Orphanages in need in Nepal
Tue 15 April 2008
Belinda Gear, Journalism
A local charity founder is in her final stages of fundraising before flying to Nepal in early May.
Joanna Giles, director and founder of Hog Heaven, is raising money for cleft lip and palate patients, and medically ill and sexually abused children. She said the severity of sexual abuse and child trafficking in Nepal was huge.
“Over 200,000 families have been conned into selling their daughters into false marriages,” Ms Giles said.
“Poorer families tend to be conned by the affluent foreigner who convinces the father to sell his daughter and once sent over the border they are forced to become prostitutes.
“Parents receive money but think the daughter has gone off to get married to a wealthy man and lead a good life. It is pretty horrific.”
Ms Giles would like to see Hog Heaven open a safe home in Nepal for sexually abused girls, but said this trip would mainly involve attending a medical camp for cleft lip and palate patients.
The aim of Hog Heaven is to develop the medical services in Kathmandu and it is raising money to purchase a mobile medical clinic.
“The mobile medical clinic would be used by five different agencies that manage cleft lip and palate surgeries, eye cataracts, leprosy, orphans and victims of sexual abuse,” Ms Giles said.
Ms Giles started Hog Heaven in the United States in 1999, before moving back to her home town of Adelaide in 2000.
Ms Giles said it was extremely difficult in Australia to establish a tax deductible charity.
“Unfortunately people don’t seem to appreciate how much work goes in behind the scenes for really a limited result,” Ms Giles said.
“The hardest thing about keeping the charity alive is people telling you they want to be removed from your mailing list and not taking it personally, but the reason you do charity work is because it is so personal.”
Ms Giles has been organising charity events since 2000. During her latest visit to Adelaide in March this year she raised $10,000 which will be donated to cleft lip and palate patients in Nepal.
She is patron to a school in Gokarna, located 16 miles outside of Kathmandu and managed to raise enough money in 2000 to start an orphanage next door.
“The reward of seeing the smiles on the young children’s faces is amazing,” Ms Giles said.
“The simplest things that we take for granted… these kids cherish beyond words.”
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