 Meet Ganga Thapa Magar - An HIO rising star studying on full scholarship at Asian University for Women in Bangladesh. Dear Friends, As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re reminded that our world is in desperate need of more women leaders, now more than ever. Contrary to accepted beliefs in many countries, women have immense value beyond marriage, childbearing and domestic duties. To achieve their full potential, girls must be given opportunities to exercise their voices and explore their passions. To see a bit of themselves in strong women role models they encounter. On her way to earning a Bachelor’s degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, Ganga Thapa Magar is establishing herself as just the kind of leader we need. Ganga grew up in an underdeveloped district in the western hills of Nepal where most families eke out their living as subsistence farmers. Her mother, Raimati, never had the opportunity to go to school as a girl. Raimati was determined that her two daughters would lead more fulfilling lives beyond the limitations of their village. She made a bold decision to send both of her girls to school early. In elementary school, Ganga was creative, curious and expressive. She studied hard, excelled in social studies and history and consistently ranked first in her class. As a fifth grader in 2017, she was invited to attend the highly-esteemed Budhanilkantha School (BNKS) in Kathmandu. With blessings from her family and the loving support of Todd Bliss and Vivian Michaele as her HIO sponsors, Ganga left her home at age 10 to enroll in BNKS as a boarding student.  Ganga, kneeling on the far right, is one of sixteen college-age young women serving as mentors for HIO high schoolers through our Reach for the Stars program. The group actively shares resources and experiences that encourage each girl to achieve her own dreams. Studying at BNKS deepened Ganga’s love of learning. While continuing to excel in her studies, she took full advantage of all the extra-curricular activities the school offered. She brought her can-do attitude to sports, dance, and cultural programs and led with humility as a class prefect and while tutoring younger classmates. She connected with her family when she could, and relished spending time in her village once per year. When offered an opportunity to serve as an HIO mentor, Ganga jumped at the chance. Everyone is so inspired by Ganga’s collaborative spirit. Ganga certainly had all the credentials to pursue a college degree in the U.S., Australia or Canada, as so many of her classmates have done. One in five Nepali students is currently studying abroad. She understood the financial burden this would place on her family, however, and she didn’t want to contribute to “brain drain.” Instead, Ganga made plans to study law in Nepal. With encouragement from her HIO community, she applied to Asian University for Women (AUW) as a Plan B. The school’s focus on developing Asian women to help reshape the world for the better made it feel like the perfect fit. It came as no surprise to us that Ganga was offered a full scholarship.  Binita Gurung, Ganga Magar, Jyoti Kapali and Deepika Devkota use their strong bonds as HIO sisters to help one another shine at AUW. In reflecting on International Women’s Day, Ganga wrote us this note… Ganga’s first six months at AUW have been a whirlwind of learning and networking. She’s performed in Nepali cultural dances, joined a singing group and touched the ocean for the first time. She’s won athletic awards and participated in academic competitions. Last week, she and a classmate from East Timor earned first prize at the National Economic Policy Competition for their proposal, EquiTea, advocating for fair employment practices for tea workers. In our monthly Zoom check-ins with HIO’s AUW girls, we joke that Ganga will have a seat in parliament someday. The way she’s going, this could easily be more than a dream. Ganga truly embodies all we could ever hope for. Many thanks to our donors and sponsors for your continued trust in the power of educating girls and women in Nepal. Their every success is a success for us all. With loving gratitude - Laura and Ricky
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 HIO firmly believes that every Nepali girl and woman deserves the chance to exercise her basic human rights and realize her full potential. Education makes all the difference as the segue to a better life. Dear Friends, According to the The Kathmandu Post, about 300 Nepali NGOs will be defunded for at least 90 days and possibly forever through cuts to USAID. These cuts are already affecting areas of education, health care, agriculture, and social development, stripping people of basic services necessary for their well-being. In the wake of the suffering, we wanted to let you to know that HIO is not being directly affected by the freeze on USAID programs. HIO’s loving commitment to educating girls and their mothers in Nepal remains unwavering. HIO’s operating budget does not depend on US government assistance. Our programming is completely supported by you, our sponsors and donors. Grants we receive from private foundations are not currently subject to US government policy shifts. That’s comforting news. Our ability to provide the caring, effective programming and services you’ve come to expect from this small but mighty organization will remain steadfast. Thanks to you, our investment in the lives of HIO girls encourages a path from generational poverty to a life with financial possibilities. In these gravely uncertain times, HIO remains a beacon of hope. We’re deeply appreciative of your generous donations to our program reserve fund that encourage HIO’s programming to continue undisrupted, even when economic crises arise. Your loyalty to our mission makes this organization thrive. Though our U.S. economy may suffer in the months and years ahead, your strong trust in HIO’s financial stewardship will shine like the eager faces of our girls in Nepal. They depend on us for stability and guidance. We won’t let them down. With deep gratitude — Ricky and Laura  Kistal, a hardworking second grader, is so grateful for the loving support of her HIO sponsor, Chris Sewall, who she met in Kathmandu last November.
