Child Sponsorship Background from Itahari, Nepal

SOS Children's Village Itahari

SOS Children's Villages decided to build the sixth Nepalese SOS Children's Village after the heavy earthquake of 1988, during which many people were left homeless and numerous children lost their parents. Itahari is a fast-growing town in eastern Nepal. It is situated in a fertile plain near the Indian border, about 500 km away from Kathmandu. The SOS Children's Village is located approximately 3 km outside the town, in a small place called Arhariya.

SOS Children's Village Itahari was officially opened in February 1992. It consists of family houses, the village director's house, co-workers' residences as well as administrative buildings.

Other SOS Projects in Itahari

There is also an SOS School comprising a nursery school, a primary and a secondary school.

The adjoining SOS Social Centre provides day care for children from the local community whose parents earn their living as labourers.

Additionally, it offers health counselling, literacy classes for children as well as income generating training workshops for women. The SOS Social Centre also organises different programs of community support according to needs. All these services have contributed to a very good relationship with the local population.

In 2001, an SOS Youth Home was established in the city of Biratnagar (about 30 km from Itahari). There young people live together preparing for their future independence under the care of a youth supervisor.

Background to Itahari

Itahari is a town and municipality in Sunsari District in the Kosi Zone of south-eastern Nepal. It is located at the main transportation junction of eastern Nepal. It is the centre of the west-east Mahendra highway and south-north Koshi Highway and thus is a town of emerging importance, near the city of Dharan.  At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 26,824.