Dodhara Chandani is a small island surrounded by the Mahakali and Jogbuda Rivers, located in Kanchanpur district of Nepal and inhabited by nearly 45,000 people representing a diverse ethnic/indigenous community. This remote island is connected to the rest of the world only by a small suspension bridge.
The residents of the area face many hazards including floods, erosion and uncontrollable wildlife, plus harassment by southern border security forces. The people of this island have been ignored and isolated for many generations and poverty is the number one obstacle to their success. Even today, children lack access to proper education. Yet despite the many hurdles, the residents are extremely hard working, social and most importantly, good at heart and optimistic about the future.
I was born and raised on that island and witnessed first-hand the problems people have been facing in the region. My dad was a founding chairperson of Bhanu Secondary School (the first high school) in Dodhara Chandani when I was a child. He devoted himself to establishing the school, spending hours in planning meetings, visiting individual households to raise funds and supervising the construction. It took a few years before any of the students were finally able to pass the 10th grade exam, and a few more before a student secured the top position in the district, but when they did, it was the happiest moment of my father’s life. Since then, thousands of students have graduated from the school. My dad’s vision and hard work to achieve it is what inspires me today.
Many of those high school graduates could not access further education since that was the highest level the community had to offer. The Bhanu Multiple Campus was conceived to provide college education and came into existence 10 years ago, but unfortunately is still struggling to meet basic needs. Despite the continuous effort to develop basic infrastructure, the campus neither has enough classrooms, nor a library for the students. The college management committee is doing everything it can to generate money to remedy this, but unfortunately it is not enough to cover the basic requirements.
I believe our identity is always connected to our country of origin regardless of where we live and what we do.
We are now living in a country where we do not have to worry about basic infrastructure development of educational institutions but our brothers and sisters in remote areas like Dodhara Chandani do not have this opportunity. I believe education is the key to improving their lives and that our own success will mean more if we can use it to help them obtain theirs.
For the first time in my life, I am preparing to run a half-marathon to raise money for the campus charity on May 28, 2017 organized by Scotia Bank in Calgary. The charity is set up by the Calgary Nepalese Community Association (CNCA) to build “A Library for Bhanu Multiple Campus”. Upon completion of the project, a full financial progress report will be submitted for audit.
Please join hands with me to support the only campus in Dodhara Chandani, the one hope for higher education in the region. Your small contribution will be instrumental to making a difference in the life of many students in that region. Your donation to CNCA will be used to construct a library building, and buy furniture and books for Bhanu Multiple Campus.
Let’s live together!! Let’s grow together!!!
Please click the link below to donate
http://calgarynepalese.ca/CNCA/?p=2994
For more information visit http://calgarynepalese.ca/CNCA/?p=2994