 We’re so pleased to welcome Mamata Rai to her new position as Executive Director of HIO-Nepal. The next generation of HIO girls can truly reach for the stars with Mamata serving as their role model and mentor. Dear Friends, Navigating the gender-biased cultural norms deeply entrenched in Nepal’s male-dominated society is a profound challenge, especially for girls and women living on the edge. Mamata Rai, our new Executive Director in Kathmandu, knows firsthand what it’s like growing up within HIO’s loving network of support. First sponsored at age seven, Mamata has an intense desire to pay her own gifts of education forward. To help change the lives of girls and women now under her vigilant care. It’s heartwarming to witness Mamata’s remarkable transformation. Coming from a marginalized, ethnic minority adds an extra layer of complexity to her story. Growing up poor has helped instill in Mamata a sense of humility. With sparkling eyes, sharp wit, and a captivating sense of humor, she demonstrates the wisdom of someone twice her age. It seems a small miracle that Mamata was chosen to be sponsored by HIO. There’s an endless pool of poor children needing support in Kathmandu. Mamata’s mother, Ram Kumari, was a weaver in a small, Tibetan carpet factory. As with most HIO girls, Mamata’s family lived in a tiny rented room the size of a closet. Even as a young girl, Mamata understood on so many levels that providing for her family would ultimately become her responsibility one day.  As a young HIO-sponsored girl, Mamata was small, solid, verbal and the light of her mother’s eye. She was fiercely committed to getting an education, staying focused and finding a decent job. After Mamata graduated from high school, HIO helped organize a job for her as a “house parent” for the school she attended. She was later offered a job with the Adara group, an Australian based non-profit dedicated to uplifting the poor. The first thing Mamata did with her increased salary was pay for her own social work degree. Passing all of her classes with flying colors confirmed that social work was her calling. Mamata volunteered on the HIO-Nepal board for ten years while employed as a social worker for other non-profits in Nepal. In 2022, she was hired to serve as our full-time Director of Social Services in Kathmandu, working alongside her lifelong mentor, Ram Adhikari. Together, the two were a formidable force for good. With Ram retiring at the close of 2024, Mamata was the logical choice for leading HIO programs into the future.
 With her keen listening, organizational and problem-solving skills, Mamata has earned the trust and respect of all in our HIO community. Mamata is truly a “boots on the ground” director. In addition to managing all administrative aspects of HIO-Nepal, she maintains a regular schedule of home and school visits, helping ensure all HIO girls and their mothers feel seen and heard. Mamata oversees our dedicated and passionate social work team that delivers a range of wraparound social services. Managing food distributions, healthcare, dental visits, emergency relief, as well as afterschool classes for our girls and empowerment programming for their mothers appears effortless under Mamata’s strong leadership.
