Success stories
Get to know some of the students at SSDRC
Laxmi
Age unknown
I don’t know exactly how old I am, or when my birthday is. My teachers tell me I’m probably about 16 already, but I’ll never know for sure. I can’t ask my parents, because I don’t know who they are – I’m an orphan.
I was found alone and malnourished, at a temple in Solukhumbu, in the east of Nepal, when I was around three years old. Maybe my parents abandoned me because I’m a girl. Or because they realised I have learning difficulties. Or maybe they just couldn’t afford to feed another mouth.
After that, I grew up in orphanages, and was moved from the countryside to Kathmandu. All the carers thought I was moody, stubborn and often withdrawn – no one could explain my behaviour until I was diagnosed with a mix of autism, intellectual disability and epilepsy.
I was the first child to join SSDRC after it opened in 2010. The founder, Ms Sabita, found me at the Sushila Orphanage and convinced the managers to let me attend the school – and I’m eternally grateful to her for this.
Since that fateful day seven years ago, my life has changed completely. On my first day at SSDRC, I couldn’t speak at all. I used to hide small objects under my armpits. I was so used to squatting on the floor, I refused to even sit on a chair.
Today I still live at the orphanage, but for six days a week I have found a new family at SSDRC, where I have felt true support, comfort and love for the first time in my life. When I recently had to fill out a form with my personal details, I wrote SSDRC in the space for father, and called Sabita Upreti my mother. This is the home I never had.
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Aadesh
Age 14
When I joined SSDRC five years ago I had never been to school before. I was diagnosed with autism when I was a small boy and my parents didn’t know what to do with me, until they heard about SSDRC from one of our neighbours.
Back then, I was very different. My family found me hard to control. My favourite things was to grab mobile phones off the table and throw them on the floor. I constantly flapped my right hand up and down and would make groaning noises to myself. I barely spoke and only knew a few words Nepali. Nobody could keep me in one place for more than a minute or two.
All that changed when I joined SSDRC. It turns out what I needed was a structured day and a stable environment. During my first year at the school I found it very tough to deal with the other children – I hated playing and socialising with anybody else. But over time I began to enjoy playing and interacting with my classmates.
My academic performance increased so fast, too – after two years I had learnt to write the alphabet and many basic words, and after three years I had progressed from the bottom class, D, to the top, A.
The proudest day of my life was when, after showing such fast progress, my teachers selected me to represent SSDRC at the International Conference on Developmental Disability, hosted in Melbourne, Australia, in August 2016.
One year ago I was made Class Captain, and given responsivities to look after the younger children – helping them tie their shoelaces, eat, clean dishes and taking them to the toilet. I’m so proud to be able to give something back to the school which has helped me so much, and it is my dream one day to work at SSDRC as a teaching assistant.
Alisha
Age 22
Unlike most of the children at SSDRC, I was lucky enough to go to a normal, government school. I got all the way to Grade 7 – the only problem was that I never even learnt the alphabet, in English or Nepali. Despite being in a mainstream school, the education level was not what it should have been, to say the least. Most of the time my teachers just ignored me and left me in the corner by myself. They couldn’t understand me.
My mother is a nurse and she took me to many hospitals when I was younger. Eventually I was diagnosed with mild autism, dyslexia and intellectual disability, too. However, the society in Nepal is conservative and my parents didn’t want other people to know there was anything different about me.
It wasn’t until I was 16 that I joined SSDRC and was exposed to my first specialist teaching. I realised for the first time that I wasn’t the only one like me.
After my 21st birthday I was very scared of leaving SSDRC, I didn’t know what role I could play in society. I was so happy when I was asked to stay on and join the staff as a teaching assistant. For the past year I have worked in class D looking after the children, taking them to the toilet and teaching them to eat independently. I feel so grown up and proud when my former schoolmates now look up to me and call me ‘ma’am’.
At home I enjoy helping my mother out with household chores and I also work part-time in SSDRC’s class for vocational training, where I’ve learnt to make bracelets, scarves and other souvenirs which are sold to raise funds for the school.
Last year I was one of two students, along with Aadesh, who travelled to Australia to represent SSDRC at the International Conference on Developmental Disability in Melbourne. It was the first time either of us had left Nepal.
