New Students!Last week we conducted interviews for our next student intake and have now chosen 4 new blind students who will officially begin their massage studies in April. They are:
Shanti Bicar
Shanti is 19yrs and totally blind. Her family are from Parvat district and she has 5 other siblings. She is the only one blind (from birth) but the reason is not known. Her family are from a low caste farming background and cannot support her in her studies. Shanti says life is hard because she cannot easily get the opportunity to study and get a job with her blindness. She would not have been sent to school but a kind lady in her village spoke to her parents and helped to arrange for her to travel to Pokhara to study. She is now at intermediate level (equivalent of a-level) and has learnt basic computer skills. She enjoys listening to the radio in her spare time.
Sarsati Chetri
Sarsati is 20yrs and from Syangja district near to Pokhara. She is partially sighted and can read large print in strong light. She has suffered with blindness since birth but only joined the blind community in Pokhara 3 yrs ago when she came here to study (she has an Aunt and Uncle living here who helped her to do this). There are 11 in her family and although she is the only one blind, she also has a 6 yr old sister who is disabled due to malnutrition. She is now studying English at Intermediate level. In her spare time she enjoys listening to the radio and playing cricket. Earlier this year she became a Christian and says this has been a big change in her life and her faith is helping her to be a better person.
Hari KC
Hari is 22 yrs and from Baglung district (75km away) He is totally blind from birth and has a large and impoverished family background. His father is a subsistence farmer so does not generate his own income. Hari says his parents sometimes give him food but cannot give him any money. Last year one of his sisters died (kidney disease) and his two brothers are also blind. One of them is deaf as well and as the youngest in the family, Hari is the only one capable of generating an income to help support them. Last year he had an opportunity to join a music training course but his parents couldn’t find the fee needed. Hari also plays in the blind cricket team and says he likes to keep himself fit by jogging on campus. He is also studying for a Bachelor in Nepali
Ramji Paudel
Ramji is 21yrs and comes from Lumbini. He is the younger brother of Chiran Jeevi and is partially sighted (can see things only in the distance in strong light). Like Chiran his blindness was also caused by malnutrition, due to the size of their family (15!). Four of their family are blind and their father also suffers from Diabetes and Arthritis. Ramji is also studying for a Bachelor in Nepali. He plays the keyboard and sometimes plays as a bowler in the blind cricket team. He has also learnt some basic computer skills.
As usual we are looking for sponsors to help cover the cost of their training (£35 a month). If you are interested in sponsoring one of our blind students or would like to make a regular donation of any size by standing order, please get in touch.
It is also a joy to see how confident they are and we are really proud of them all and how far they have come. Pictured are Susan and Samrat playing 'blind hide and seek' (he hides in a room and we have to find him blindfolded, then we switch - great fun on quiet days!).
