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Australia & Nepal |
About Us
Our Journey from Australia to NepalOur Nepal adventure
An Inspirational Story
Nepal Committee and Staff
Australian Committee
Contact Us
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Australia & Nepal |
Shed the Light Incorporated is a registered charity organisation established in February 2001 at Kenilworth, Queensland, Australia. The organisation was founded by Suzanne Kupiak after travelling with three other people from a Noosa church group who were returning on another mission trip to Nepal in 2000.
Suzanne was a housewife and mother and not really looking for adventure, but when she witnessed the poverty of these lovely people she came home with an ache in her heart and a determination to help.
Suzanne faced a variety of personal challenges during her journey and came through her experience to find a passion for the improverished children and elderly of Nepal. She especially wanted to make a difference to the people she had met in a remote village called Maidi and to those children who had little or no family and who would otherwise have no opportunity to access schooling, medical treatment, or regular daily food.
After arriving home, Suzanne continued to have Nepal on her heart and wrote a simple human interest story to the local newletter Mary Valley Voice sharing her story and asking for donations of clothing, shoes, and school items. This story put into action an incredible set of events for this small country town.
The story in the Mary Valley Voice drew a response from Carmel Dobson who offered access to St Vinnies bin to supply donated clothing and other goods to take to Nepal.
A group of Church people loaded their cars to take the donated goods to a shed so that we could work our way through and choose clothing for the people of Maidi.
It was through this process of our first sorting of the bin which planted the seed for the Op Shop.
We were unprepared for the growth that was yet to come.
After a few weeks, we were given the use of a building by a local lady called Elke Watson to set up as a shop, generously allowing us free rent for the first two and a half years until July 2003.
Suzanne's church friend David White upgraded the building so the shop could be open by the end of January 2001.
We thank Elke for her generous support as it allowed us to establish our charity in both countries.
The op shop was officially opened February 2001 and was run by volunteers and ladies from Suzanne's church group who came forward to assist in getting the shop functioning, and people from the local community stepped forward to offer assistance in both practical and emotional terms.
We were blessed with other women in the wider community who offered to work on certain days, which meant the shop was opened six days a week.
That small seed started to grow and blossomed and continues to grow, develop and expand.
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Our Nepal Adventure |
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After six months of running the shop Suzanne returned to Nepal and set up the first children's home in Kathmandu. Within 18 months we had rescued 17 children into our home, where the children were cared for by our house parents, given good quality food, and enrolled in a small school to start their education.
We had a Nepali committee overseeing the children's home and connecting Suzanne to the Nepalese culture.
In March 2003, we opened a second children's home in a town called Dhading Besi, several hours drive from Kathmandu in the rural countryside, which is the closest big town to Suzanne's beloved Maidi. Within 5 months the home had six children to care for and we would eventually have a total of 23. We accepted needy children into our homes when we had the finances or if we received a sponsorship for a child.
Between our two children's homes we would care for 40 children until 2003-2006 for a short period of time. Due to misunderstandings and culture differences we had to close the Dhading children's home and lose valuable friendships. It was a heartbreaking time for all involved. Some of the children that were in our care were sent to a different orphange in Dharding by the house father, and the remainder joined our Kathmandu home. This arrangment was taken out of our hands and we were distressed to lose the children who had been given to our care.
In 2004, our aged care home was established in Dhading Besi within the same home as the children. Later our oldies moved to Kathmandu to a new home along with some of the children, leaving 21 children who continued to be in our care.
In Nepal we are registered as a non-government organisation under the name of Shed the Light Incorporated and have a volunteer committee who carry out the administration and take care of the needs of both the children and oldies.
We employ house parents and carers to look after, and provide for, the daily needs of the household. The children attend a small Christian school, are involved with scouts, and attend a yearly rotary leadership course.
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An Inspirational Story |
Our Shed the Light Organisation has embraced an inspirational story because we believe everyone can make a difference in the world, in their community, in their home, towards every person they meet in life.
An old man was strolling by the sea shore one day, when he came across a young lad busily picking up starfish and throwing them back into the ocean.
As he surveyed the scene he saw that thousands of starfish had been stranded by the tide on the beach.
For some time he watched the lad working feverishly.
It soon became apparent to him that the lad was fighting a losing battle. Seeking to lend the lad the wisdom of his years, the old man walked down to where he was working.
"Son," he said gently, "What you are doing is commendable, but it won't make much difference to the starfish population. Already the sun is rising, and there are thousands of stranded starfish. Give up son, you cannot make a difference."
Without lifting his head, or ceasing his task the young lad responded, "Mister, I sure made a difference to that one, and to that one," as he tossed the starfish back into the water.
Pierced in his heart, the old man caught the young man's vision and bent his back to assist.
United they worked, side by side, Making a difference to one at a time !!
