Bulls-eye with the Umbrella Foundation

"Sister! Sister!"

"I am so happy. I have 65 points and you have zero. I am so happy!"

We have committed 4 days to the Umbrella Foundation, a local NGO that runs orphanages. 4 days and it took about 1 minute for the children to win my heart.

The house we were assigned is home to 18 children, 16 of which were recently "rescued" from a corrupt orphanage. Ages 6-8, the boys slept on the floor and were asked to beg for money during the day, or collect vegetable scraps from the market for the night's meal.

Via e-mail, we were told our project would be to paint a roof. Thoughts of tarring roofs in the hot afternoon sun in Appalachia came to mind. I envisioned 4 days of hard labor to make up for 6 weeks of self-focused travel. Oh, how I was wrong! We have a dream job!

Our task is to make a recreational space for the kids. Equipped with red, yellow and blue paints, Paul and I are creating a magical rooftop kingdom with games such as four-square, twister and bullseye (with Pebbles.) We are having a blast! On Day 1, we chalked our ideas on the roof to see how the kids took to them and they were a hit! More than that, they were creaming us at our own games!

"Sister, sister, you try this pebble. Easier for you. You have zero."

"Sister, sister, it's your turn. Stand here."

(I assumed the name "sister" as I think some people find it strange calling me Debbie - pronounced Devi - oh holy master of the universe.)

Little hands found mine as we waited in line for our turn at Four-Square. Heads rested against my hip during the rare nanoseconds that the boys were not consumed by a remarkable level of energy. When rain threatened, we sought shelter inside. It did not take long for Paul to become a human jungle gym. Soon, all of the pint sized boys wanted Superman rides from the fun, tall American who can speak Nepali.

After a long day's work today (Day 2), our magical kingdom is about 50% complete. The majority of games are painted and now it is time to get creative with the details. We hope the rains hold off a bit longer!