The Circus is pleased to be raising money for Kinderhilfe Nepal Mittelfels, a small German organisation that supports a number of different children's projects in Nepal. Please see below for more details about the appeal, and check this page regularly for updates of different fundraising events in Berlin, and how the money raised has been used in Nepal.
News: January 2010 - First Transfer and Nepal Health Camp
In December we transferred €1200 to Kinderhilfe Nepal Mittelfels, which we raised both at the Fleamarket Day in Mauerpark (see below), as well as through the donation boxes at the reception of both the Circus Hotel and Circus Hostel. We are extremely pleased to have been able to make this contribution to the fine work that is being done in Nepal, and we are extremely grateful to all the staff, friends and guests of the Circus who helped us raise this money.
The money has, in part, been used for a special one-off project that Kindehilfe Nepal Mittelfels financed 50% of, a Health Camp in Mugu-Nepal implemented by the Shangri-La Orphanage Home in Kathmandu. This camp focused on the areas of gynaecological and dental health, in particular for children and adolescents. Over 1000 people benefited from the camps, which focused on awareness and prevention as well as treating some existing conditions.
Once again we would like to express our admiration for the work being undertaken in Nepal, and we are extremely proud that we have been able to support projects such as these in our small way through raising money for Kinderhilfe Nepal Mittelfels.
News: Fundraising at the Fleamarket Nov 1st 2009
Over the months at the Circus we build up quite a collection of things that are lost and yet never found…items left and never claimed…or things which might have seemed vital to the traveller when they packed their bag but an unnecessary weight as they make their way around Europe. We gathered all these things together, along with things donated by the Circus team and their friends, and headed to the Fleamarket at Mauerpark in Prenzlauer Berg to raise money for the projects in Nepal.
With a crack sales team persuading people that there is nothing better than a good deal when it comes with a good feeling, funky tunes from the mobile DJ team, and a beautiful crisp November day, it was altogether a wonderful experience even if sundown threatened the Circus crew with frostbite.
Altogether we raised €430 for Kinderhilfe Nepal Mittelfels and their projects, and we want to thank everyone who came by to support and help. It was a great day...and here’s to the next one!
MORE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MAUERPARK FLEAMARKET HERE
Origins of the Appeal
Here at the Circus we welcome people every day from around the world. As keen travellers ourselves, we have long realised how important travel can be as a means to bringing people together and increasing understanding. At the same time, travel has become a big business, and we recognise that as travellers and hosts we all have a responsibility to minimise the impact of our activities and to operate in as positive a way as possible.
This has led us to a commitment to a sustainable and ethical approach to our activities, but at the same time we are aware that there are other ways that the Circus – the owners, the staff and the guests – can help to make a difference beyond the hostel and the hotel. We were interested therefore in getting involved with a project through which we could take this next step. We asked around our friends and colleagues and one of our team put us in contact with a small organisation from the south of Germany who have been involved for the past ten years in supporting a number of different children’s projects in Nepal.
Kinderhilfe Nepal Mittelfels
Kinderhilfe Nepal Mittelfels is a small humanitarian organisation that works towards raising money for children’s homes and schools in Nepal. The main projects that they have been responsible for have been the building and the financing of a home for 75 children, the sponsoring of educational costs for children in Kathmandu and a small village called Beni, as well as the founding of a school for deaf-mute children in Jumla in the north west of the country.
The projects in Nepal are run by two organisations – the children’s home by the Jürgen Dahm Stiftung, and the schools by the Govinda Development Aid Organisation. Both of the organisations have no political or religious affiliations and are registered and recognised by the Nepalese government. Their concerns are to provide material needs – shelter and education – for children that otherwise would be unable to access them. The projects have allowed many children the chance to live and learn in a safe and secure environment, and have given them opportunities and skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
How to Help
By helping Kinderhilfe Nepal Mittelfels in their fundraising activities, we hope that the Circus can enable the schools and the children’s home to improve the services and facilities available to the children, as well as in the long run increase the number of children who have access to this help. We will be collecting money at our receptions, through the Circus website, and by a series of events in both our hostel and hotel as well as elsewhere in Berlin. You will be able to follow the progress of the fundraising events and the projects in Nepal through our website.
We hope that you can help us support these worthwhile projects, as we believe that with a little effort from all of us we can make a massive difference.
