Helping Orphans in Nepal (page 4 of 4)

Images from this article

Photograph by Marc Asnin/Redux

Connor Grennan hiking in the Shawangunk Mountains on a recent visit to his hometown of Poughkeepsie, New York.

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Illustrated by 5W Infographics

Grennan's mission would take him from Kathmandu, the capital, across the country, and to remote mountain villages in northernmost Humla.

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Courtesy of Conor Grennan

An entire village gathers to greet Grennan, who used a translator to interview parents about the children they had lost contact with years before.

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Courtesy of Conor Grennan

A Nepalese woman breaks down after Grennan gives her news of her daughter.

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Courtesy of Conor Grennan

A Nepalese woman breaks down after Grennan gives her news of her daughter.

"We'll Keep Looking"
Back in Kathmandu, Grennan downloaded over 600 photos to show the children: "When they're happy, they suck in air to make this deep gasping sound." Mesmerized, they studied photos of their families, of new siblings, of favorite streams or clearings where they used to play. They slept with letters their parents had sent back for them.

Grennan and Ait-Mansour got Dhaulagiri House up and running. Grennan estimated that it would cost only $750 a year to feed, shelter, clothe, and educate each child. Friends back in the States were eager to help and sent $5,000 collected from a single fund-raiser.

"People want to send pencils, notebooks, and other stuff, and we let them," Grennan says, "but the truth is, the amount spent on postage alone would buy ten times as much in Nepal. Liz wanted to bring Christmas presents the first time she visited, and I had to tell her: First of all, they're Buddhist, and second, we need to spend money on hygiene, food, and education. We don't want them to be that different from other children."

Grennan and Flanagan's first meeting that Christmas went well; they married last March and are expecting a child in February. In August, the couple returned to the States so that Grennan could attend business school at New York University. One of his goals is finding new funding for his foundation, Next Generation Nepal, which keeps his orphanage running. Grennan plans to return at least once or twice a year after their baby is born. "We'll never bow out," he says. "We adore the kids, and we really love the country."

Since his first trip to the mountains two years ago, Grennan and his partners have reconnected 125 lost children with their families; about 20 have returned to their villages. Twenty-six children live at Dhaulagiri now, and some of their mothers have been hired as housekeepers or helpers. Before leaving Nepal in August, Grennan made another reunion trek into the foothills near Kathmandu, locating more families. Back at the orphanage, he called the children aside one by one to share his news and photos. For the first time, he had bad news, too, for one little girl. "Your parents aren't living in your village anymore," he told her. "I'm not sure I'll be able to find them." He held her as she cried and said the only thing he knew he could promise: "We'll keep on looking."

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