Changing Children's Lives

In 2003 Andrew Fraser visited Nepal while a friend ( Joanna ) was in a volunteer teaching post at a school just outside Kathmandu. Although the school was materially poor by Western standards it was clearly not lacking in its educational ethos and ambitions for its pupils. Before I left, I asked if I could sponsor one of the pupils along the lines of a sponsorship programme already established at the school with a group of Australians. I asked the Headmaster, Surendra, to nominate a boy who was clever and ambitious but from a poor family whose parents struggled with the fees, but who would not hold back their son or put him to work as soon as he was able. He suggested a boy called Ram who was 10 , clever and whose ambition was to be a doctor. The expectation was to support him financially for as long as it took. Ram did well academically and passed through school, sixth form college and became a medical student at Kathmandu University. After qualifying as a doctor and gaining experience in hospitals locally he applied for a training post in UK and is currently working at a hospital in the North of England, accompanied by his wife and two little boys. Ram is just one of many Nepali pupils from the school sponsored by friends of Joanna, now under the umbrella of the Charity NEES – Nepal England Education Support.