By Teresa Parker | Director of Development and Communications
Countless children in Nepal are blind, deaf, or physically disabled due to dietary deficiencies and lack of medical care. They seldom have a chance to show that they can be productive members of society. Tuition at schools that accommodate the needs of disabled students is usually more than the annual income of a Nepali family. Thus, only 30% of the disabled are educated; the rest are relegated to barren lives, unable to read, write, or earn a living.
NYF gave scholarships to 69 disabled youth (30 girls and 39 boys) in 2011-2012. Education is generally the only way the disabled in Nepal can support themselves.
NYF’s Solution
NYF has paid special attention to blind, deaf, and physically challenged children, giving 188 of them scholarships since its inception. If they can enter regular school or college, NYF enrolls them there. For other children, the best place is a special school that meets their needs. NYF gives them hope and opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities and proudly learn to support themselves. The program has been highly successful – many of its graduates are now providing for themselves and their families. Some are paying their own way through graduate school.
I Can See with the Eyes of Education
A blind student receiving a college scholarship described the impact of NYF on her life: “If NYF had not supported me, I would have been a beggar wandering on the streets or I could have even died. Because of this support…I am satisfied with my life. Even if I couldn’t see the material world with my eyes, I can always see the world with the eyes of my education and knowledge…If I was not able to get this support, I would have been blind from both internally as well as externally.”
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