Chandra is a fourteen-year-old little girl who was born blind. She's cute with an engaging personality. She is in the fifth grade, and like many of our kids, she is behind in her schooling. She will be with us for seven more years. Her father left her mother and remarried when Chandra was an infant. Chandra's had a rough life, but that's changing! She hopes to be a schoolteacher to help educate the blind.

Sapana, eight years old, was born with very poor vision. Her father had her eyes checked, but the specialist said there was no cure. Sapana's vision is very blurry, but she's able to manage with the use of a stick. I’ve seen these blinds navigate the rugged, mountainous terrain, and it is amazing! She was in poor health when she came to our blind home in March 2023 but has improved since being with us and has started the first grade.

Hari Ram was injured as a child when he was accidentally struck in the face with a piece of firewood. We don't know if the injury or infection caused him to lose his eyesight, but poor hygiene and the absence of medical care in the remote villages can sometimes turn a moderate injury into a serious one. As development comes to west Nepal, health care is improving. Hari is thirteen years old and in the sixth grade.

Neshnal is eight years old and was born blind. He is from a Dalit family. The word Dalit means "broken" or "scattered" in Hindi. In earlher times the Dalits were called untouchables. Nowadays, they are more integrated into the culture but still undereducated and marginalized. Three thousand years of oppression is not easily overcome; only education can change that. Neshnal came to us in April 2023 and is in the first grade.

Rabindra is eleven years old and in the fourth grade now. He lost his sight when he was only six months old. We don't know what caused his blindness. He is from a poor family and, like many of our children, came to us malnourished. He is healthy now and doing well in school. The resiliency these children show always amazes us, and they are tenacious when they regain their health! He will be with us for about eight more years.

Basant, eighteen years old, was born blind. His parents are not able to provide for him and his six siblings, so they often go to bed at night without eating. Basant is the only blind child in his family and had difficulty passing the fifth grade. His father heard about the blind home in Jumla and brought him to us in March 2022. Although he was in very poor health when he came, he's now thriving and in the sixth grade.

Like Dipak, he is a Dalit, a poor caste of generally uneducated people who either farm or work in menial jobs. Until recently, many of them were bonded laborers. The bonded laborer system was officially abolished in Nepal in 2000, but practices remain where the poor are bound to a landowner through debt. Kal is thirteen years old and in the sixth grade. Many of our blind children have escaped the generational consequence of the bonded labor.

Birkha's parents are farmers of a tiny piece of land and have difficulty providing for their five children. Birkha, who is eighteen, was born with poor vision and dreamed of teaching Braille. She could not complete her education because of the family's low income, but she heard about our blind home in Jumla and came to us in March 2022. She's worked hard in school and is now in the eighth grade. She is so happy that she will achieve her dreams.

Dipti is nine years old and was born blind into a poor family. Her family came to the Lord in 2012 and attend one of our churches. Dipti's father has a small piece of land on which he grows beans, buckwheat, potatoes, and vegetables. Because the family cannot survive on farming, her father also does construction work. Dipti's parents learned of the blind home and brought her to us in poor health. She has gradually gotten better and is in the first grade.

Mamita was born blind in a very remote mountain village. She is thirteen years old and in the sixth grade. She has four siblings but has not seen her family since coming to our home due to the distance. Most of our children rarely see their families. In west Nepal, sixty miles as the crow flies can easily be a three-day journey by foot. The poor can rarely leave their farms unattended for a weeklong trip.

Nirajan's father owns a little shop in the village of Huri, so he's a bit better off than most in this region. He has two wives, which is common in Nepal. Nirajan lost his sight at two years of age. Since he is only a child, we don't have a clear picture of how he lost his sight or his family dynamics. Children are often brought to us with little background information volunteered. He is nine years old and in the fifth grade.

Life in northwest Nepal is difficult. It is a dry, mountainous, and underdeveloped region, the terrain similar to Afghanistan or northwest Pakistan. People routinely die of starvation or lack of basic medical care. These blind children are some of the least of all the poor in this world. The work the Lord has allowed us to do here is gratifying beyond description. We so grateful for al He has done to enable us to serve these kids.