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Bimarsh
Age 7
I come from Nepalgunj, a town in the Southwestern part of Nepal. When I was diagnosed with autism, at the age of six, my mother made the difficult decision to move with me to Kathmandu, because there are no specialist services for treating autism outside my country’s capital. It split my family up – my father had to stay behind and work in our hometown.
That was just one year ago. When I joined the school, I was very difficult to control – I wouldn’t stop running all over the place, and it was impossible to make me stay in one room or one place. And also, I didn’t talk at all.
One of the first words I learnt was SSDRC – at least then if I got lost I could find my way back to school. Within a few weeks I began picking up the alphabet, and was soon able to say short sentences, like “give me water” when I’m thirsty. I like teaching the alphabet to other children – “A is for apple, B is for ball…”and all the rest.
My favourite lesson is art therapy, where I’ve learnt to draw neat circles and lines.
Laxmi
Age unknown
I don’t know exactly how old I am, or when my birthday is. My teachers tell me I’m probably about 16 already, but I’ll never know for sure. I can’t ask my parents, because I don’t know who they are – I’m an orphan.
I was found alone and malnourished, at a temple in Solukhumbu, in the east of Nepal, when I was around three years old. Maybe my parents abandoned me because I’m a girl. Or because they realised I have learning difficulties. Or maybe they just couldn’t afford to feed another mouth.
After that, I grew up in orphanages, and was moved from the countryside to Kathmandu. All the carers thought I was moody, stubborn and often withdrawn – no one could explain my behaviour until I was diagnosed with a mix of autism, intellectual disability and epilepsy.
I was the first child to join SSDRC after it opened in 2010. The founder, Ms Sabita, found me at the Sushila Orphanage and convinced the managers to let me attend the school – and I’m eternally grateful to her for this.
Since that fateful day seven years ago, my life has changed completely. On my first day at SSDRC, I couldn’t speak at all. I used to hide small objects under my armpits. I was so used to squatting on the floor, I refused to even sit on a chair.
Today I still live at the orphanage, but for six days a week I have found a new family at SSDRC, where I have felt true support, comfort and love for the first time in my life. When I recently had to fill out a form with my personal details, I wrote SSDRC in the space for father, and called Sabita Upreti my mother. This is the home I never had.
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Success stories
Get to know some of the students at SSDRC
Laxmi
Age unknown
I don’t know exactly how old I am, or when my birthday is. My teachers tell me I’m probably about 16 already, but I’ll never know for sure. I can’t ask my parents, because I don’t know who they are – I’m an orphan.
I was found alone and malnourished, at a temple in Solukhumbu, in the east of Nepal, when I was around three years old. Maybe my parents abandoned me because I’m a girl. Or because they realised I have learning difficulties. Or maybe they just couldn’t afford to feed another mouth.
After that, I grew up in orphanages, and was moved from the countryside to Kathmandu. All the carers thought I was moody, stubborn and often withdrawn – no one could explain my behaviour until I was diagnosed with a mix of autism, intellectual disability and epilepsy.
I was the first child to join SSDRC after it opened in 2010. The founder, Ms Sabita, found me at the Sushila Orphanage and convinced the managers to let me attend the school – and I’m eternally grateful to her for this.
Since that fateful day seven years ago, my life has changed completely. On my first day at SSDRC, I couldn’t speak at all. I used to hide small objects under my armpits. I was so used to squatting on the floor, I refused to even sit on a chair.
Today I still live at the orphanage, but for six days a week I have found a new family at SSDRC, where I have felt true support, comfort and love for the first time in my life. When I recently had to fill out a form with my personal details, I wrote SSDRC in the space for father, and called Sabita Upreti my mother. This is the home I never had.
Aadesh
Age 14
When I joined SSDRC five years ago I had never been to school before. I was diagnosed with autism when I was a small boy and my parents didn’t know what to do with me, until they heard about SSDRC from one of our neighbours.
Back then, I was very different. My family found me hard to control. My favourite things was to grab mobile phones off the table and throw them on the floor. I constantly flapped my right hand up and down and would make groaning noises to myself. I barely spoke and only knew a few words Nepali. Nobody could keep me in one place for more than a minute or two.
All that changed when I joined SSDRC. It turns out what I needed was a structured day and a stable environment. During my first year at the school I found it very tough to deal with the other children – I hated playing and socialising with anybody else. But over time I began to enjoy playing and interacting with my classmates.
