Santosh

On a previous trip to Nepal I had a similar village experience in a village about 2 hours away from the village we were in this time. It was during that trip that I was given the opportunity to sponsor scholarships for several kids in the village. One of the kids in particular was a 15 year old boy by the name of Santosh. He came from a very poor family and I was told that he would not be able to study past the 8^th grade without a scholarship. (although the government provides the teachers, the students need to pay for school books, uniforms, school fees etc.. This amounts to about $50.00 a year to study…a small amount to us, but an impossible amount to a Nepali family who only makes $200.00 a year) So for about $50.00 a year I was able to provide an opportunity for him to stay in school.

Santosh and I have kept in contact over the years via mail. He was always kind and gracious and made sure to tell me thank you for making it possible for him to go to school…..a reward that far exceeded the small amount that it cost me to help him. I had sent him a post card upon arriving in Kathmandu just to let him know that I was in the country. I had considered trying to get back to his village to be able to see him in person again after 5 years, but I wasn’t sure how I would be able to make that happen.

Yesterday as we were walking down a path to a villager’s home I heard footsteps running up behind me. I thought little of it and continued with the conversation I was involved in when suddenly I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned around to see a man standing there with a smile from ear to ear he grabbed my hand and said hello Erik sir. My brain went into overdrive trying to figure out who he was and what was going on……then it hit me…it was Santosh.....all grown up. He had heard that there was a group of Americans in a local village and he knew it was me. He said he dropped what he was doing with out even telling his family where he was going and ran for 2 hours straight to come find me. This is another one of those experiences where the words needed to adequately describe the experience elude me. The whole experience was…well…overwhelming. We ended up sending word to his family where he was and that he was going to spend the next couple of days with us in the village. As it turns out he is currently working on what would be the equivalent to our Associates Degree at a local college about an hour from his home. He wakes up at 4 in the morning to do his chores, then walks the hour to school in the dark. He goes to his classes, and then walks the hour home later in the day. He says he wants to be a doctor, so he can help the people suffering in his village and others like it. He is, and will continue to be an amazing force in Nepal.