Shangri-La Development Association

Bir Bahadur Chepang Sarsi comes from a remote village in Kailash Rural Municipality. He was born in 1967, at a time when his nearest school was in Dumre, 2 hours away from his home. He completed his studies til 5th grade, but was forced to drop out due to financial and geographical difficulties. But his journey in education did not end there. In fact, he is the reason why hundreds of children in Sarsi have access to education.

Bir Bahadur, after dropping out, began voluntarily teaching at the school he studied in. After nine months of voluntary service, he took the bold step of starting a new school. He ran the school independently for 3 years, but had to pause due to financial and infrastructural constraints. Despite this struggle, his commitment never wavered, and he reached out to the Village Development Committee to raise funds, and he did. After securing NRS 96, 000 for the school, he taught his students voluntarily for years. Unfortunately, when the 2015 earthquake shook the entire nation, Bir Bahadur’s school was also destroyed. This is when SDA stepped in and gave continuation to his inspiring journey for over 10 years. SDA reconstructed the school and has been supporting the school in various ways, with Bir Bahadur as a primary resource person and a point of contact.

Bikal Thing was two and a half years old, living with a family of 10 reliant on subsistence farming, when he began facing health complications and was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He was admitted to Shah-id Gangalal Hospital, where the treatment process began. When his condition worsened, he was transferred to the ICU. Facing high medical expenses estimated at 400,000 rupees, Bikal’s father, Milan Thing, sought financial assistance from local executive, ward, and district authorities.

He received funds from the Rural Municipality, Ward, and District, which enabled Bikal to undergo kidney surgery in the Teaching Hospital. However, their troubles were not over, as Bikal still required 37 chemotherapy sessions, which wouldn’t be covered by the money he had raised. This prompted the family to seek support from SDA, through which they received NRS 30,000 to cover the cost of chemotherapy.

Hanak Chepang was born into a Chepang family in Bhora village, Kailash Rural Municipality. When he turned two, Hanak underwent a medical complication; he began passing blood in his urine. His parents could not seek medical treatment due to a lack of awareness and financial difficulties. They waited for a natural recovery instead. However, his situation only worsened.

A Female Community Health Volunteer, upon hearing about his situation through a mother’s group meeting, went to advise the family to seek medical support in a nearby health post. However, the health post was not equipped to deal with such a case and referred them to a hospital. This distressed the family greatly, as they couldn’t afford the treatment. Fortunately, the health post connected the family to SDA, through which they received the financial means, leading to Hanak’s diagnosis with kidney stones and subsequent treatment and recovery.

Sagar Gopal Kathayat was born in a family of 6 in a small, remote village called Bajura. His family is composed of his two parents, one brother, and two sisters. He was the youngest child of his family. Born as a deaf child in a family of farmers, his parents didn’t have the financial
resources to properly take care of him or provide him with the necessary sign language training. He was studying at a local government school, which didn’t have the resources to provide accessible education, and was unable to properly communicate for 12 years of his life.

Things changed, however, when he joined JSCP at the age of 12, after his parents found out about the inclusive classes for deaf children at Karnali Secondary School. Sagar Gopal’s growth over the past four years with JSCP has been rapid and extraordinary. His studies began to improve very quickly, and he even scored second rank in examinations in the 7th grade. He loves sports and is one of the well-known athletes in the school. Sagar’s growth is a testament to the transformation accessible education can bring.

Birsana Rawat was born into a family of seven in Tila Municipality, Jumla. Her father worked as a low-level government employee, her mother toiled in the fields, and her grandmother, brother, and sister shared the small home with her. Birsana was born with a hearing disability; she struggled to communicate with the world around her, and she longed for the opportunities that other children could enjoy, which she was shielded from because of her disability. Her family loved her dearly, but their limited financial means meant that access to education or Specialized support was far from guaranteed.

In March of 2018, she enrolled in Karnali Secondary School. For the first time, Birsana had access to education and was backed by plenty of support and encouragement. Slowly, she began to learn sign language, and with each new word and gesture, her confidence grew, made possible through the Jumla Special Children Program. She started to understand the joy of learning and the satisfaction of communicating with her teachers and classmates. Birsana also joined a sewing training program organized by No One Left Behind, where her creativity and diligence shone. She discovered that she could create with her own hands and that every small skill she mastered was a step toward Independence.