Stretcher Delivery Project: One of Ten Friends first projects was the design, manufacture and delivery of portable stretchers to be used in remote villages of Nepal to deliver sick and injured people to medical posts.
Water Filters: A very effective way to improve the health of children in orphanages is to provide them with clean water by installing water filters. This has been one of our most successful programs. Our long-term goal is to provide water filters to every orphange in Kathmandu.
Orphanage Assistance: Ten Friends has established relationships with several orphanages, providing food, beds and mattresses, water filters and other critical necessities. In 2008 Ten Friends provided substantial financial support resulting in the purchase of a new home for one orphanage.
School Sponsorships: Our school sponsorship program has grown to over 50 sponsors. The children in this program come from orphanages or families that could not otherwise afford to send their children to school. In several cases Ten Friends has provided tutoring for students who needed to improve basic skills before they could enroll in school.
Community Health: As well as purchasing and installing water filters, Ten Friends has assisted in the construction of public bathrooms and improved community water supplies.
Rural Education: Ten Friends has partnered with Nepal Bhotia Education Community to provide higher education to young women from isolated regions of Nepal. Upon completion of their training these women return to teach in their villages.
Internships: A significant part of the Ten Friends Project is taking high school students and other community members to Nepal during the summer to participate in the many ongoing projects. Interns have delivered stretchers, installed water filters and worked to improve community water systems. These interns gain valuable experience in service work and the culture of Nepal that will positively influence them and the lives of others far into the future.
Orphanage Construction: In addition to the ongoing projects described above, Ten Friends will be assisting in the construction of an orphanage. We have already received over $2000 in dedicated donations for this project which will provide a rent-free, permanent building for the children of the Hopeful Home Orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal. We will be involved in fundraising and hands-on work with this project.