By Bruce Moore | Senior Director of Program
From Sorrow to Hope
Dukhi, a master craftsman at the Hospital and Rehabilitation Center for Children with Disabilities (HRDC) in Nepal, finds fulfillment in his work of crafting orthopedic shoes for children with disabilities. Dukhi, like approximately 30 other staff members, was once a patient at HRDC. His time is now spent creating custom corrective boots with precision and care for children undergoing clubfoot treatment. As Dukhi himself was born with clubfoot, he is more than familiar with the challenges and stigma associated with the condition.
Extreme poverty forced Dukhi to take on adult responsibilities at just nine, trading school for menial jobs to support his family, despite the difficulty and pain caused by severe bilateral clubfoot. The emotional pain from villagers’ taunts about his disability hurt even more. His dreams seemed futile until a member of HRDC’s field team offered him a chance at a brighter future. Clinging to hope he embarked on a journey to HRDC’s main hospital in Banepa, just outside Kathmandu. He dared to believe in straight feet.
Luckily, clubfoot is highly treatable, and under the care of HRDC’s expert team, Dukhi was soon cured and walking tall. After treatment, he secured a job at an HRDC-backed bicycle garage and later joined HRDC staff in the orthotic workshop, eager to help others. He is grateful to HRDC not just for correcting his feet but also for offering a career and educational support.
Once called Dukhi, meaning sorrow in Nepali, HRDC staff now fondly know him as Amal, meaning hope. He is now married and has two daughters. HRDC annually treats 25,000 children, including 500 with clubfoot, many of them benefiting from Amal’s shoes.
His journey, beginning as a child facing immense challenges to becoming a skilled craftsman and an advocate for disability rights, epitomizes the transformative power of HRDC’s work. All of this is only possible with your support. Thank you for making children’s dreams come true.
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