Sarimilla Trust

 

SCHOOL SPONSORSHIP

Narayani School

Our School Sponsorship Programme provides assistance to children who’s parents are unable to afford to pay the required fees for them to attend school. A high percentage of parents are subsistance farmers who find it impossible to generate enough income to pay for their childs’ education.  Without the support of this programme a large number of children living in the area we work in would not be able to attend school on a regular basis. We work with government schools and private schools in rural Nepal. We have always believed that regular quality education is the way out of poverty for families and communities.

You can help send a child to school by becoming a sponsor. The Trust is currently funding the education of over 40 children with the help of people who have kindly offered to sponsor one or more of the children. We ensure that sponsors money goes directly to the families in need of support. We visit the homes of each child on our visits each year and we have a coordinator working in the villages to ensure all fees are paid on time. To send a child to school for a year the cost is-

UK   £150

Australia $200

US $200

This amount ensures that a child will recieve all that is needed to be able to attend school for a year this includes all fees, uniforms, shoes ,bags, books & pens.

 It is our firm belief that education is a sure way to raise families and communities out of poverty. We have organised school sponsorship for many students in the years we have been working in Nepal. Children who were sponsored by the Sarimilla Trust from a very young age are now young adults who have gained professional qualifications.

These are just a few of the students that the Sarimilla Trust has sponsored who have changed their lives around through education –

Lalita and Lal Bahadur Kumal ( right )

 Lalita and her brother Lal Bahadur first started in our sponsorship programme in 2003. Their names were given to us from a local social worker who had come to know of their plight. Their father had walked away from the family leaving his two children and his wife to fend for themselves. Their mother found work in a local factory and began to try and build a life for them all. The Sarimilla Trust organised school sponsorship for both Lalita and Lal Bahadur. With the help of sponsors they both finished their schooling and both gained good marks in their school leaving  exam.

  Lal Bahadur learnt how to speak very good English at school, as a result he was able to take a job abroad in Qatar as a waiter. Lalita on the other hand qualified to study at a medical college close to her home. She has since qualified as a medical assistant and is now employed in a local medical centre. Lal Bahadur returned from Qatar and is now jointly running a construction business in his local district.

  The above photo shows them standing outside the new home that they built for themselves and their mother from savings they have pooled together from their work. Since this photo was taken Lal Bahadur has built another home for him and his new wife. Lalita has now secured a good position in her medical centre and is enjoying the time to travel and help in the community she works in.

Lalita and Lal Bahadur are just one example of how lives can be turned around when given the chance of a good education. In building their new homes they have also created work for local builders and craftsmen. Lal Bahadur employs 3 other workers at his construction firm plus contractors.

Lab Technician

     Jammuna Karki

      Jammuna is now working as a Lab Technician after qualifying from medical college 2 years ago. She was offered a position in the hospital after doing voluntary work there. She had been supported by our sponsorship programme from the age of 7, after her mum tragically died and her father walked out on Jammuna and her twin brother. Jammuna has done extremely well and we thank all who have supported her over the years without that support she would have missed out on an education. Jammuna and her brother lived in an orphanage for some years, the Sarimilla Trust has supported their education from primary school through to college. Jammuna’s twin brother Elesh now has a business degree and works in the local community. Jammuna recently married and her and her husband are planning to build a new home close to Jammuna’s work.

Jammuna in her college days

Jammuna and her twin brother Elesh

Working Abroad

Amrita Kumal ( far left )

  Amrita Kumal qualified from college year 12 with good qualifications and managed to secure herself a job as a Nanny with an agency that was providing work in Japan. Amrita contacted us recently and is happy with her work there. She has returned to Nepal on a number of occasions and money that she earns helps the whole family. Amrita gained a good command of English whilst at school which helped her to secure the work in Japan. She asked me to thank everyone that supported her education when I visited last year. She is pictured here with Rajani ( far right ) our fund raiser in the US.

Nursing

Sambhriddi Talismina with Dawn in Kathmandu

  Sambhriddi was first brought to our attention by a social worker in the community we work in. She had lost her father to cancer and at the time she was in her first year at medical college. Her mother did not have the means to be able to send her daughter to the medical college so the Sarimilla Trust agreed to sponsor Sambhriddi’s study . She completed the Nursing Degree gaining first place in her year. After her studies she did volunteer work in the local hospital before finding a job placement in Kathmandu. She moved to the capital from her home village and began working in a private cardiac hospital. We met with her recently when we returned to Kathmandu to fly back to the UK. She had gained a number of promotions in her work and was very happy but she missed her family. She contacted us not too long ago to say that she was to marry and that her future husband is a teacher in Kathmandu. It was so good to hear of the positive outcome for her and she plans to continue with her work at the Cardiac Hospital.

On going work

We are continuing with our sponsorship programme because on our visits each year we still receive many requests for help from parents trying to find ways to keep their children in school. We have been able to step back from our school building projects and farmers training programmes. The projects have been completed and the programmes are now being run by the people and communities themselves. This has always been the aim of the trust to be able to hand over the ideas and projects after first initiating and financing them following requests from communities. ( see completed projects page )

Saraswati Santras

  Saraswati is one of many students on our register and she is enjoying being able to attend school full time thanks to sponsors. She also aspires to be able to find a future for herself much like Lalita Kumal and Jammuna Karki have done as a nurse .Saraswati unfortunately lost her mum when she was very young and since then her father has struggled to keep the family home together for her and her younger brother. He is very grateful for the support of the Trust. His work as a stonemason doesn’t bring in enough money to keep both his children in school full time. We are happy to help Saraswati and many girls like her. We are hoping to fund Saraswati at a nursing college close to her home in the coming months. Any help in funding Saraswati would be greatly received.

Saraswati’s father outside their home

  The Sponsorship Programme has opened doors for children who otherwise would have missed out on an education.The Sarimilla Trust continues to look for funding for these children to attend school and college.

 Fundraising

Due to the Pandemic fundraising has proved to be very difficult, we have however, managed to give a number of talks via zoom to local groups here in South Lakeland. We have recently been able to give “Live” talks again to help raise funds for the work that continues in Nepal.

Parkside Guest House in our home village of Arnside have again supported us through a number of donations from visiting groups. Thank you again to all who have contributed to our work in Nepal.