School for a better Humla

My name is Surya Shahi, I was born in Humla, Nepal in 1995. Thanks to much generosity I had the opportunity to come to the United States to attend college as an International Student. Though my story has inspired many, unfortunately, it is not reflective of the larger student population in my native country---where even the most capable student is shut out of education.

I grew up in, Humla, which is now the poorest districts in Nepal.  There are no roads, no transportation, and electricity.  My family and neighbors struggle to eat, find jobs and have access to proper health services and education. UNESCO reports that the literacy rate in Humla is 47% making it one of the least literate districts in Nepal. Enrollment in basic education (grades 1-8) for girls is 81% and 84% for boys, but enrollment in secondary education (9-10) is only 42% for girls and 54% for boys. The drastic decline shown in these statistics is a result of two factors. The first is lack of quality education available in Humla and the second the individuals fear that the education will not amount to anything.

Thanks to my godparents, I received the opportunity to pursue my education in international schools and complete my education in an American university. However, many of my friends and family members weren't as fortunate and it is heartbreaking that these opportunities aren't currently accessible to them.

In the summer of 2015, I received a phone call from my worried father. He told me that my younger sister Sapura had passed her School Leaving Certificate (SLC) with a grade equivalent to a B, making her eligible to study at the university. I was extremely excited that she battled all odds and would be the only girl in my village to go to college. However, my family could not support her financially and what made matters worse, was the fact that the villagers were pressuring my parents to marry my 15-year-old sister off. This infuriated me; I wanted my sister to have the opportunities that I had been fortunate to receive. Hearing my sister cry on the phone and say that it was over for her, I could not just stand by, so I promised her that she would go to college and fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse and helping our district.


To attend her three-year college program, Sapura needed $10,000 in one month. I got a group of friends together and began a campaign to send Sapura to college. Our strategies included: Indigogo, social media campaign, fundraising events, and organization outreach. By the end of the month, we succeeded in raising the $10,000. My sister Sapura is currently finishing her degree as a lab technician in a school in Nepalgunj, Nepal.

The triumph of being able to send my sister to school ignited in me a new passion and hope that other kids like her could receive education too. With this new found motivation, I created the Sapura Dream Foundation. The goal of the foundation was to provide students in Humla access to quality education which could help them pursue higher education in order to uplift their lives.


Sapura Dream Foundation plans to build a school for the price of $45000. A school that will host students all the way to 10th grade (which in Nepal is the end of high school).  I recently became the recipient of the Samuel Huntington Public Service Award, which is $15,000 to work towards this dream (article of the award ). Rural Empowerment and Development Initiative (READI) has pledged $7,000, that brings us to $22,000. Now we need $23,000 to reach our financial goal. If we can raise more money that would be even better. In addition, $7,000 will be required to sustain the school for the first year before the sustainable model commences. 


THE IMPACT

Humla is one of the poorest districts in Nepal. If a school of such a nature could be built, it would make huge differences in the lives of the children. They would have a fighting chance in life, they would not have to marry as young as 13 and start a family. They will be able to break that poverty cycle. Not only that, these children if given the opportunity are most likely to return to their communities and create change, as I aspire to do.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you are unable to make a monetary contribution, you can help us out by sharing news and updates about our campaign on facebook, twitter, Tumblr, email, and word-of-mouth. We greatly encourage you to share our campaign with your friends, family, co-workers, religious leaders, teachers, and fellow students.

Together we can build a movement TALK ABOUT IT - TWEET ABOUT IT - INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK ABOUT IT!