A second family
Protecting, supporting and educating girls at risk
in family homes in a rural village near Pokhara
Youth
Today, 26 children aged 6 to 16 are welcomed and accommodated in the village.
They are placed by social services
The village can accommodate a maximum of 30 children.
In addition, 170 female students will receive vocational training in the central building in 2025, and 200 in 2026.
Certified training courses are offered in information technology, beauty/hairdressing and dressmaking.
OUR THREE PILLARS
Integral Development
To heal, to feed, to clothe, to blossom, to love.
The village is a safe and loving place for children to grow up, where they gain the strength to overcome their traumas and move on to a better life. Nannies take care of them in a house, which becomes 'their home'. A playground, pets and the opportunity to return to their families of origin from time to time when possible.
Training for independence
Local and mixed schools in Nepali and English, with support courses in English and IT in the village.
Dance and singing training.
Psychologist on duty.
Vocational training, in the renovated central building: IT, hairdressing/beauty, dressmaking, and opening up to design, animation and hospitality professions.
Some students are supported in setting up their own micro-businesses.
Sustainable development
Farm, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, water, solar panels, waste treatment.
The village has been designed to blend harmoniously into its natural environment, ensuring optimum food and energy independence .Vegetables, milk and eggs are produced on site. Water comes from the mountains, houses are heated by solar panels and waste is recycled by a biogas system that supplies the kitchens with gas.
The village
The village under the stars is called Opportunity Village in Nepal.
It is located some fifteen kilometers from Pokhara, on the Annapurna road, at the foot of the mountains.
Pokhara is the country's second-largest city, on the shores of a lake that attracts many tourists.
The project was initiated in 1998 by the Good Shepherd Sisters to provide care and a fresh start for vulnerable girls at risk, and to protect them from the risks of rape and human trafficking.
These children are placed by Nepal's social services. They have all experienced tragedy in their childhood.
The village had to close in 2017 due to a lack of resources.
Today,thanks to the association 'Un village sous les étoiles', which develops and finances the entire village, the village was declared a MODEL VILLAGE by the authorities in November 2023.
2 houses were rebuilt and inaugurated in August 2021. Two new houses were built and inaugurated on April 30, 2023, one for children andanother larger house to accommodate staff and volunteers.
The central building was completely restructured to become a vocational training center open to other young people from the surrounding area.
In addition, an adjoining building has been given a second floor to house teachers and volunteers.
The project was completed at the end of 2024. The center was inaugurated in March 2025.
The village includes two vegetable gardens, an orchard and a small farm with 4 cows and a buffalo.
Nepal
With a population of 30 million, Nepal is one of the poorest countries on the planet, ranking 143rd in the development index. Its economy is heavily dependent on the salaries of young people working abroad and on tourism.
Families are often broken up. The status of women and girls is still ancestral. Significant efforts have been made with international aid to rebuild the country after the major earthquakes of 2015, but the Coronavirus crisis caused a deep economic crisis, from which the country has not really recovered for lack of investment and economic development;
Climate change and melting glaciers regularly trigger landslides and massive flooding, as in September 2024 .
