"Those who are the happiest are those who do the most for others. " - Booker T. Washington
What we are working on right now
The global pandemic forced us to pause our expansion, but in late 2023, we resumed our search for the communities most left behind. We found it in a Dalit settlement(Dalit refers to a group of people who are religiously, culturally, socially, economically and historically oppressed, excluded and treated as untouchables.) in Rautahat, Terai.
What is called a "school" here is a testament to systemic abandonment.
The Classroom: There is no building. Children sit on their own pieces of rag in the dust under the scorching sun or the shade of a tree. Their learning is hostage to the sky. sudden rain sends them scrambling for cover, ending the school day entirely.
There are no walls, no barrier. Stray dogs roam through the class. The threat of snakes is constant. The space offers no safety, only exposure.
The Basics of Survival:
Water: A single handpump provides untreated water, their only drinking source.
Sanitation: There is no toilet. A child or teacher in need must leave and walk a significant distance to find one, disrupting any semblance of routine.
This is not a school. It is an open field of inequality. Education here is an act of determination despite difficult conditions designed for failure.
The Teachers & The Struggle: The few dedicated teachers are from the Dalit community themselves, facing the same prejudice. They face over 200 students with almost nothing, two cracked chalkboards are their primary teaching materials for all grades. They attempt to build futures with empty hands.
This is the reality. To change it requires four walls, a roof, a toilet, a clean water tank, and proper supplies.
Our mission is clear: to build the first real, physical school this community has ever had, a structure with a foundation to keep children safe. We have the plan and the will. We will start construction the moment we have the means. We cannot let them wait another generation.
Our Work Over the Years
We’re doing our part to bring voices to the silent. The shy, bright minds of the tiny children of these Schools are hungry for food and thirsty for knowledge. Some would never have gone to school, living their entire lives never having learned to read or write. We’re setting up lights in these foothills, planting seeds for a brighter future, building bridges to lessen the burdens of this community. We will continue to ignite the flame in all who seek our services. With your support, this will culminate in a torch for the community. We currently have 3 Schools operational to serve small children, so they do not have to take the risk of their lives crossing a dangerous and unpredictable stream on their own.
Where our journey began
In remote villages, we met children of the marginalized Chepang community for whom school was a distant concept. Bound by generational poverty and caste-based discrimination, they were instead tending to fields or sent to work in city hotels. This wasn't just a lack of schools, it was a complex web of social and economic injustice. The image of those empty desks and full fields became the uncompromising catalyst for our establishment. We knew advocacy had to begin with access.
The first year we focused on finding a good location to build our school, one that would be in a reasonable distance from the children we were trying to serve. Along the way we had to navigate our way through many obstacles before the construction of the school finally began.
The First Mountain
For Chepang kids, just getting to class was a marathon. The nearest school was hours away by foot. And within the community, sending children to learn was a tough sell. Kids were needed at home to work. To many outsiders, this was just the way things were, a cycle nobody saw a reason to break.
A Simple Promise
We kept talking with families. Finally, a simple offer shifted everything: "Send your children to learn, and we'll provide a daily meal." That meal made all the difference. It turned education from a distant idea into an immediate help for the whole family.
Land and Trust
Then, a breakthrough came from within the community. A Chepang man, who believed in what we were trying to do, offered to sell us a piece of his land. It was in a central spot, with a good water source nearby. This wasn't just a transaction. It was a gesture of faith, our first real patch of ground to build on.
Getting Started
So, we did it. We chose the site, bought the land, and quietly pushed back against the skepticism from outside. Just like that, a plan on paper became a place on a map. We were finally standing on something solid.
Construction begins of our first school.
After the construction, classes finally begin at our school in Siudibar. Same year, we started the process on the building of our second school in Aanptar.
First school construction completed
The lessons learned from our first school became the blueprint for our growth. With proven methods and hardened resolve, we broke ground on our second school in Aanptaar. What once took years of navigation was now focused action. The Aanptaar project was completed in half the time, turning a blueprint into a functioning school for a new cluster of villages with breathtaking speed. It proved our model was replicable and sustainable. We were no longer just building a school; we were building a system for change.
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Second School Completed
The devastating earthquake of 2015 caused extensive damage to both of the schools. We began the repairs immediately. The children studied outside while the school was being rebuilt.
We also helped to provide essential supplies to people affected by the earthquake.
Disaster Strikes!
Added new building for the school
