Over the course of our week in Rupakot, we visited many families to gather information for both the school part and the hospital part of Avasar. Seeing the homes that many people live in, the lengths they have to go through to get water, to get to school, to carry out their daily lives, it is difficult to be unaffected. I often wondered why I was so lucky. Why was I given the life I have, instead of being born into one of these homes?
One day we went to visit Avasar’s Little Star English Boarding School, a 30-minute hike from Nabaraj’s house. Getting there isn’t easy. After you walk along the ledges of the rice paddies, as you do to get to most places in the valley, you make your way across a river. Right now, during the dry season, the stream is small, and fairly easy to cross for the accustomed Nepalis. Finding steady rocks that poke out of the water so our shoes don’t get wet is sometimes trying for us, but the kids usually just stomp right through the water. During the monsoon season, which will begin in a few weeks, the river swells to shoulder high, posing a big problem for half of the villagers who live on this side of the water. The small kids need to be carried across to make it to school. Moving the school wouldn’t solve any problems though, because the river runs straight through the village separating the residents.
By the time we arrived, out of breath and sweating from the intense heat, I had blisters from my new sandals. As I stood complaining to my dad about my sore feet, we watched the kids playing soccer during their break. One 11 year old boy, D.P,, hobbled after the pack of his classmates chasing the ball. D.P. has a drop foot, a condition that prevents him from flexing his one foot, causing him to limp. This is a condition that is easily fixed in the US with physical therapy or splints, but not in Nepal. Thankfully, here his peers never tease him, but always wait for him to catch up with the rest of the pack. These children have touched us beyond imagination.
The children of Little Star English Boarding School. “Boarding” refers to a private school. The other type of school in Nepal, the public schools, are called “government schools.”
My dad “helping” the men dig. The classrooms are being renovated as more students arrive. Nabaraj hopes to purchase a new plot of land nearby as the school continues to establish itself as the premier private school in the area.
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