country, become home to the most dramatic Maoist insurgency in modern history? Child Soldiers of Nepal's Maoist Army is an HD documentary that follows several Nepali boys and girls as they attempt to reintegrate into civil society after their associating with armed Maoist groups to fight the "People's War." The film examines why these children are compelled to join armed groups and explores the prevention of future recruitment through the voices of two girl soldiers, two boy soldiers, and experts in the field.

The children describe their dramatic recruitment and participation in the Maoist People's Liberation Army during the eleven-year civil war between the Maoists insurgents and the Hindu monarch of Nepal. The girls' stories in particular demonstrate how joining the violent Maoist struggle became their only option to escape the gender discrimination and sexual violence of traditional Hindu culture in Nepal. With the major conflict ended and the Maoists in control of the government, these children are now discarded by the Maoist leadership and forced to return home to communities and families that want nothing to do with them. For many of the children of Nepal's Maoist Army, the return home can be even more painful than the experience of war."

The poverty, glue sniffing children and bull and blanco brutality routinely practiced by the military I witnessed in a little less than a week in Kathmandu makes me wish that at least some of those who have been exploited against their better judgment can experience some assistance.

Have a look at this movie trailer. What you can see 7:45min into the clip appears to be the order of the day in Kathmandu.

And if you feel like donating a tenner to children's refugee fund, you can do so here.

Cheers,

Ralf
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