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Prisoners Assitance Nepal Added : (Wed Jun 23 2004) PRISONERS ASSISTANCE NEPAL PA NEPAL “Providing prisoners and their children a better today and a brighter future” Introduction. Prisoners Assistance Nepal is a non – Governmental Organisation set up by volunteers and dedicated individuals aiming to enhance the quality of life of people in need and living at the edge of our society. The PAN is aiming to do this through increasing their abilities, skills and knowledge by providing education, trainee and guidance. End aim is to make them independent so that they can stand on their own feet and can take care of themselves and their possible family. The PAN has been founded in 2000 and is active since then. Target group. Our target group at the moment are inmates of Nepalese jails / prisons and their childrens. The normal inmates as well the mentally ill prisoners. We make no difference regarding the origin or any other quality of the inmates. No difference in race, religion, political preference or social class etc, etc. Method Our work method of the problem is a person-to-person approach. We believe that seen the group we have to deal with a confidential guidance guarantee the best thinkable result. The client feels free to discuss his or her problem and the attached treatment. The main tasks of the PAN are as follows. A Inmates. 1 teach the inmates a certain skill to their ability and capability 2 facilitate mental / psychiatric treatment of the psychiatric / mentally ill inmates. Volunteer hospital psychiatrists are providing their treatment. 3 Providing the inmates of amenities such as clothes, medications, food etc. 4 We provide them legal assistance. Again Volunteer solicitors fight their case in court. 5 The PAN protects their basic Human Rights. We monitor their treatment in the prison, the judicial course of their case, whether justice has been done to them. 6 Arrange they can be visited by family members, relatives and of their childrenB The childrens
1 Children of the inmates we provide lodging for the children of the inmates. they live during the absence of their parents in our hostel, where we provide them a meals b education facilities, they can visit their school, school home – work assistance by our staff and volunteers from abroad. c clothing and all the child necessities d in general we make them feel home, facilitate they have a normal life as can be in the given circumstances. e facilitates maintaining contact with their parents in the prison. 2 war orphans These are children whose parents, either one of them or both has been killed in the ongoing Nepalese civil war. Or the parents are seriously disabled and absolutely not able and capable to take for themselves let alone for their children / family. These children have been taken care of by our organization, the PAN. Either they stay with us in our hostel or we arrange a foster family for them. This foster family can be family of members of the PAN. In this case the foster family receive no support from the PA-Nepal. The program for these children is same as for the inmate’s children. Actually our aim is to keep this children separate from those of the inmates as their need and problems are of another dimension and consequently their approach, guidance and mental coaching. C The Jailors We also have tried to manipulate, to improve the attitude, behaviour and use of language by the jailors, the guards and in general the personnel in the prison. Make them aware about their attitude, their behaviour toward the inmates, their usage of language, the way they approach the inmates etc. Although they are prisoners, yet they are human – beings and have rights which need to be respected and complied with. We have noticed some change in the attitude and behaviour of the jailors. The language they use is more decent and appropriate, they are attitude is more friendly and they demonstrate respect for the rights of the prisoners. Present situation. Presently the PAN is dealing with around 400 inmates in 4 different prisons and with 35 children in our hostel. Above this we take care of 105 childrens from poor families in the countryside, providing them all sort of commodities and amenities, such as clothes, school materials, transport to and from school etc. Follow – up. After the inmates have been released from jail we provide them accommodation, which comprise that they stay in our hostel for a while until we have arranged for permanent housing and they have arranged for a steady income. This period can vary between 3 to 9 months. We arrange accommodation for them in another area then they used to live in before they went to prison. Going back to their home, going back to their neighbourhood is most of the time impossible because of the hostile attitude of their neighbours and others in the vicinity. The community just rejects them refuse to accept them as normal human – beings and avoiding them. All this resulting and leading into a feeling of being unwanted. Consequently they ex – inmates isolate themselves, become alienated from their community and relapse in their criminal behaviour. It means they have been denied and obstructed to build up a normal life again after their release from prison, despite may be their sincere, legitimate and hopeful intentions. That is the reason we arrange accommodation far from their previous addresses, so that they can start a new and refresh life with their family. As we have taught them a certain skill, they are able to take care of themselves and their possible family. In summary in a new and remote area from the previous house, with the skill they have acquired during their stay in jail and with our guidance and aid they are able to make a (new) restart, to determine their own future in peace. Their children have been able to continue their school activities without any disruption or barrier. And they has not exposed to the filthy and malicious attacks from neighbours and acquaintances and others as they has been kept away from these people and they have been protected from harmful effects of desertion. They have had a normal family life, rather a kind of family life during the absence of their parents. The advantages of this policy and approach can be seen in the following. 