At ChoraChori we have been deeply saddened by recent developments around our project work in Nepal.

It will come as no surprise to you that our financial position and fundraising has seen a marked deterioration because of COVID. Specifically, we have experienced an immediate 50% drop in income and an associated sharp reduction in the charity’s reserves. Most critically, mid-year we lost a key corporate funder in the UK whose £3,000 per month regular donation had covered our all-important support costs in both the UK and Nepal. Without this administrative support our projects could not run as before and the drain on our reserves meant that, without immediate major cutbacks and restructuring in Nepal, ChoraChori would have to cease to operate by March or April next year.

In April this year, in anticipation of a major funding shortfall (although not to the degree as actually transpired), we invited our historical Nepal partner, the independent NGO ChoraChori-Nepal (CC-N) to suggest programme cutbacks. We were surprised - and disappointed - to learn from the CC-N Executive Director (ED) that the NGO wished to move out of providing high-risk refuge care for children in favour of conducting less challenging community-based projects. This led to exchanges over how we could possibly reduce at least the financial risks by establishing a local refuge reserves fund, but these discussions were then overtaken by events with the aforementioned loss of our corporate donor in July. After long and painstaking consideration, we felt that the refuge would indeed have to close in the last quarter of this year along with lay-off of refuge staff and central support staff at CC-N by the end of December.

Closure of the refuge would involve the reunification of some of the 21 children in CC-N’s care with families (where safe and possible to do so) with appropriate financial support. ED CC-N accepted my offer to use my international contacts to identify a suitable alternative care centre for the children who could not be reunited. Fortunately, our U.S. partner, Her Future Coalition, was able to recommend to us an extremely good potential care home that was experienced in managing victims of child sexual abuse and willing to accept the children on a long-term basis without any financial expectations. But this would of course require confirmatory visits to the NGOs’ respective facilities.

In view of the excellent and committed service that the fantastic CC-N refuge staff had given over the years, and our longstanding relationship, the Trustees gave a verbal agreement to cover local staff salaries until the end of the year. On top of that, we offered to try to find alternative employment for CC-N staff members, given how tough the jobs market has become in Nepal (especially during COVID). I drafted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that set out a possible timetable for the necessary actions that would ensure the welfare of the children and junior staff and the need for a revised “drawdown” budget. Fund transfers were scheduled around achievement of the various objectives. This was all in keeping with the Trustees’ legal obligations to ensure the welfare of beneficiaries (highly vulnerable children) and the sound management of charity resources; the good stewardship of tens of thousands of pounds of donor funds was essential.

We have used MOU’s in our past dealings with Nepal partners – these are formal agreements outlining responsibilities and timelines to avoid confusion, ensure efficiency and provide clear, written commitments. Indeed, ED-CCN called for an MOU in an email in March and we invited him to draft the document (this did not happen). When I produced one in August, ED CC-N was unwilling to discuss the (draft) content, labelling my show of initiative (and good financial practice) as “micromanagement”. Instead, without any forewarning, he announced to his staff on the 19^th August that the refuge would be closing as CC-N only had salary payments available for two months. This was clearly not the full picture. My impression was that this unilateral action was an attempt to create a crisis where none had existed and circumvent established channels and the good governance of ChoraChori. Clearly, the “plight” of children can act as a very powerful emotional lever but we were unwilling to be emotionally blackmailed. Our Trustees have had no alternative in the light of these actions (potential harm to children through rushed reunifications with families and a risk to charity funds) but to cease further funding to CC-N with immediate effect. It is a matter of charity law that if we harbour serious concerns, we must take such swift and resolute action.

This has been a very serious, heart-breaking blow to us but we are determined that our work in Nepal will carry on. We will continue to support the victims of child rape, providing mental health and legal support in conjunction with our other national and international partners. We will provide training and education to vulnerable girls in marginalised communities. And we will offer life-saving support to communities that have been struck by natural disasters, including COVID. Our aim is to make these communities more robust to face such challenges in the future. Meantime, we will try to do all that we possibly can for the refuge children in future but, sadly, in the short term they remain the legal responsibility of CC-N and we cannot intervene.

Over the last five and a half years, ChoraChori has made a massive contribution to CC-N. This has included over £833,000 raised through events, challenges, marathon running (the Chairman of Trustees and myself included) and individual donations large and small according to kind people’s means. Volunteers have travelled at their own expense from around the world to give their time and expertise. It is therefore particularly painful for us to see that the senior management of CC-N has now resorted to contacting our donors to harm our reputation after all that we have given – and gladly so.

I am really sorry for this piece of dreadful news coming at the end of a truly awful year. At ChoraChori we are profoundly disturbed by what has happened. But rest assured that we will continue to do the right thing, observing legal obligations while doing our level best for those who need our help now more than ever.

Philip Holmes

Lt Col (retd)

Founder/CEO ChoraChori