Please join us in congratulating Mamata on her well-deserved appointment as Executive Director. Our organization is in excellent hands to effectively implement our mission. Mamata’s success is truly a success for us all. With loving gratitude - Ricky and Laura Dear Friends, Ram Adhikari’s retirement celebration this week was filled with deep emotions. Above all, an immense sense of gratitude, recognizing Ram’s consummate leadership, heartfelt guidance, dedication and compassion for the countless lives he touched. In preparation for Ram’s retirement, Mamata Rai, our Director of Social Services, asked the HIO community to share reflections about Ram. With notes coming from all corners of the globe, the outpouring of love he received was remarkable. It’s clear that Ram has left a lasting impression on all who are connected to our HIO family.  Binita, Shreejana, Mamata, Manisha, Samjhana, Sukrima and Rupesh are all former HIO students who blossomed into valued staff and board members for HIO-Nepal through Ram’s strong leadership and kind heart. Throughout his 30 year career, Ram always encouraged our HIO girls and their mothers to be their best selves. He was often the valued and beloved father figure that was missing in the lives of those whose own fathers had abandoned their family. An excellent listener, Ram looked for the spark in each of our girls that could lead her toward a more fulfilling future. He helped them approach life’s challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Ram has made Hands in Outreach much of what it is today. Over the past six months, he’s worked hard to transfer a lifetime of boots-on-the-ground experience to our tireless social work team in Nepal. Several of our rising HIO staff members were sponsored children themselves. Raised in the Ram tradition, they’ve been encouraged and inspired by his steadfast ideal that the power of education transforms lives. They’re smart, strong and brave and firmly committed to carrying Ram’s unmistakable legacy forward. As he gracefully steps down from HIO leadership, Ram has instilled in our HIO community an unwavering ethic that reaches for excellence, innovation and service above self. Ram will forever and always be the face of HIO. We’re humbled and ever grateful. With loving gratitude, Ricky and Laura  Bimala Rawal is an ICU nurse in a major NYC hospital who’s paying her gift of education forward as an HIO sponsor. Her words beautifully express the sentiments of so many of her HIO sisters.
I want you to know, Ram, how deeply grateful I am for your presence in my life. A young girl from a remote village has traveled the world, built a life of her own, and now supports her family. The ripple effects of your kindness and support extend far beyond what you can see, profoundly touching not just my life, but the lives of other people around me. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for shaping my life in such a meaningful way.  Your donations helped us distribute new track suits and socks to HIO girls living in Balkhu who’d been affected by recent flooding. Pabitra loved the new boots her sponsor, Sarah Barnum, sent along. Dear Friends, Last week, I arrived home from an uplifting and inspiring trip to Nepal, just in time for Thanksgiving. I’m grateful for the privilege of spending three weeks with our social work team on the ground transforming lives through the power of education. Grateful to Ricky for introducing me to this amazing community that’s become my passion and heart’s work. And grateful for your steadfast support of HIO’s vital mission. When I first landed in Kathmandu, the Dassain holiday had just passed. Tihar was nearing, and the tourist season was in full swing. Buildings were draped in twinkling lights and a joyful, festive air defied the devastating monsoon season that had ripped through the city just a few weeks before. Washed out roads, damaged bridges and lingering relief workers were grim reminders of the challenges that continue plaguing this developing nation.  Aayushma, in eleventh grade, is so appreciative of her gift of education from Ann Rollins and Jim Jose. She’s proud to serve as a role model for girls like Aarya, now in third grade. After scooping me into a bear hug at Tribhuvan airport, Mamata quickly put me to work. She outlined a busy schedule for my stay, immersing me in home visits, school visits, and strategic planning meetings. Our social work team was completing assessments of each HIO family’s needs following the floods and organizing individualized relief plans. One size never fits all in emergency situations and the long-term impacts can be crippling. Our staff’s deep understanding of each HIO girl’s home life allows us to offer a unique level of care while keeping the focus on school. Our Reach for the Stars mentorship initiative is taking shape beautifully. It’s truly heartwarming seeing our older girls paying their gift of education forward. Several girls, like Aayushma, serve as afterschool tutors for their younger HIO sisters, with a particular focus on math and science. Other girls volunteer at our food distributions and health camps, where many hands make light work. Under Mamata’s direction, a core group of HIO young women is developing valuable leadership skills as they help counsel eleventh and twelfth graders making higher education and career decisions. This week, the group went on a rock-climbing and hiking adventure for team-building and strategizing. Their commitment and youthful energy leave me breathless.  