1 As there is continuity of a family like life there is no disruption of the children’s education and upbringing. The hostel has a house - mother, several female Kinder – garden teachers, volunteers from abroad participating in some or in the entire process. 2 The children are kept away from wandering and roaming in the streets prone for to become criminals or become victims of people who lead them into the world of crime. 3 No disruption of their school education. 4 They remain in touch with their parents via visiting them in the jail. 5 There is no feelings or perception of being deserted by their parents and the world. 6 Their view on the society remains healthy and adequate, as they haven’t been exposed to the negative and even hostile attitude of the neighbour and others. Continuity. Like mentioned previously, after the inmates have been released from jail they come to our hostels where they stay for a couple of months until a permanent solution has been found, until permanent arrangements has been made. The minimum stay has been until 3 months and maximum 9 months. When eventually the ex – inmates has found accommodation and has arranged for a steady and stable income they leave our hostel. Our commitment doesn’t end there and then. We still monitor and guide and support them. They come back to our office for feedback, for moral support, for aid when needed etc. So we keep by this an eye on them and where necessary and needed we intervene, adjust and correct the situation and themselves. There is a continuous process of monitoring and survey of the ex –inmates themselves, their general situation and specific life condition. Results. In the four years we have been active ion guiding and educating these individuals we have had excellent results. The individuals who have been released during this four years none has relapsed, we have seen no recidivists. All of them have lead until now a quite normal, quiet and peaceful life with their family. The children have a stable life too. No set back in their school progress and results. No problems with their friends and follow students. Altogether we are very pleased and satisfied with the result. But we certainly are have not adapted complacent attitude. We maintain alert and vigilant. Present situation. Presently we are renting a premise from a commercial real estate. This implies a huge monthly burden in the form of rent. Another negative side effect is we can’t extend our service; we are not able to anticipate to changing situations and circumstances. We are not allowed to make any alternations in the premise. Besides all this we have a contract period of just 5 years. New hostel. It is obvious that there is urgent need for a premise of our own, I mean of the organisation. That means : 1 saving the rent we pay now to the landlord / the real estate. 2 that implies we will be able to design the interior of the hostel to the need of the organization and to what the organisation has to offer regarding service and aid. 3 We also are aiming to set up a small shop; the inmates can present and sell their produce in it. Products they have manufactured in the jail. 4 For the purpose of generating money for the maintenance and management of the organization we are aiming to set up all sort of activities such as the earlier mentioned shop, managing a small library, Internet facility, phone house, a stationary. Own premise create flexibility and freedom, allowing the PAN to offer more service, extend our commitment, enhance the quality of our services and develop more and varied activities. We will be able to stabilize and to keep the costs low. The expenditure becomes more manageable and better to control. We like to realize and to finish this project as soon as possible as the number of children eligible for our aid and support is growing rapidly seen the ongoing war and consequently deteriorating economic conditions. And it is well – known poverty leads to criminal behaviour. At least there is a clear link between poverty / famine and criminality, at least criminal behaviour. Budget to purchase Land and to build the hostels. 1 buying Land 2 material for the construction of the hostel 3 decorating and refurbishing the hostels 4 constructing the surrounding. 5 Office equipment
Prisoners’ Assistance Nepal, Indira Rana Magar : [pa_nepal2000@yahoo.com] ... or some of these ... ? [pam@ccsl.com.np] or [ranamagar@yahoo.com] or [info@panepal.org] or [amsaldhiraj@hotmail.com] ******************************************************************************** Postal address : PO Box 14459 Kathmandu, Nepal. Telephone : (Off) +977-1-429590 (Res) +977-1-412478 Govinda Panta : 977-1-360577 Web site : [http//www.geocities.com/pa_nepal2000] Email : [pa_nepal2000@yahoo.com]
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Please try to contact us to help from aboard and we also arranging travel arrangements for trekkers and travellers tio nepal and we feed children from that income view this in www.trekinepal.com
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