Himalayan Hope Home

Please take a few minutes to read this beautiful, powerful and profound story of a woman’s struggle, her persistence, and her ability to rise above the obstacles of a culture. Out bright young student, Pasang, shares the story of her mom. Thank you, Pasang, for sharing this with us!

I Am a Strong Girl Because I Am Being Raised by a Strong Woman

By Pasang, grade 8

My mother’s name is Dali . She lives in village with my grandfather and grandmother. She told me her story, how she got married at the age of 15, and how she tried to convince her parents not to force her to get married, but she was compelled because at that time, girls are very old to get married after 15. She thought she was not ready to marry and she didn’t like the boy she was supposed to marry because she heard that he was already married but his wife died. She escaped from home to avoid marriage. She went far from home which took her 3 days, she stayed there and thought about working to earn some money, but her relatives came there and took her back. She had to marry the boy who was a drunk without any property.

After marriage, she went to her husband’s house, where she found literally nothing and her father in law and mother in law were disabled. She was so sad but accepted everything, thinking that it was written in her fate which she couldn’t change. She worked very hard to be successful even though she was never treated well by her father and mother in law. She worked morning to midnight when she was pregnant, and even after she gave birth to me, things were the same, and she never felt happy there. One night when I was 4 months old she got into a big fight with her mother in law; she was told to leave the house. So, she left, carrying me, and spent two nights in a cottage where dry grasses were stored. Then she thought about leaving everything and going back to her parents.

She was doing well with her parents, running a small tea house, raising me alone and helping her parents. Her husband came to her and she forgave him and they both stayed there. After two years, my sister was born, but when my sister was two years old, our father left home and my mum was alone. My eyes filled with tears when I listened to her story of struggle, but one thing she kept in her mind was: everything will be good one day and she had to be strong now for that. She worked very hard, and later, the villagers who used to gossip about her ruined marriage started praising her. She showed them that a single mother can also raised her children and fulfill their needs.

It is very difficult for a mom to send her child far from her, so when she got information about a way to help in my education through The Small World, she was both happy and sad. But she thought about my future, all the good facilities and quality education that I would get, and she sent me here to Himalayan Hope Home. Now she is proud of me. She built a house with her own income and she is a leader of drinking water and electricity of our village. There are no words which can describe her struggle and how strong she is. She is a model of my life and I always try my best to bring a smile on her face.

Today I am graduated as science student and i wish to become a dentist. I am also a Menstrual Hygiene Champion and mentor for young girls at TSW. I run menstrual hygiene sessions with other peers through TSW and i love how iam growing.

Thank You.

10 years ago Pema was among one of 1st group of the girl accepted for their higher education in Solukhumbhu Girls Dorm. She was strong willed and hardworking from the day one.  Out of 40 girls she became one of the school toppers. She was determined to become different person in many ways.

The Small World requires all the girls in our program to give a year of service as they finish their study. Pema  chose to help us to look after Hope Home. Since 2013 she has taken the responsibility of house In-charge for 36 girls and raised them. Her caring nature, friendliness and strong leadership made her a wonderful house in-charge.

During her work as In-charge of Hope Home she also continued her study and learned several languages as well completed mountain guide training. Recently she joined Masters Degree in Crisis Management realizing the need of proper management during any kind of crisis in Nepal.

After 5 complete years at Hope Home she is now training another girl Sujata  to be the House In-charge at Hope Home. Pema will be joining The Small World office and continue to work back in to the communities.

We are all so proud to have girls like Pema to unleash the leader in her and become a role model in the communities where girls are looked down upon.

Links:

• Pema at Himalayan Hope Home video and Girls Stories