More Than Talk

Christine Egger read a story about a boy trapped in a troubled life. Then she did something remarkable. She helped set him free.

After reading our story about Yubaraj Khakada, a Nepalese teenage boy who dropped out of school to support his family as a parking attendant in Katmandu, Hot Zone reader Christine Egger made it her personal mission to find a way to get him off the streets and back into school.

She reached out to other Hot Zone readers and through partnerships with the online philanthropy group GiveMeaning and the anti-poverty organization Mountain Fund she created a program which has already raised more than $7,500. Christine has been relentless in her efforts to create sustainable assistance for Yubaraj. The program not only has put him back in school but may also expand to help other children from his village.

Christine visited Yubaraj in Nepal in March and sent us the following letter and photographs. We thank her for this wonderful example of commitment, perseverance and success in helping to change the life of another.

"Dear Hot Zone Team,

"In February we wrote to let you know we were ready to enroll Yubaraj in school and were hoping to raise the funds we needed to do that. It is such a thrill to tell you that we reached that goal and Yubaraj is now a full-time student!!!!

"The enclosed photos were taken in early March, when I had the chance to meet Yubaraj and our volunteers in Katmandu. It was thrilling, and surreal, to be actually talking with Yubaraj after thinking about him every day for almost a year!

"We gathered at the Mountain Fund office just a few blocks from where Yubaraj had been parking motorcycles last year.

"Yubaraj gave the immediate impression of being just a really nice kid, incredibly grateful for what we were doing, and more than a little overwhelmed by it all. Aid workers Basu Gnawali, Scott MacLennan, Puskar Gurung, Sudhir Lama, and Phurbu Thokra were there too. Each of them have played a key role in this project and it was just wonderful to be able to see them with Yubaraj and to be able to say thank you in person for everything they'd done.

"Dinesh Wagle was there, too. He's the Nepali journalist and blogger who was with Kevin Sites when they met Yubaraj last May. Yubaraj was really happy to see Dinesh again and you should have seen the HUGE smile on Dinesh's face — he was obviously thrilled for Yubaraj that the Hot Zone article had had such an impact on his life.

"While we talked, Dinesh helped us explain to Yubaraj how all of this support for his education had come together. Yubaraj knew that his conversation with Kevin Sites had started a chain reaction, but he hadn't really understood just how many people had been affected by his story and how the Internet had connected all of them.

"We explained that the people who were helping him weren't wealthy or extraordinary, but that many people were giving what they could so that together we're able to support his education.

"Several people had written messages to Yubaraj on the GiveMeaning site, and we had them translated into Nepali so he could read their words of encouragement as he began the work of preparing for school.

"For the next month and a half, Yubaraj worked with a tutor to prepare for the school's entrance exam. During a practice exam in late February he had tested at the fourth grade level, so we were impressed and relieved when April's exam results showed he was ready to start sixth grade.

"There was a busy week or so of buying books and uniforms (and getting a haircut!) and now Yubaraj attends Nepaltar School in Balaju, a semi-rural suburb on the northern edge of Katmandu.

"While our original plan was to enroll Yubaraj in a boarding school, we learned that they teach exclusively in English and Yubaraj's English skills aren't ready for that yet. Nepaltar is a public school where classes are conducted in Nepali. We'll look for opportunities to enroll Yubaraj in boarding school as his English skills improve and, in the meantime, we're providing a tutor for Yubaraj for an hour every day after school to help him get a good start. He's especially anxious to learn English as he understands that will open doors for him academically and professionally, but we're told he's working just as hard in his other subjects, too.

"One more piece of good news: Yubaraj was initially taking the bus to get to school, and Basu suggested we find a bike for him to save money and give him more freedom to get around. Our request for a donated bike was answered quickly and generously by Dawn Till Dusk, a Nepali-run mountain bike company in Katmandu. Thanks to them, Yubaraj now has a brand new bicycle to ride to school.

"We now have the task of carefully managing the funds we've raised to support Yubaraj through his high school graduation. The $7,960 (about $95/month over those 7 years) will be dedicated exclusively to his education and living expenses, and to assist his family as they've lost his income while he's in school. We can share details at any time with anyone who'd like to review the budget, and we'll regularly post financial updates on our blog and GiveMeaning pages as well.

"We'll of course be posting updates about Yubaraj, too, and eventually we're hoping that some of those updates will come from him directly. As his English skills improve we'll teach him how to use email and the Internet. I can't wait until he's writing his own posts on our blog — won't that be great?!

"Since reaching our fundraising goal for Yubaraj we've continued to invite donations so that we could support educational costs for other children from Yubaraj's village. The first of those funds will support Kalpana, a bright student who had to leave school after the 10th grade because of her family's financial situation. As a young woman with malformed arms and hands, her outlook without a high school diploma would otherwise be very bleak.

"It's really gratifying to see the network of support that began for Yubaraj expand to include even more students from his village. And, as you can imagine, it's been a real joy to see our efforts for Yubaraj succeed. But it's also gratifying to demonstrate that we could find a way to partner in following through, and be accountable to Yubaraj and everyone else who contributed their time and funds on his behalf.

"Thank you so much for sharing Yubaraj's story and for making it possible for all of us to reach out to him. It feels great to be a part of this and I'll be sure to keep in touch as his story continues."

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