What have you made possible!
Divya came to see me this morning with
her 1st Term Examination Report Card. I had gone to collect the
report card yesterday to her school. If you don’t remember Divya, here’s a
quick flashback. She was studying in Teresa Academy and was struggling very
hard to pass in every exam. She requested us to admit her in a Nepali medium
school because she thought English was very difficult for her. So we admitted
her in Grade VI this year at Baba Boarding School, a morning school located at
Tilganga that’s run as a private school till Grade V and as a public since Grade VI.
So, she came this morning. She
scored 64% and stood first in her class. When I was at her school yesterday,
she also introduced me to her friend who stood second. Divya was super- duper
excited and I am just so glad that we didn’t insist her on studying in an
English medium school. There is another little girl we are supporting right
now. She is way above the age for studying in Grade I but she comes to school and
attends classes with kids younger than her. We can see how difficult it is
for her but she doesn’t want to change her school. In either case, we are just
happy to let the kids do what they like to do. And while they do all that, we give them plenty of small presents every now and then which gets them really excited.
Two years of starting with FFE and
we’ve had some terrible failures. Roughly, six young girls and a boy have
dropped out of school in these two years. Of the six, we know two girls are now
married and even separated and back to their parents’ house. One of the girls
we initially planned to support also has a kid now and her husband has
abandoned her for another girl. This young mother was not even 16 when she had
her first child. No, this didn’t happen in a remote village in Nepal. This
happened in Kathmandu, supposedly one of the most happening and developed
cities in Nepal. It is unfortunate that these girls couldn’t enjoy their
childhood and teenage in a true sense. Sadly, we couldn’t do much for them. But
we’ve learnt our lessons, the hard way!
One of the most important lessons
I have learnt in these two years is to just let the kids be. There were times
when we used to be so bogged down by how the kids were performing in school. How
they were behaving! How they were coming to school so untidy and dirty! Then I
see these young girls like Divya, Sarswoti and Laxmi who are so well behaved, tidy
and focused in their studies that the troubles with other kids just don’t seem
to be of much importance. I am much hopeful that with time they will just be
fine. As long as they come to school and play and eat and have fun, I am fine.
In ten days, we complete 2 years
of serving the first meal to six children. The number of kids that we are now supporting
is 13 with the youngest in Grade L.K.G. and the eldest in Grade X.
These two years have been absolutely
beautiful in so many ways. I have come across so many wonderful people who have
been kind and thoughtful and generous. The kids teach us so many lessons about
life and their everyday struggles that no matter how big a problem appears, the
smile on our kids’ faces tells us that we’ll sail through it. In an attempt to
change their lives, our lives have changed drastically. Our priorities have
changed. We are surer every day that their life will change for better. And it’s
because of people like you this miracle has been possible.
I bow down. I put my hand on my
heart. I thank you all.
To view more pictures: https://www.facebook.com/foodforeducation/photos_stream
To donate:
Account Title: FOR EDUCATION FOUNDATION
Account Number: 04001030254199Bank Name: Nepal Investment Bank Limited- Lagankhel Branch
Account Type: Current Account
Swift Code: NIBLNPKT
Comments
Post a Comment