Prison Fellowship Nepal Victim Support and Rehabilitation Program E-news March and April MODEL REHABILITATION CENTER a) Opening Ceremony of Act Technical Training Institute: Act Technical Training Institute opening ceremony was held at Model Rehabilitation Center on 8 March 2004. Rev. Patrick Chong was the chief guest of the ceremony. Act Technical Training Institute under Model Rehabilitation Center was established to train released prisoners and prisoners' family in their own community. Act Technical Training Institute mainly focus on vocational training having good demand and scope in marketplace. We had already established Sewing and Electronics units in our center. We had 16 trainees in these units. We are searching new unit from last year having scope in marketplace though we are facing financial crisis. After a long time prayer, we got an answer. We had decided to establish General mechanics and Motorbike maintenance vocational training in our center. Motorbike is one of the most increasing transportation means in Nepal. Many Nepalese purchasing new motorcycles each day. So, we think motorcycle repairing and maintenance will be one of the most demanding jobs in future. So, in the occasion of Act Technical Training Institute Opening Ceremony, we had announced our new workshop of General Mechanics and Motorbike repairing. b) Seven Personalities Awarded: On the auspicious occasion of Act Technical Training Institute opening ceremony we had awarded seven genuine personalities on different categories for their continuous support, help and encouragement to Prison Fellowship Nepal since its establishment. The awarded personalities are as follows: 1. Best supporter - Mrs. Nicolett Bann 2. Best volunteer - Mrs. Roshani Khaling 3. Best jailer - Mr. Laxman Shrestha (Nakhu Jail) 4. Best prayer Partner - Ps. Abdul Mukhiya 5. Best Board Member - Ps. Rikhman Ranabhat 6. Best staff - Mr. Prakash Tamang 7. Best released prisoner - Mr. Durga Nepali Chief guest Rev. Patrick Chong distributed the awards. c) Counseling class: All the trainees of vocational trainings were participating in counseling classes. The class is of an hour in each day. We are providing topics on behavioral, psychological, social and health aspects. It helps to reconcile in their society. We had good story on this case. Mr. Krishna Prasad Sharma was imprisoned for murder case. When he released from jail, he cannot go in his home and went to India for work. But again he changed his mind and came in our training center. He took training on Electronics for 6 months. At that time we provide him counseling class on family reconciliation. Interestingly he was able to reconcile with his family in this February. So, we are more focusing on counseling classes with their main training. PEACE LOVING CHILDREN HOME: a) In Kathmandu: There are 25 children in our Peace Loving Children Home, Kathmandu. The final exams of our children were completed and results were just announced. The results were very encouraging. All the children were promoted and most of them took top 3 positions. The best children were as follows. Ashish Acharya and Dilip Maharjan jointly took first position in grade 6 and promoted in grade 7. Arjun Parajuli took first position in grade 2 and promoted in grade 3. Nakul Tamang took first position in grade 3 and promoted in grade 4. Hem Bahadur Tamang took second position in grade 4 and promoted in grade 5. Ramesh Khadka took second position in grade 5 and promoted in grade 6. Binod Shreemal took third position in grade 4 and promoted in grade 5. Milan Lama took third position in grade 3 and promoted in grade 4. Bikram Lama and Rajendra Shreemal had difficulties in study. They are hardly promoted and need to study hard. b) In Pokhara: There are 6 children in our Peace Loving Children Home, Pokhara. The final exams of our children were completed and results were just announced. All the children are promoted and three of them obtained more than 70% marks in their final exam. SUPPORTS TO PARENT PROGRAM: Forty children are caring under this program. The final examinations of all the children had just finished. Results of few of them are just published. The results are satisfactory. Among them Sita Tamang, Roshan Devkota, Rigil Gurung and Nisha Nepali were on top five positions. Some of children need to do hard work though they are promoted. PROGRAM: PFN CHAPTER WEST NEPAL, Pokhara The staff member and volunteers of Pokhara Chapter had regularly visiting the different nine jails of West Nepal. The jails are of Kaski, Myagdi, Palpa, Parbat, Baglung, Tanahun, Syangja, Gorkha and Lamjung districts. PFN CHAPTER EAST NEPAL, Morang The staff members of Morang Chapter are doing jail visits and we are planning to launch other programs as soon as possible according to report and situation of the area. We are searching full time worker for effective work in East Nepal and activate Board members. PRISONERS WELFARE PROGRAM: We are providing daily newspaper 'Kantipur' for Syangja, Myagdi, Kaski, Lamjung, Tanahun and Palpa jails. We had distributed Black and White television for Palpa jail. LITERATURE PROGRAM: i. Life After Prison Book distribution: 'Life After Prison' Book in Nepali language written by Mr. Dinesh Neupane and Mr. Roshan Prajapati freely distributed to all the inmates of Nakhu jail on 10 March 2004. About 200 books were distributed on the special occasion of Book Distribution. Rev. Dr. Ronald Nikkel was the chief guest of the occasion. Dr. Nikkel shared a powerful and challenging message on 'Hope of Life' on the occasion. He told that all are same for Lord no matter they is prisoner or not. Lord loves everybody. Most great persons spent some of their life period in jail including Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus Christ. But life is not limit in jail. There is also long life need to spend after prison. These persons use their valuable life in jail with good style and manner so that most of them became president, prime minister and other high authorities. ii. Counseling course Book Seminar: We are preparing book of counseling. We feel Counseling is necessary for