Since the day we decided to set foot in Nepal, I was faced with one of the most difficult questions, which still makes my hair stand on end today.
Why Nepal? There are also people here who need help. I have questioned it myself hundreds of times, and to tell the truth I still find it difficult to find an easy answer. Because it is true, I am not going to deny it, the harsh reality is that there are many people in need in this world, anywhere you have your eyes.
Perhaps the crisis generated by COVID-19 is a good example to explain it to us: the impact of the pandemic in our homes has gone far beyond the health of our loved ones; that seismic movement has been followed by an even greater instability.
Nepal, like other third world countries, does not escape this debacle. It is true that has not perceived a health crisis of the same caliber, but it has shown us that the slightest movement in Nepali society can overturn millions of people (starving or literally dying in the middle of the streets).
Minors in danger of death from starvation, girls married before eighteen years old, mothers dying in childbirth as a result of difficult access to hospitals, children unable to go to school or entire families suffering from diseases caused by poor hygienic conditions. We would say that these are effects of the Covid, right? Well no, sadly this is the daily life of a population as marginalized as the one that lives in rural areas of Nepal (which amounts to 90%), showing us that what for a country like Spain is a temporary crisis for Nepal their day-to-day.
Perhaps now that I put it into words, this is a good reason to convince myself of what we are doing.
Another reason, maybe more personal, that drives me forward is the sense of responsibility. Yesterday I was reading an article that spoke about the keys to a successful life (in any field), and summarized them in two: passion and service. That is, do something that comes from your heart, something that you enjoy, and turn to it with a smile, but do not keep it to yourself, keep in mind others.
Without any doubt, something that allowed me to take this step was the education I was able to receive (thanks, Mom and Dad) —the same that is allowing you to read these lines. And it has been this education that has made each one of us free to take the path we wanted (doing it, as much as possible, with passion and service).
But how unfair is a life in which lacking something as essential as education prevents you from taking decisions or fighting for opportunities; in short, a life without freedom.
For me, Nepal is all that, a place full of smiles and joy; and I am willing to work to bring to each boy and girl who is within my reach the opportunity to choose their own path, just as I have done to get here (because everyone who knows me will know, clearly, that I do it enjoying like a child).
Nacho Bahadur Chepang
