Extreme Poverty and dire conditions of so many young woman in Nepal

The Unatti Foundation is working to combat the extreme conditions of woman in Nepal by providing education, a stable home and a strong foundation for learning. I are so proud of all of the girls for all the hard work, hours of studying and their end of the term result. Their successes prove Unatti Foundation is a success. Thank you to our Housemothers, Sita, Sawoswoti and Neelam for all the guidance, support and structure you provide our girls each and every day. I am thankful for your commitment to Unatti and the education of our girls.

Deepika has been living in the Unatti house for only one year and had no prior education. Her desire to learn and hours of studying has earned her  94% and 3rd position in her grade.

Roshani also joined the family a year ago and has earned 93% and 3rd position.

Sarija  is 6 years old and has been with Unatti for three years and has consistently been at the top of her class. This term she has earned 99% and is in first position in her grade.

Saroswoti has grown up in the Unatti family. She has been with us for 11 years and has proven herself to be an academic powerhouse and roll model to her younger sisters. This term she has earned 88% and holds the 2nd position in her grade.

Report Cards

Bhairab is the annual celebration of two of the most important deities of the town of Bhaktapur, the wrathful god Bhairab and the goddess Bhadrakali.

Bhairab heralds the start of the Nepali New Year and is celebrated with the most intensity in Bhaktapur. In one of the most exciting annual events in the Kathmandu valley, a huge chariot carrying images of the god Bhairab is hauled by dozens of young men to Khalna Tole. The creaking and swaying chariot lumbers around town, pausing for a huge tug of war between the eastern and western sides of town. The chariot also rests at certain time-honored places in the city and people come out to throw offerings of flower, rice, coins and red sindur powder. Thank you sister Sharmila for the beautiful photos.

Wildwood students are giving their time over spring break, volunteering in Nepal with Unatti Foundation.

Unatti Foundation is so excited to have students from Wildwood School of west Los Angeles in Nepal for their spring break. They have been entertaining our Unatti girls, volunteer teaching in a local government school and leading art projects at our Unatti Foundation Art and Music Center. Please check back to follow their journey at unattifoundation.org

Anne Archer, Founder, Artists for Human Rights with Unatti Founder, Stephanie Waisler Rubin

“Unatti joined forces with LA-based Artists for Human Rights this
Thursday, participating in the Artists For Human Rights fundraiser. The foundation is thrilled to reach out to AFHR, a non-profit that uses visual and performing art to disseminate and promote the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. An internationally recognized doctrine like the Universal Declaration is an invaluable tool, offering inspiration and solidarity in corners of the world where
“human rights” can be a topic of controversy. In Nepal, where child
labor, sex trafficking, and armed conflict obscure the already
treacherous road to development, the fight for human rights is a daily
struggle. Unatti has long celebrated the power of music and art to
heal, connect, and grow, and in partnering with Artists for Human
Rights, we take a step towards a more peaceful and just Nepal.”

at the home of Children’s Art Village founder Mai Lai Breech

1100 Georgina Ave
Santa Monica 90402
12pm-4pm each day
Unatti handicrafts proceeds go directly to educating our Unatti girls and supporting our Unatti programs in Nepal.
We will be viewing the latest trailer of Unatti, the documentary produced by Off the Path Productions both days
and live Skype with the Unatti girls sunday at 3pm
Please bring a friend and share this post.

See you there,
Stephanie Waisler Rubin
Founder, Unatti Foundation

Thank you once again for blessing us with your contributions.

Stephanie Waisler Rubin

A Request from the Unatti Family’s first girl to finish high school:

” My name is Sangita and I have a message for you.”

Thank you once again for blessing us with your contributions.

Looking down from 2nd floor to first.

Rosani joined the Unatti family four months ago at the age of ten. Today she and I went to visit her family home for the first time since she came to live at Unatti house. It is only a 15-minute walk from the Unatti house, and from the outside it looks like most of the traditional 200-300 year old homes in Bhaktapur. We entered off of a small damp brick paved ally into a 5ft x 10ft space filled w/ dried grass, tin water jugs and a narrow ladder leading up to the next floor.

the second floor resident

I carefully climbed the 200-year-old ladder to the second floor where I was greeted by a goat sitting in a bed of straw on a window ledge. I was told the goat will be sold when it is large enough. Rosani’s grandmother and aunt were home and they were shock to see her and how healthy see looks after only four months.

Rosani, her mother and 4 siblings stayed in one room, sharing only one bed. The room was tidy and ceiling was draped with tattered water stained fabric.
We went up another 200-year-old ladder to the cooking area. The wood-burning stove was burning away making the third floor very smoky and warm. The third floor is also where grandmother sleeps. But I saw no bed and asked Rosani where her grandmother sleeps, “she takes out a straw matt and it goes there in the floor. That is where grandmother always sleeps.” You can clearly see the hardship in grandmothers 72 year old face but you can also see the happiness. Rosani is the first person in generations of this family to attend school. Rosani has no idea that simply  showing up each day, doing her studies, and learning to read and write is dramatically changing the future generations of her family.

Rosani with her 72 year old grandmother

Rosani was so happy to visit and tell her grandmother and sister about her new life. “ I have food every day, clean clothes and I am learning many things in school. Housemother helps me with studies and all sisters take care of me.”

Rosani’s father dies three years ago from what may have been heart disease. Her mother works as a laborer carrying bricks or cement.

Rosani the day she arrived at Unatti House April 2011