Samikchya reads a note from her sponsor, Jess Stewart, with the help of Lata Rai, a valued member of our social work team. Ram and Mamata have done an excellent job over the past two years creating a caseload system for our dedicated social work team so that no girls fall through the cracks. Our social workers - Shreejana, Lata, Sushila, and Samjhana - each served as my guide for one day of home visits, allowing me to fully experience their day to day work crisscrossing this hectic city filled with traffic, smog and dust. Checking in with all of our girls and their families regularly is nothing short of heroic in this harsh environment. Seeing our girls’ eyes light up when I arrive with notes or small packages from their sponsors makes every trip across the city worthwhile. Listening to their stories of struggle and resilience makes me yearn to do more. In early November, a group of adventurous HIO supporters joined me for a trek to Ama Dablam Base Camp in the Solukhumbu region. How exciting for some of our girls and their mothers to meet them in person when we returned to the city for a few days. These heartfelt global connections are so important in fostering our girls’ determination to succeed. Creating safe, supportive communities for girls and women to pursue their dreams is key to encouraging a more just world. With your support, a remarkable sisterhood of smart, brave young HIO women is growing stronger by the day. They’re developing all the skills needed to become leaders who will help guide us toward brighter tomorrows. What wonderful reminders they all are to focus on goodness and maintain hope. With love and deep gratitude - Laura  Sujata Tamang, in her third year of law school in Kathmandu, was delighted to share her hopes and dreams with Michelle Hoffmeister, an energetic HIO supporter who joined my trek. Last summer, Michelle generously hosted Sujata’s sister, Shristi, as she prepared for her first year at Bates College. The great tote bag Michelle is carrying was lovingly crafted by HIO mothers!
 HIO families in Balkhu are coping with the aftermath of unprecedented rainfall and flooding. Dear Friends, Today is the official start to the Dashain festival, the most auspicious holiday celebrated in Nepal. People living in Kathmandu are eager to leave for their villages to gather with family members and relatives. Sadly, recent flooding and landslides caused by unprecedented late-season monsoon rains are putting a damper on the occasion. The disaster has caused 238 deaths and counting throughout Nepal. Many people are missing or injured. The Kathmandu Valley suffered significant damage with roads, homes, bridges and critical infrastructure now destroyed. Our social work team on the ground has been hard at work assessing the impact on HIO families and providing relief from the chaos. Thankfully, all of our girls are safe and accounted for. HIO families in the Balkhu slum have been deeply affected. This squatter community lies along the banks of the Bagmati river, making it particularly vulnerable to seasonal floods. Three days of steady rain this week caused riverbanks to overflow, bringing a steady wash of mud and debris into first floor rooms where many HIO families live. Bedding and household supplies were ruined. Girls’ school uniforms, books and supplies are now unusable.  Sushila Chaurel, HIO-Nepal’s Social Services Manager, assesses flood damage in the heart of the Balkhu Slum where many HIO families live. The Nepal government is coordinating disaster relief efforts, offering food, medicine, clothing and temporary shelters. We’re quietly supplementing this effort for HIO families, providing uniforms and school materials to students who’ve suffered loss. We opened our two learning centers as safe havens for HIO families who needed a brief escape from the devastation in their home communities. We’re offering counseling over the phone and through home visits. HIO’s educational interventions are successful because of our holistic, family-centric approach. The wraparound social services HIO provides are vital for our girls to fully benefit from their access to school. The 2015 earthquakes, pandemic lockdowns and annual floods have led us to systematize emergency response protocols. We want our girls to feel encouraged to focus on their studies, despite routine crises that befall their vulnerable communities. Nepal is known throughout the world for its breathtaking topography. This natural beauty, however, makes the country particularly susceptible to devastating impacts of climate change. Conditions of poverty, coupled with natural disasters, could easily lead our girls into hopeless abandon. Empowering them to rise from the grip of illiteracy, ill health and despair through your gifts of education shifts this narrative. With your kind support, everything is possible. With gratitude — Laura and Ricky  We’ve begun fitting our girls for new uniforms and replacing school supplies that were lost in the flood.