inmates pre-released and released prisoners to reconcile in their society. We think it is wiser to start seminar regarding this book before publication intellectual and other related personalities. We had just completed one-day seminar about this counseling course book with inmates of Central jail and Bhadragol jail on 22 March 2004. Fifteen persons from different categories of crime and security personnel were participated in the seminar. We had done plenary and group discussion to come in conclusion. Mr. Dinesh Neupane, Mr. Ruben Pradhan, Mr. Roshan Prajapati and Mr. Sagar Thapa facilitate in the discussion program. PRISON WORLD BULLETIN: We have felt communication gap between inmates and Prison Fellowship, Nepal. In Nepal, there are seventy-three prisons through out the country. There is no road access in many prisons specially north belt, mountain and Himalayan regions and it is true that there are no single volunteer and difficult to get devoted Christian volunteer. How can we reach there and link with them? To see this dire need we have created wonderful idea to publish 'Prison World' Bulletin in Nepali language. We are publishing this bulletin quarterly with thousands copy and distributing freely to prison and church and communities by mail. We hope that it will help to come closer, prison and community. Through this project we are able to link with inmates for help, information and encouragement with each other's. It is like "Global Link" a publication of PFI to National ministry. CALENDAR PUBLICATION: Nepalese New Year B.S. 2061 was just started from April 13. In this occasion we had published our office calendar including short highlights of all our programs. Ekta Book House had shared partial donation for this publication. We had published 1000 copies and sent in all jails of Nepal and other related areas with free of cost. Our main objective is to focus our programs and familiar with all inmates. PRISON RESOURCE CENTER: Prison Resource center was established in Model Rehabilitation Center. The Resource Center will be probably the first research center in Nepal those who want to research in prison sector. We are preparing different prison related books in Nepali version. All the books related to prison in Nepali and English Language will be kept in this center. On the behalf, we are requesting you to send information on prison related books or send the copies so that we can keep them in our Resource Center. We will highly appreciate your cooperation for this endeavor. We hope that in future it will be large research center of prison field. LIBRARY PROGRAM: Prison is a confined area bounded by stonewalls and steel bars. Prisoners have to spend day and night within that specific confined area. So, they spend most of their time by just sleeping and chatting with each other. Their mind becomes dull due to no work and learning.It is important to make their active mind in prison. Library is the most effective method to make mind sharp. They get daily news and gain knowledge that helps them to use that knowledge after released. Therefore, we are starting library projects in different jails and in our training center. The jails administrator is also highly demanding for library. But, due to our limited resources, we could not fulfill their demand in all jails. We had already established library in Gorkha, Tanahun, Nakhu, Female jail, Kathmandu, Jhapa and Pokhara jails. This year we are planning to establish 15 mini libraries in most needy jails of Nepal according to our available resources. PFI PRESIDENT VISITS WITH JAIL AUTHORITIES: PFI President Dr. Ronald Nikkel had a meeting with Nepalese Jail authorities on 9 March 2004. There was a serious discussion to formulate a pilot project in selected jail, viable in-prison services and/or programs that could be conducted on a regular basis. Jail authorities will request on specific area and PFN will submit a proposal to PFI for the finalization of project. STORY OF RAJU TAMANG: Raju Tamang is a son of Aite Tamang, an inmate of Bhadragol jail. Aite Tamang was imprisoned for women trafficking case for 20 years. Their economic condition was very poor. So, we kept Raju in our care from 1994. First of all we kept him with our 4 children in Korean Home. But due to poor management of home, their parents were not satisfied and they demanded to return their children. So we were forcefully returned back them in their parents' jail. There after he was again kept in prison with his father. We had no our own Home and also we are unable to get good home at that time. After one year, we again released Raju and boarding in Serene Valley Boarding School with all our other children. Then after one year, we kept him in our rented Children Home in Hadigaun, Kathmandu. The house is not sufficient for our increasing number of children and we shifted in another home at Gairidhara. From Gairidhara we shifted to Lazimpat, Kathmandu in our own Peace Loving Children Home in 2000 AD. Raju was with us since he was 8 years old. We sent him school since he was with care of us. He had completed class 6 in 2003. Afterward he could not study upper level classes. He was quite weak in studies. So, we decide to keep him in our training center for vocational training. He had started Electronics vocational training in our Model Rehabilitation Center, Kathmandu from October 2003. He had just completed this course and joined in newly established vocational training unit, General Mechanics and Motorcycle Repairing. He had done good job in electronics training. We are searching a job for him. When he was able to get job, he will be able to start his own free life. PRAYER REQUESTS: a. This is the time of new session of the academic year. So pray for financial needs for all the children re-admission, new books, stationaries, uniforms, bag packs. b. Please pray for the political situation of Nepal which is in worst condition. Pray for the safety of staff and volunteers during the time of travelling. c. Please pray for the financial need to run the Model Rehabilitation Center. Yours in Him Dinesh Neupane, Director --back to the PFN page
