Waiting for Mamu

Namaste. Welcome to our home.

So now we are on the ground floor. And this is our office.

Here you can see lots of articles of our work.

Looking at my childhood, I was a bit kind of naughty person.

If I wanted to do anything, I would just go for it, you know.

I would not say

I would not think about it

Should I do it or no?

But I would just go for it.

So I was studying for my Bachelor in Social Work from St. Xavier's College.

It's one of the most reknowned colleges.

I don't know how I got through it.

For me, also it's surprising - I don't know how they selected me.

But I choose social work.

Because everyone said it's an easy subject.

You just have to go to college for 3 days.

And you just go to field work for 2 days.

So you don't have to spend much time in your college.

At that time I was placed in Kalimatu Police Station.

It was a women's cell.

So what I asked one of the officers

Please, can you just take me inside the prison.

Because in our mind, when you talk about jail

It's like the big walls with the bars and everything.

So, I wanted to see.

So, when we went to the prison

I was a bit nervous and I was a bit scared.

And one small child, she was just down on the floor, you know.

And I just grabbed her.

In our country, like, the culture.

It's not a big thing to just go and hold anyone's child.

Just, you know.

Touch them. It's nothing here.

But, one of the people from the prison

They said, "Don't hold her."

And I just dropped her down, you know.

Because I was scared.

But when I turned back my body

She just hold my clothes, you know.

So I turned back and she just gave me a big smile.

She was just an 8 month old girl.

And I felt like she had that light in her face.

She had that magic, you know.

So what I thought is like

I should

Do something.

I should do something for these children.

And that's how things started to change.

Sometimes you get those feelings, you know.

When she just held my shawl

I felt like she was calling me.

Don't leave me.

I don't want to stay here.

You are the one to help me out.

You should do something.

And for me it was like

I had to do something.

More than me

She is the one who made me do this.

She is the one for me.

I stand here.

Just because of her.

Pushpa, I remember her being somewhat bullied.

I saw teachers

I saw friends and families

How they treated her.

And she never gave up

Even if she fell down

She would rise up

And walk away.

From early on, from her school life

She saw more failure than success.

I think for her, these kids is a reminder.

That an average person, or below average

Could do better.

And for Pushpa, these kids is like somewhat her past.

Where people have looked down upon her.

And she wants these kids to do good

Because she has done good

Today they are here because what their parents have been doing.

Knowingly. Unkowingly. Their parents have done a crime or a mistake.

But, I would not want the same thing happen to them.

What he sang was about a mother and a child.

He talks about if Mom's bangles are broken down, don't worry about it.

One day I will come fast.

And I will come back to you

I have to work hard, so that is the reason I am far away from you.

Now it's already been two yeas that Dev's been to our place.

And Dev has been referred from the government.

Actually, his father has

killed his own wife.

Dev's mother.

One day he said, "Do you know what happened to my life?"

And I said, "What?"

My father killed my mom in front of me.

He chopped her into pieces and he made her very small small pieces.

So some of the children have a really painful story.

Yes.

I was sad. We didn't know what was going on.

Mom said she would return in the evening.

But she didn't come.

Namaste. My name is Biraj Gurung.

My future is to be a British solider. So I am training in a British soldier.

No. Yes, I am training.

I am doing training. Thank you.

Mommy had opened a hotel

And I don't know what happened, but...

The police came and took her.

Why did they take her?

Women trafficking.

Where are your dad and mom?

Pokhara. They are in jail again.

Prashna!

Prashna, his father, is in prison in Pokara.

For trafficking the skin of illegal animals.

His father has to stay in a prison for 15 years.

These children come from various backgrounds, with various stories.

But when they come out here...

In this house, you don't talk about your family.

But it's like, this family.

We are a family.

Today, if they work hard

And if they see what is their future

Tomorrow, for sure, like you know, whatever their parents have done

Everything will be hidden, you know

Because of their good thing.

Whatever happened is the past.

Don't blame us for what our parents did.

It's not our fault.

Pushpa Mamu told us that.

Since I have lived here

It keeps changing.

But right now, I want to become a social worker.

And sometimes I want to become a photographer.

And sometimes I want to be an office receptionist.

It keeps changing.

But mainly, I will be a social worker.

And I will always help ECDC.

And help Mamu.

I have been living here for 6 years.

I feel good about my daughter. I am happy.

Sad part is that I worked hard in a hotel to make sure my children went to school.

And I was sent to jail.

There were junkies and villagers who used brown sugar (heroin).

And I got trapped in all of that.

When I was living in prison, I was happy because I was with mommy.

But even though mommy was there, there were still four walls...

Behind which we were. And we couldn't see anything.

We had to always be suffocated in a single room.

Then I'd feel bad.

In Nepal, lots of crimes are done by the women.

Because they don't have education. They don't have resources

Crime like trafficking

Trafficking human beings to India.

Even selling their own daughters.

And relative's daughters.

And dealing with the drugs.

Soon Laxmi's mom is going to come out from the prison.

But Laxmi, she doesn't want to go back to her family.

So, I am happy to have her in ECDC.

But we need to have their own house.

The children need to have their own house.

So that they feel like their future is secure.

Right now we are staying in a rented place.

Since I've opened ECDC from 2005

We've been shifting from one place to another more than five times.

And I always worry about this.

It was quite difficult that we had to leave certain houses because

The neighbors or the house owner did not want us.

They thought we were just running a small organization or kindergarten.

But later on when she said, "No, this is only for prison children."

Then they are like, "Okay, their parents are criminal"

"And they will not turn out good."

"I think you should just leave" kind of thing.

What would hapen to these children if they don't have a place to go?

Would Laxmi go back to the prison?

Or would Biraj go back to carrying concrete and not going to school?

And Prashna and Neha. Would they just be on the street?

The children need to have their own house.

If they have their own house

People would not tell them to leave this house.

What do you expect from ECDC when you are out?

If possible, I want my child to stay there.

Laxmi will do something and make something of herself, I think.

At ECDC, I have found change.

My life before and my life now is very different.

Mamu is bigger thn mommy for me.

She has changed my life.

She has taught me things that I did not know before.

And she has forgiven me for all my mistakes that I have made.

She has given me many teachings and has taught me about human nature.

I really think highly of her.

Saturday? On Saturday?

I heard that there is going to be a momo (dumpling) party.

Here when there are momo parties, it's a lot of fun!

Hosina was 18 months when I got her here.

Her Mom was living in the prison and Hosina, she was also living in the prison.

I had her for a long time.

But it was time for her to go back to her family.

Because her mom had come out from the prison.