 In 1992 at age nineteen, Ram was a proud, new father to Kusum while serving as father figure to 75 sponsored girls as HIO Assistant Director. Dear Friends, After 30 years of dedicated service to the poor, Ram Gopal Adhikari has decided to retire. He longs for a slower pace. Fewer jostling bus rides to and from the chaotic city. More time for walks, country bike rides and tending the flowers and veggies in his garden. A respite from the heavy burden of caring for 175 girls and their families. Raised in Dhulikhel, a small village about two hours drive east of Kathmandu, Ram is the eldest son of five children. When he was a student, Ram had to find his own resources for books and a uniform. On his family’s land, he planted and harvested potatoes, beans and corn that were sold to others. It was a hard, lean life and Ram was left to prosper or fail.  Ram and Ricky chanced to meet on the first HIO Nepal trip in 1991. Ram was amiable and spoke perfect English. A tall, lanky tenth-grader with sparkling eyes and a ready smile. When he had extra time, Ram led tourists on day hikes from the hotel near his home to earn a few extra dollars. A kind woman in the group, Donna Melillo, became Ram’s HIO sponsor. Ram was living on his own, struggling to pay for high school in Kathmandu. HIO sponsorship was a great relief. Two years later, Ram became the first HIO student to graduate from high school. Somehow when Ricky arrived in Nepal each year, Ram would meet him at the Hotel Vajra. He'd stick with Ricky every day acting as translator, street guide and cultural consultant. His service in those early days was invaluable. In his twenties, Ram served as HIO’s in-country Assistant Director for several years and then became Director in 1997.  Serving as the conduit between Aarya and her sponsors, Sari and Dana, Ram brilliantly fosters global connections. Inner-city social work is a demanding job. Kathmandu is a noisy, dusty, overcrowded city with some of the worst air pollution in the world. Clusters of families live close by, along with girls who live miles away on the outskirts of the city. With no street addresses, Ram has to know where each girl lives or ask neighbors for directions. He knows the names of every girl in the program, along with the grueling details of their home-life conditions.
Ram is a valued father figure, so often missing in the lives of so many HIO girls whose fathers have abandoned their families. He always encourages our girls to be their best selves. Ram’s selfless service, leadership, guidance, dedication and compassion are a lasting inspiration for us all. His extraordinary legacy has made Hands In Outreach much of what it is today, and we’re ever grateful. With deep gratitude — Ricky and Laura  We welcomed thirteen girls into our sponsorship program this spring and gave each one an HIO backpack filled with books and supplies to get started. We can’t wait to see your gifts of education continue transforming these beautiful, young lives. Dear Friends, Over the past several weeks, we’ve gotten the new Nepali school year underway, shared the joy of our older girls’ academic achievements and launched a cervical cancer prevention initiative for our community. We hope these updates from the field will bring you a smile. The astonishing gains our girls and their mothers make through your kindness are made even more remarkable when we consider the overwhelming inequalities of caste, class and gender they’re working so hard to overcome. Your belief in their potential to create a more promising world is our inspiration. Every success for an HIO girl is truly a success for us all. With deep gratitude and hope, Laura and Ricky  All of our tenth graders passed the Secondary Education Exam with flying colors. Congratulations on this monumental achievement! SECONDARY EDUCATION EXAMS (SEE) In Nepal, every tenth grader is required to take the Secondary Education Exam (SEE). It’s referred to by our girls as the “iron gate” that determines next steps toward college and career choices. Students who score high enough are eligible to pursue a science track in 11th and 12th grades, leading to careers in medicine, engineering, or technology. Some who pass the SEE follow a business or liberal arts track on their way to decent professions. Some of our SEE takers are now also exploring their interests in vocational fields such as cosmetology or fashion design while finishing their high school education. Each HIO girl has her own gifts.  