Over the summer I spent two and a half months in the remote village of Parewadanda, Nepal teaching English. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life where I met the most inspiring people. I know that if they only had the resources, the children I met have the ability to change the fate of their country.

Nepal is a developing country located just north of India. It is facing many challenges; its literacy rate is under 50% and over 30% of the population lives below the poverty line. Three-fourths of the people still practice subsistence agriculture, meaning they live solely off their farming. Therefore unpredictable weather and lack of resources make their livelihood very unstable. Many families have been caught in a cycle of poverty with seemingly no way out. While some havemigrated to the cities, the majority of the population still lives in small villages.

One of the simplest ways to break this cycle of poverty is to provide education for their children. However, in these areas many families cannot afford to send their children to even basic schooling.

Therefore, I’m asking you to consider the gift of a sponsorship; a gift that has the ability to transform lives. For only $150 a year, you can sponsor a child to attend Little Star English Boarding School, where I was a volunteer. The money goes towards school fees, uniforms, student identity cards as well as school supplies. The children there study English (written & oral), Nepali, Math, Science, Social Studies and Health. Currently the school consists of 65 students ranging from pre-nursery to grade three. The mission of the school is to provide a quality and affordable education for village children, specifically those of the lower castes and minority ethnic groups.

-Katie Lillie