My old home in the Mountain

   Hello & Namaste!
My name is Aita Maya Tamang. I am from Ruby Valley, Dhading-Nepal. In my family there are 5 daughters and 2 sons. Among them, I am the youngest daughter in my family. In my village, there aren’t  any proper facilities of schooling to provide education. Educating girls isn't a priority for villagers. 
                 When I was a child, my sisters and I were forced to leave our village, family and friends due to poverty, child marriage, and human traffcking. I was protected by my sister Ganga and founder Lila Ghising. They brought me to safe-home. I remembered when I left my village I was scared and I didn’t understand the language and culture in the city. I thought I was sold. It took me a while to realize I was safe. Now, I know  I ‘m lucky to be here. I met many sisters like me and found my second family.
                  Many of my childhood friends in the village who were forced into a child-marriage already have their own children. Daily basis they experience poverty and abuse by their partners. I believe the same thing  would have happened to me,  if I weren’t given the opportunity to be in the safehome. I have lived in a safe home for 10 years and I have graduated from high school. And I am going to start college for  higher education. Through the WPC-Nepal safe home organization, many children like me are getting a new life and finding a new family.  They provide good education, shelter, meals, love and acceptance. 
                    Now I ‘m an adult and I have to start supporting myself for higher education. I am starting my side- business with help from Nari- Boutique to utilize my talents and interests. I want to support myself through my Aita Art Gallery. Your purchase will assist me to support my college education and other expenses. You can place your order and I will ship directly from Nepal.
                     This painting encaptures my village and its beautiful surroundings. When I was a child I lived in this village with my parents in the Himalayan region of Nepal. The houses of my village are surrounded by beautiful mountains and snow all year round. The villagers were mostly Buddhist and kept these cotton, colorful flags called Prayer Flags, each color with a different meaning/prayer. The houses were made of stones, wooden planks on the roof, and molded with red soil from the ground floor and white soil on top. Due to modernization and the devastating earthquake in 2015, the original homes were destroyed and replaced by tin roofs and completely different structures. I miss my old home made by my ancestors; it was the place where I was born. We often say that old is gold. In painting this landscape, I am preserving the past, paying respect to my village and its beautiful mountains and hills.
 
Artist: Aita Maya Tamang
Address: Nepal-4
Date:  December 1, 2020
Size: “18*24” inch