Ganga, in the center, is an inspiring HIO mentor who will soon join three of her HIO sisters studying at the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh. Amrita, on the left, exceeded her goals on the SEE exam by earning a B+, and is excited to study business. Mikisa, on the right, earned the highest SEE score among our HIO girls…A+! She’s well on her way to achieving her dream of studying medicine. REACH FOR THE STARS MENTORSHIP INITIATIVE We launched a mentorship initiative this spring that’s helping each of our high school girls navigate next steps. How great! Sixteen young women studying in college were selected to serve as mentors for two or three of their younger HIO sisters. Under the brilliant guidance of our Nepal team, our new mentors are taking their leadership role very seriously. Their willingness to share fresh ideas and their commitment to paying it forward truly define what it means to be an HIO girl.  Last month, volunteers from the EkEk Paila Community Health Center administered the HPV vaccine to over 200 girls and young women in our HIO community, completing the initial phase of our cervical cancer prevention initiative. CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION
Promoting the health and well-being of our HIO girls is a number one priority of our social service program. Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women in Nepal. It’s the only form of cancer preventable through vaccination. The combination of the HPV vaccination and regular cervical cancer screenings is the most effective way to prevent the disease, yet the vaccine is not routinely administered to Nepali teens. Partnering with women's health care providers in Kathmandu, our Nepal team is taking concrete steps to address this major health risk in our community. Since the beginning of this year, we’ve provided awareness workshops and cervical cancer screenings to all of our sponsored girls’ mothers. Mothers who tested positive received potentially life-saving follow up care. Now that all HIO girls eligible for the vaccine have received it, we’ll move into our next phase of systematizing screenings and vaccinations as a benefit of sponsorship in years to come. We’re immensely grateful to the Comeau Family Foundation for making this vital healthcare initiative possible. Nischita recently began first grade as an HIO sponsored girl. Her mother, Chitra, is working toward a high school diploma, sponsored through HIO’s Be Part of Her Dream program. Both are so grateful for this opportunity to change their lives.  Dear Friends, We're seeking support for courageous mothers working toward self-determination in our Be Part of Her Dream (BPOHD) women’s empowerment program. Most of our sponsored girls’ mothers have little formal education, making it nearly impossible to earn decent wages or provide safe, healthy living conditions for their families. They live in cramped rented rooms, working as domestics, construction workers or doing piece work for pennies. BPOHD helps these marginalized women develop confidence and practical skills to change this narrative. Since 1985, HIO has been empowering girls in Nepal through access to education. We have a long history of educating mothers and female caregivers as part of our overall strategy for alleviating poverty. Our programs fully embrace two generations, providing both sponsored girls and their mothers the basic right to attend school— the fundamental benefit of education these mothers were denied as young girls. Your contribution to BPOHD helps bring HIO’s educational intervention full circle, giving daughters and mothers the opportunities they need to lift their families from deep-rooted poverty. A $500 gift will support the education of a woman like Rina for one year.  Denied a chance to go to school as a girl, Rina recently completed a productive year in our BPOHD program with nearly perfect attendance. Rina is so proud to be part of a sisterhood of women like herself who are learning to read and write in English and Nepali, developing financial literacy skills and gaining understanding of their human rights. Rina’s daughter, Priya, is a wonderful inspiration. Now a first-year college student in HIO’s Reach for the Stars program, Priya has been sponsored by the Orsagh family since first grade. In an effort to give back to the organization that’s helped shape her life, Priya serves as an afterschool tutor for younger HIO girls and helps her mother and other women complete their BPOHD homework. Your investment in women’s education is helping achieve the systemic change we hope to see. We’re humbled by your heartfelt, caring support. The power that BPOHD nurtures within our girls’ mothers — their inner drive, resilience, intelligence and grit — has immense capacity to encourage a generational shift toward gender equality in Nepal. A goal every bit worth working toward as we celebrate this Mother's Day.
