Pasang’s journey from extreme poverty to a top Indian university

There are often inspirational stories in this world which give you a unique insight into the heart of humanity and which convince you that Rousseau, rather than Hobbes, was right. Human nature is good. And the story of Pasang and Sharon & Don is certainly one of these inspirational stories. This is a story of love, compassion and generosity overcoming the worst adversities.

Pasang’s parents were destitute, landless, homeless peasants from the hilly areas of Nepal. Life was very hard but love was abundant in this family of four. Until tragedy struck: from one minute to another, the father died in a bushfire. And this family’s life collapsed. Pasang, her mother and her little brother, Nyma, became immersed in absolute destitution. Progressively, however, more and more farmers around came to know about the plight of this family, and the word spread, ultimately travelling all the way up to a Buddhist nun from a nearby monastery.

And in November 2000, the Buddhist nun brought little Pasang to SEA in Kathmandu. At the time, Pasang was 6 years old.

Pasang in 2000

Pasang is of the Tibetan ethnic group. She is the sweetest human being you can think of. She is intelligent and extremely hard-working. And she is also very shy, although at home—in the SEA home—she is talkative and exuberant, but a foreigner to the Home will not see it!!

Pasang !

Pasang (on the left), with other SEA children

Pasang in 2010

Sarita Jr and Pasang

Pasang is a bright student. After having secured the highest marks throughout her education, she brilliantly passed the grade 12 examinations (the equivalent of the French baccalauréat) with a score of 71%—i.e. the pathway to get a SEA scholarship to study in India. On August 5, 2013, she flew from Kathmandu to Bangalore to pursue higher studies at P.E.S., a leading university in India. She is now in her first year of a 4-year bachelor course in Pharmacy.

PES University – Bangalore India

In Bangalore, she lives with Jyoti, Samjhana, Naren and Shankar in the flat that SEA has rented for its university-level students. In the first few weeks, Samjhana, who is about to enter her 3^rd year of the bachelor of Pharmacy degree at P.E.S, was guiding her around to help her become acclimated to her new school environment.

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But all of this wouldn’t have been possible without the kindness and generosity of Sharon and Don, who have been sponsoring, loving and caring for Pasang for more than ten years. Don is a former economist from the World Bank. This is in a cafeteria in Washington DC in the early 2000s that he first learned about the life of Pasang. He was so deeply moved that, on that very evening, he spoke to his wife, Sharon, about the little girl in Nepal. And within a few minutes, Pasang had found her American parents.

Don Mitchell, son épouse Sharon et Pasang

Sharon and Pasang

Tara, the mother of all, who gives love profusely to some 50 kids now, and without whom SEA would not exist, Sarita junior—Pasang’s best friend and sister of heart—,Nyma her little brother and everyone in the SEA Home in Kathmandu were crying while seeing Pasang depart for India, but Samjhana, Jyoti, Shankar and Naren were all rejoicing at the prospect of welcoming their little sister in Bangalore.

So goes life, and the beauty of this world.

And for that beauty we want to convey our warmest thank-you to Sharon and Don.

Pasang and Sarita Jr

Pasang

Pasang avec Tara

Tara, Pasang, Sarita Jr

Pasang and Tara

Pasang and Nyma

Tagué: association caritative, Ecriture, Education, Etude, Inde, Les seniors en Inde, Pharmacy, SEA-nepal.org, Solidarite enfance Asie, Université, voyages