Poonhill, which was born in 2001, was designed as a family-like shelter, housing a limited number of children (around 15) in a structure with flexible rules that are adapted to the specificities of these children. It is also, since 2005, a sponsoring program which allows us placing a larger number of children in private boarding schools.

Today (mid 2005) Poonhill fully takes care of 20, all going to school, children from 5 to 17 year old: 12 «small» (<12 y.o.), 4 «medium» (12 to 15 y.o.), and 4 «big» (15 to 17 y.o.).  7 children have been placed in private boarding schools, and the 13 remaining ones are housed in our own shelter. Furthermore, about ten « big » (>17 y.o.), formerly living in the shelter, are still in various degrees guided and helped, although they now live apart. 

Most of Poonhill’s children have been living here for several years and are perfectly integrated.
The daily life in the shelter is therefore generally quiet and the problems encountered in the beginnings (consumption of alcohol or drugs, runaways, inner conflicts) are now only seldom and are in general related to the arrival of new children. The life in the shelter now follows, like in every Nepalese family, the rhythm of school, homework, and Saturday’s outings.

However there has been some movement in the shelter. In 2004, the staff was entirely renewed, with the arrival of a couple to manage the house and a new organization. The children have also changed. During the very year 2005, 5 kids left the shelter and were placed in boarding schools where they continue their studies ; in the same time, 4 new coming children joined us, after staying several months in one of our other shelters (Balkendra and Kalimati).

The financing of the shelter entirely comes from individual sponsors and private donations. After 3 year, 2/3 of the children have finally found a man or a woman as sponsor. Some of the children have begun corresponding with them, via internet, for the highest joy of the children and the sponsors. Letters correspondence remains difficult, in reason of the slowness and frequent failures in the transfer of mails between Nepal and France.

The challenges that we have to face now are related to our ability to :

- house new-coming children in an always stricter structure ;
- help the older in getting their autonomy when leaving the shelter.

For further information, please visit our website dedicated to Poonhill, its history and beginnings: http://poonhill.free.fr