By Amy Fowler | Communications Manager
In Nepal, 27% of children under the age of 15 suffer from some form of disability, often from untreated injuries, that can condemn them to a lifetime of suffering and isolation. That could easily have been the case for Homnath, who was born with clubfoot, if not for his father’s unwavering dedication, and the Hospital and Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children’s transformative surgery. Here is Homnath’s story.
The rumors had already begun to spread moments after Homnath was born: “Jagat’s wife gave birth to a boy with bange [deformity].” The relatives and neighbors suspected the family might have had done something wrong in their previous life and were being punished in the form of this boy with the twisted feet. Discrimination followed Homnath into childhood. He was excited to enroll in school, until classmates and friends began to tease him, mimicking his unsteady gait.
His father, Jagat, searched for years for a cure without luck—until luck found him. One of Jagat’s colleagues brought him to an HRDC disability orientation session, where he learned that Homnath was not alone in his condition and that it was treatable. Homnath was taken to HRDC, where they diagnosed him with clubfoot and determined it could be corrected with surgery.
The family’s excitement was checked by concern. They were from a Dalit (Untouchable) community, dependent on Jagat’s meager earnings from seasonal labor, and couldn’t possibly afford the multiple surgeries required. The outreach team, however, assured them that at HRDC no child is turned away for lack of funds.
The treatment took five years: after separate surgeries and temporary implants in each leg, followed by physiotherapy and an assistive device, his legs were fully corrected. However, HRDC didn’t stop there. They made arrangements with a jewelry workshop, where Homnath learned to design gold ornaments—now he is proudly able to contribute to the family with his earnings. At the same time, he continued his education and completed school.
Homnath and his family are overjoyed. His father Jagat tearfully expressed his gratitude to HRDC for giving his son an independence he could once only dream of.
Today, thanks to the incredible work of Dr. Ashok Banskota and his team, 80,000 children have been healed from debilitating injuries. HRDC is a world-class orthopedic hospital, whose caring staff skillfully mend the bodies and spirits of the poorest Nepali kids in need of care, for little or no cost. Stories like Homnath’s are why the American Himalayan Foundation has been supporting the work of HRDC for almost 30 years.
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