Sponosrs meet their Student

Top Shay and Susanne with Ranjita and her family.  Middle with the stone quarry family and bottom with Ranjita left and Ramila.  Young women from two different worlds connecting with each other after five years of correspondence and photos.  I was very impressed with Shay and her acceptance of the conditions in Nepal, she shows a maturity beyond her years and a generosity of spirit that is to be admired. Her parents have been good role models for her.

Today sponsors Susanne and her daughter Shay visited their sponsored child, Ranjita.  They have sponsored her for five years and were very excited to meet her and her family.  It was a very good meeting and Ranjita and her sister Ramila were so happy and really enjoyed meeting Shay also because she was young like them. This is the family we bought the tea shop for five years ago after the mother lost her husband in a tragic accident.  We shared a meal with them of eggs and curried potatoes.  Ranjita and her sister Ramila both are in second year college and also work in a department store for $60 per month, 6 days a week 8 hours per day.  They go to college from 6 am till 10 am and then go to work.  Susanne and Shay are going to visit them at their work place tomorrow.  Susanne said it was a dream come true for her to finally come to Nepal and meet Ranjita.  She is amazed at the poverty in Nepal.  They have been traveling in Viet Nam,Cambodia and Thailand and have not seen poverty like here in Nepal.  We also took her to the stone quarry to meet two of my families there.  We sat in one of their homes and again they were shocked at the extemely poor living conditions.  No running water or toilet facilities, they have to use the river.  Susanne and Shay are coming to Pokhara with us and when they return to Kathmandu they will visit with Ranjita again.  Tomorrow they are visiting our office and have a Nepali meal with us.