In October 2006, Vanessa & Guy Higgott traveled to Nepal to trek and climb in the mountains. They fell in love with the country, but more importantly, the people. Genuine and kind, Nepalis are blessed with a rich and beautiful culture, but an historically unstable political and social framework. The newly elected government (April 2008) promises new hope and direction for a country who has fought amongst itself for so long.
Vanessa began volunteering at Hopeful Home Orphanage, in Kathmandu, home to 42 children, aged 4-18 and sponsored some of the children there. Most of the kids at HH, have either been orphaned or abandoned by poor and uneducated parents. Almost sixty percent of Nepal is illiterate.
The Learn for Life scholarship program grew out of the desire to create a sustainable solution to break the cycle of poverty and to empower bright young Nepalese to carve out a better life for themselves. Once they turned 18, there was no plan in place that moved them on to the next step. Learn for life wants to help them further their education.
Many programs encourage young Nepalese to study abroad, but once they have been educated elsewhere, they are unlikely to return. Nepal needs its educated young people to remain in Nepal and become the leaders of tomorrow. The recipients of the Learn for Life scholarship program are selected, based on their academic standing, and their ongoing commitment to their community. They are interviewed personally to determine the best course of study for their academic strengths and interests, and are assisted with the application process.
The two main criteria for maintaining the scholarship include, 1) 1st division academic standing (60-80%) or higher and 2) continued volunteer work. Since the children cannot afford to PAY for their studies, we created a program that allowed them to EARN their studies. This ensures that they are invested in the program. It is not free. The volunteer work schedule will not interfere with their studies, however. School will always be the priority.
Looking around at our friends and peers, it is safe to say that we are where we are in our lives, and have enjoyed some degree of success, because of our education and the opportunities that were available to us. Simply put, we won the ‘birth lottery’. Yes, we had to pay for our studies and earn our accreditations, but the tremendous array of options, and easy access to education is something that Nepalese adolescents simply do not have. Education is a gift that we often take for granted. We are fortunate, and we are able to share this gift.