My academic performance increased so fast, too – after two years I had learnt to write the alphabet and many basic words, and after three years I had progressed from the bottom class, D, to the top, A.
The proudest day of my life was when, after showing such fast progress, my teachers selected me to represent SSDRC at the International Conference on Developmental Disability, hosted in Melbourne, Australia, in August 2016.
One year ago I was made Class Captain, and given responsivities to look after the younger children – helping them tie their shoelaces, eat, clean dishes and taking them to the toilet. I’m so proud to be able to give something back to the school which has helped me so much, and it is my dream one day to work at SSDRC as a teaching assistant.
Alisha
Age 22
Unlike most of the children at SSDRC, I was lucky enough to go to a normal, government school. I got all the way to Grade 7 – the only problem was that I never even learnt the alphabet, in English or Nepali. Despite being in a mainstream school, the education level was not what it should have been, to say the least. Most of the time my teachers just ignored me and left me in the corner by myself. They couldn’t understand me.
My mother is a nurse and she took me to many hospitals when I was younger. Eventually I was diagnosed with mild autism, dyslexia and intellectual disability, too. However, the society in Nepal is conservative and my parents didn’t want other people to know there was anything different about me.
It wasn’t until I was 16 that I joined SSDRC and was exposed to my first specialist teaching. I realised for the first time that I wasn’t the only one like me.
After my 21st birthday I was very scared of leaving SSDRC, I didn’t know what role I could play in society. I was so happy when I was asked to stay on and join the staff as a teaching assistant. For the past year I have worked in class D looking after the children, taking them to the toilet and teaching them to eat independently. I feel so grown up and proud when my former schoolmates now look up to me and call me ‘ma’am’.
At home I enjoy helping my mother out with household chores and I also work part-time in SSDRC’s class for vocational training, where I’ve learnt to make bracelets, scarves and other souvenirs which are sold to raise funds for the school.
Last year I was one of two students, along with Aadesh, who travelled to Australia to represent SSDRC at the International Conference on Developmental Disability in Melbourne. It was the first time either of us had left Nepal.
Bimarsh
Age 7
I come from Nepalgunj, a town in the Southwestern part of Nepal. When I was diagnosed with autism, at the age of six, my mother made the difficult decision to move with me to Kathmandu, because there are no specialist services for treating autism outside my country’s capital. It split my family up – my father had to stay behind and work in our hometown.
That was just one year ago. When I joined the school, I was very difficult to control – I wouldn’t stop running all over the place, and it was impossible to make me stay in one room or one place. And also, I didn’t talk at all.
One of the first words I learnt was SSDRC – at least then if I got lost I could find my way back to school. Within a few weeks I began picking up the alphabet, and was soon able to say short sentences, like “give me water” when I’m thirsty. I like teaching the alphabet to other children – “A is for apple, B is for ball…”and all the rest.
My favourite lesson is art therapy, where I’ve learnt to draw neat circles and lines.
Laxmi
Age unknown
I don’t know exactly how old I am, or when my birthday is. My teachers tell me I’m probably about 16 already, but I’ll never know for sure. I can’t ask my parents, because I don’t know who they are – I’m an orphan.
I was found alone and malnourished, at a temple in Solukhumbu, in the east of Nepal, when I was around three years old. Maybe my parents abandoned me because I’m a girl. Or because they realised I have learning difficulties. Or maybe they just couldn’t afford to feed another mouth.
After that, I grew up in orphanages, and was moved from the countryside to Kathmandu. All the carers thought I was moody, stubborn and often withdrawn – no one could explain my behaviour until I was diagnosed with a mix of autism, intellectual disability and epilepsy.
I was the first child to join SSDRC after it opened in 2010. The founder, Ms Sabita, found me at the Sushila Orphanage and convinced the managers to let me attend the school – and I’m eternally grateful to her for this.
Since that fateful day seven years ago, my life has changed completely. On my first day at SSDRC, I couldn’t speak at all. I used to hide small objects under my armpits. I was so used to squatting on the floor, I refused to even sit on a chair.
Today I still live at the orphanage, but for six days a week I have found a new family at SSDRC, where I have felt true support, comfort and love for the first time in my life. When I recently had to fill out a form with my personal details, I wrote SSDRC in the space for father, and called Sabita Upreti my mother. This is the home I never had.