Colors of Rainbow

Photo and Text by Nabin Baral

Children who are HIV positive are often denied for school education in Nepal. Due to the stigma and misinformation surrounding HIV/AIDS, schools are too frightened to enroll them. To fill the gap an alternative school called the Saphalta HIV Shiksya Sadan School, has been set up in just for HIV-positive children in Kritipur of Kathmandu Valley .The school also runs a shelter within the school where all the children live together.

There are seven children in the school shelter, between the age of 5 to 11, living happily like other normal children. Most of their holidays are full of extra activities like playing, drawing, singing dancing, visiting a new place bringing colors and happiness to their life.

Today, 30th march 2013 is Saturday. Seven children of Saphalta HIV Shiksya Sadan School start  to shine like the rainbow with their own interest of color after breakfast in the morning.

Puspa likes to play with ball, Him Raj Chand wants to play Racket, Urmila Aryal likes to clean her room because today is her birthday Manju Chand wnants to watch cartoon in TV.

Umesh Rana Magar, 6, from Dang district smiles to lens . He studies in class one in the alternative school, of Saphalta HIV Shiksya Sadan.

Manju Chang helps her friend Urmila to cumb her hair by holding their common mirror.

Him Raj Chand, 5, from Dang, plays in the gallery of the shelter. His died father because of HIV/AIDS

The seven children with different interests unite to play a Nepali local game, a game that many normal Nepali Children play in their childhood, in front of the shelter. The name of the game is “Yeti Yeti Pani, Gangai Rani”.

Him Raj Chand and Urmila Aryal perform in Gangnam Style to celebrate the birth day of Urmila.

Prakash Bhandari, Kim Raj Khadka and Umesh Rana Magar pray before eating their lunch.