Gita's Legacy: Education for Nepal's Children

Dear friends,

I am initiating a fundraising campaign to support the education of financially needy students in Nepal in memory of my mother, Gita Karmacharya, who was a schoolteacher for over three decades. She began teaching in a school in Bhaktapur, Nepal, at a time when many students did not use Nepali as their primary language, and all the textbooks were either written in Nepali or English. Throughout her life, she dedicated herself to improving the lives of her students both inside and outside the classroom. She would take her students to the eye doctor and buy them glasses when they needed them, and she even allowed her student to live with us in our small home. I remember her feeling so proud after visiting the doctor's office and discovering that one of her former students had become the doctor. Her greatest accomplishment as a teacher for her was when her former students would stop on the street and greet her saying “Namaste Gita Miss”.

Education is not necessarily free in Nepal. Parents must pay monthly and annual fees, as well as additional expenses for books, lunch, and exam fees, to send their children to school. These costs can easily equate to a significant portion of a family's income, which can prevent children from receiving an education. Providing even a small amount of support for children's education can transform their lives. Rup is one such example (Photos attached). He comes from a remote area of Nepal, and with assistance from similar initiatives, he was able to attend school. He is now pursuing higher education at the University of West London.

I am partnering with Mount Valley School in Bhaktapur https://www.facebook.com/mtvess to support financially and academically deserving students. This is the school I attended for my elementary education and my principal Renuka Gurung gave me a sense of confidence and encouraged me to do better early on. The average annual cost to send a student to Mount Valley is about $375 U.S. dollars. I am starting this fundraising initiative with $4,000 in seed money, which will allow two students to attend school for five years. My goal is to raise an additional $6,000 to support three more children for 5 years. Please consider donating to this cause; every penny will go toward helping a child receive an education.