Usually most people expect and accept help from others for their betterment but do not think of giving anything in return. The LSF program always reminds all the Little Sisters to be grateful to the sponsors who are supporting their education. This year a miracle happened. All the girls came together and arranged a donation drive. They wanted to give something back to the society. All ISP girls came together and donated what they could afford to the cause. Some girls even saved snack money and others used transportation money and chose to walk instead. By November 2008 they even inspired the SCs and Nepal Office staff to come forward and help. They collected a total of Rs.18,030 (about $250). All the Office staff followed suit and donated as much they could afford.

This year, the Little Sisters decided to spend this money on the education of three girls who are from a remote area of Nepal and cannot afford to go to school. They selected 2 girls of Bhumlutar, Kavre: Manisha Kharel who is in grade 5 and Santoshi Kharel in grade 6. These girls were forced out of school because their families could not pay for their books, uniforms and annual and examination fees.

Manisha has an older brother and a younger sister. Her father died four years ago. Her mother is a laborer and rears buffalos and sells milk in the local area for her and her three children’s living.

Santoshi also has two siblings: a brother and a sister. They live in a joint family of 14. They just have a small piece of land. Both parents are ill and thus can not effectively support the family. Similarly they selected Sarita Bhujel, 7 years old from Gorkha district presently living in a Katmandu slum, and enrolled her in Nursery in a government school. Sarita never had been to school before. Her mother, Kabita, works as a housemaid and father pulls rickshaw (three wheeled vehicle pulled by a person). They are very poor and cannot even afford to pay the uniforms, books and the annual registration fee of a so called “free” government school. Sarita has a younger brother who has not gone to school yet. The Little Sisters are inspiring the parents to put some money aside every day in a piggy bank from their daily expenses and use the money to send their boy to school. All believe that this boy will be in a school next year because our Little Sisters are watching them closely.

Thank you all Little Sisters for your great work. We are proud of you all. Please continue helping these girls in the coming years also so that they can complete their school education. We all are with you.