With deep gratitude and warm wishes - Laura and Ricky Dear Friends, Carolyn Schmitz is a very special person with an enormously kind heart. She’s led numerous trips to Nepal, introducing dozens of people to a landscape and culture she treasures. Carolyn’s love for the HIO community has inspired many people in her circle to become HIO sponsors themselves. After tirelessly serving at different times on the HIO board for about fifteen years, Carolyn is stepping down this month to devote more time to her dear mother Elsa, also an HIO sponsor in her early 90’s, and her new granddaughter, Row.  We’re so grateful for the personable, creative, generous, positive and brave energy Carolyn has brought to HIO’s work over the years. In 2009, Carolyn’s life intersected with young Jyoti Kapali’s when she became Jyoti’s HIO sponsor. The loving connection Carolyn and Jyoti have nurtured from half a world away is truly remarkable. Jyoti was raised in a small neighborhood in Kathmandu close to the fetid Vishnumati River. Her father passed away when she was a young child, leaving Jyoti and her younger siblings in the care of their mother, Thuli Maya, and their aunties, Tara and Kanti. We respectfully referred to the adult care-givers as the Kapali women. From Carolyn’s 2010 journal... After homework we walked Jyoti home. When she reached out for my hand crossing the dusty, garbage lined street, I almost started crying. This warm little girl so quickly opened her heart to me, a complete stranger. Amidst the noise of construction and traffic, we climbed over piles of debris leading to her one room living quarters, home to Jyoti’s two aunties, her mother and younger sister and brother. Her aunties greeted us with smiles and a snack. No furniture was in the room except for an old Singer treadle machine. Blankets were rolled up and stacked in the corner, to pull out for bedding. We sat on the floor, as Ram interpreted our conversation. It was easy to get a sense of how little money this family survived on. I couldn’t help comparing the vast differences of our worlds. It’s a very strange feeling when one contemplates the fate we're all born into. My experience with Jyoti and her family will forever continue to remind me of how fortunate I am. Jyoti had the unusual benefit of growing up with three strong women acting as role models and mothers. Hard-working and diligent care-givers, all three Kapali women, though illiterate, fiercely valued pursuing the dreams an education could provide. Sadly, Thuli Maya passed away from cancer just a few years back. Carolyn’s role as an additional mother figure and friend became ever more vitally important to Jyoti at this time. Jyoti is an equally astonishing young woman, with a wealth of potential to succeed in so many profound ways. She recently completed her first year studying economics at the Asian College for Women (AUW) in Bangladesh, having never before stepped foot outside her small neighborhood in Kathmandu. Jyoti’s full scholarship to AUW is a spectacular achievement. Most of the credit, of course, goes to Jyoti for being such a dedicated student. But it probably would not have happened had Carolyn not mentioned the thought of AUW to HIO’s co-director Laura Hunt.  How proud Jyoti’s mother, Thuli Maya, would have been to live these precious moments in Jyoti’s life as she reaches for her dreams and embraces new opportunities. Together, Carolyn and Laura did the research and hatched a plan. Jyoti, though quite frightened at the prospect of leaving home for the first time, put her trust in her mentors and agreed to embrace the difficult application process. When the acceptance letter came some months later, the two remaining Kapali women were also frightened about Jyoti leaving their home. Ultimately, they gave their blessing to Jyoti, and encouraged her to pursue her education at AUW. Amazing! We can’t thank Carolyn enough for her selfless commitment to our HIO community. She will forever be a face of HIO. How wonderful that she will also forever be a mother figure who Jyoti can count on to share her joys, challenges and successes in years to come. Carolyn Schmitz is such a beautiful inspiration for us all. With deep gratitude - Ricky and Laura Carolyn continues to travel to Nepal, visiting as many sponsored girls as she can. Her warm, caring spirit helps each of our girls feel truly special.  |
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