I first met Rabina in 2016 while I was volunteering with the Friends of Himalayan Children (FHC) as a teacher at Batase School in Nepal. The school is at the heart of a poor remote farming village north-east of Kathmandu overlooking the Himalayas.

Makeshift classrooms of corrugated iron were erected in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquakes. The natural disaster claimed 9,000 lives and destroyed the school and nearby Friends of Himalayan Children Hostel.

The grade 4 class was notoriously challenging to teach, with more than 30 children who were only just starting to grasp basic English. I did my best, attempting to deliver the curriculum and inject some fun by teaching Australian songs. Amid the chaos, a confident girl emerged at my elbow as I wrote on the board, thrusting her completed work at me for approval. It was Rabina. I was immediately struck by her focus while most of the children around her played up, her determination to do well, and her need for approval. I saw a lot of myself in her.

Rabina and I strengthened our bond at the Friends of Himalayan Children Hostel, where she and her younger brother had come to live earlier that year. Their parents had younger mouths to feed and were struggling to make ends meet. Rabina regularly asked me to set her extra work outside of the classroom so she could learn faster. She had a particular interest in science and told me her dream was to become a nurse.

During my month in the village, I accompanied Rabina on a bus trip to the nearest medical centre a treacherous hour-and-a-half bus ride down the mountain to seek treatment for pain in her leg. Rabina had grown up in the lowlands, and the doctor said the discomfort was related to her adjusting to a higher altitude. My husband and I were already sponsoring six-year-old Jenisha through the Friends of Himalayan Children but I had grown very fond of 10-year-old Rabina and knew we had to support her as well.

Rabina is now 16 and in grade 10, the final year level available at Batase School. She is a top student who excels in everything she does and has represented the school in regional volleyball and speaking competitions. Rabina has stayed true to her ambition to become a nurse. She takes her responsibility to her family incredibly seriously and wants to earn a decent living to support her younger siblings through their education, knowing the power it has to change the course of their lives.

It is the dream of FHC Founder Som Tamang to raise the $100,000 or more needed to extend Batase School to grade 12. In the meantime, his organisation is reliant on sponsorship to help send students wishing to continue their senior education to schools several hours away.

I have seen the difference investing in the lives of these young women through Friends of Himalayan Children has made. Instead of marrying as teenagers or working for a pittance as a labourer or in domestic service, Batase’s girls are now becoming trekking guides, social workers, and teachers.

In her beautiful writing, Rabina recently told me:

"One day I will complete my dream. I will (be) hard working. No pain, no gains. I face the difficulties with courage. I can struggle to make my life bright in future and my family and you and your family happy."

I would like to ask for your support to help Rabina complete her studies in Kathmandu and fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse. Any amount would be amazing. The funds will be used towards lodging, food, uniforms, and enrolment fees.