Dear Friends,

On the occasion of Mother’s Day here in the U.S., we think of Maiti Nepal and all the young mothers, and the many staff-member mothering figures who do their jobs with such devotion. In Nepali the meaning of MAITI is “mother’s home” and the connotations are of maternal nurturing — the combined strength, sweetness, fierce protection, and tenderness of a mother’s love. Founder Anuradha Koirala is the essence and model of such warmth, strength, and dedication.

Many young women arrive at Maiti Nepal pregnant, having been rescued from human trafficking, rape, and domestic violence. Others arrive with newborn babies in their arms, fearing for their safety, having lost their homes, their families, their livelihoods. Maiti takes them in — all of them — and provides shelter, nutrition, assistance with infant and child care, and very importantly — teaches young mothers the fundamentals of good parenting. Thus vulnerable young mothers and their infants get their best possible chance for a lifetime wellbeing and safety.

In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic Maiti Nepal faces many hardships. As virulent outbreaks of the Coronavirus in both India and China squeeze Nepal and threaten to overrun it it, managing and caring for all the vulnerable young people at Maiti Nepal becomes more challenging. Food has become very expensive and budgets are pushed to the limit. But Maiti Nepal is committed to continue sheltering and caring for its young population, and continues to fight the scourge of sex trafficking and other forms of slavery and exploitation in Nepal.

We thank you for your interest, steady support, and loyalty. To all the mothers and other nurturing figures, to all the children (ages 1 – 99!) we wish you good health and a beautiful springtime.

Namaste,
Brigitte Cazalis-Collins
Executive Director, Friends of Maiti Nepal