I was recently sent the following document to read. It was written some time ago by Devi Prasad Neupane (Shree Gyanjyoti’s founder). I was really touched by what I read. Not only does it emphasise the importance of enabling children to go to school who wouldn’t otherwise get that opportunity, but it is also so filled with hope.
To suffer such a life changing accident, to then be ostracised and rejected – so many people could just have given up their dreams. Devi Prasad didn’t and as a result of his hope and determination, so many children are now being given an amazing opportunity.
When Dr Pam Dodson provided the funding for Devi Prasad to attend school, she would never have dreamed of the impact that his education would end up having on so many other lives in the future. It is so easy to feel overwhelmed by the size of a task ahead and end up doing nothing but every little thing counts! Thank you for your support of LEARN.
Let Us Gather Up Courage
In 1970 our village acquired a grain mill. The mill was such a novelty that as soon as it started its daily grinding work, the children would rush to watch it operate. I was one of these children. My name is Devi Prasad Neupane, and I was born into a family that could not afford to send me to school. One day, as I stood watching the mill at work, my scarf got caught in the machinery and instantly I was pulled in.
When I woke up I was lying in Tansen Mission Hospital. To my horror, I saw that my left arm and right leg had been amputated, and my left leg was in plaster. Fifteen days later, my left leg developed gangrene and had to be amputated below the knee. I was devastated. My wounds took a long time to heal, but the hospital staff comforted and encouraged me. They cared for me as a mother nursing her infant. Furthermore, they arranged for me to attend a nearby primary school—my first experience in a classroom! I was carried to and from the school every day.
Six months later I was taken to Vellore, India, and fitted with artificial limbs. I could hardly believe it—I had new legs! Slowly and painfully I learned to walk again. When I finally returned home, two years after my accident, I desperately wanted to attend school. Dr. Pam Dodson at Tansen Hospital provided funds for me to enrol in class four, and continue up to class ten.
I decided I wanted to be a teacher, and applied for various teaching positions. But I received rejection after rejection. Schools did not want to hire a handicapped person. I nearly gave up hope, but then a friend’s brother, a local official, recommended me for an appointment at the school in my own village. This time, I was given a chance. Not only did I become a teacher, but I have also received appreciation and awards.
Today I am a happy man with a wife and two daughters. My wife, lamed by polio, shares my experience of the hardship and ostracism suffered by so many disabled people in Nepal. The compassionate help I received from UMN enabled me to ‘gather up courage and move ahead’, a message I share with others with physical disabilities. Compassion and courage have given me a new life.