Friday, May 11, 2018

Yashoda's Story

Hello Eveyone,

On our way back to Cambodia from Nepal, our friends at WELNepal referred us to Yashoda, a young woman who was facing difficulties. Her story is a difficult one so we will only use her first name, which is common in Nepal.

Yashoda moved to Kathmandu to find work so she could try to pay for her education and eventually help her family escape the clutches of poverty. She and her family live in one of the hardest hit areas of the disastrous earthquake that struck Nepal in April​ ​ 2015. Her family home was totally destroyed and due to their impoverished state, Yashoda, her parents and siblings have been living under tarps for three years.

Our experience in Nepal was interesting and inspiring but uncomfortable due to the cold and foggy conditions in late January and early February and we were not in the mountains but in the lowlands where the climate is more moderate; we can only imagine how difficult her life was in the mountains under much colder conditions.

Yashoda moved in with relatives in Kathmandu. But one of those relatives, a person with mental health problems started persecuting and physically assaulting her. Under those horrific conditions Yashoda could no longer live there. On our last day in Kathmandu we arranged to meet her. Yashoda sat at a table with her cousin, she was very timid and withdrawn; she had a black eye, swollen hands, was covered in bruises and her hair was cut very short so they could treat the wounds in her scalp.

Yashoda is now safe and living with her cousin and his wife who are also quite poor. Too poor to be able to afford Yashoda's school fees, even too poor to be able to keep her well fed and clothed. After speaking with Yashoda we were very moved by her courage. K.I.D.S. is now providing her with a monthly stipend to assist her with living expenses and sponsoring her tuition towards a bachelor's degree in business. Our friends Raj and Harimaya, who coordinate projects for K.I.D.S. and WELNepal, are keeping in touch with her and monitoring her education and safety.

Sometimes people come across your path that you cannot walk away from. Thanks to K.I.D.S. supporters and donors we are able to assist this young woman to create a better path for herself and her family.

Your contributions continue to change lives and reshape futures. Thank You!

All the best,
Rick and Adrianne