Everyone has their story — their trials, tribulations and victories. For the blessed of us, the trials and tribulations we faced as children are somewhat fond memories we laugh at as we grow older. Sadly, not all of us are so lucky. For some, the childhood days can be of survival on the day to day.

This is the story of a beautiful young woman, and like for most of us, it begins when she was but a small child. When My Small Help met her for the first time, Anita Gurung was in her early teens. The year was 2008. 

Up until then, Anita had been living in an orphanage. The roof over her head was there one day and gone the next when the orphanage decided to let her go for reasons undisclosed. Just like that, the teenager was out on the streets.

2008 also happened to be the year that the Nepalese chapter of My Small Help was conceived, and we were more than happy to welcome Anita into our family. She was the first child that would be fostered by our organization. 

Immediately after, My Small Help got Anita admission into Everest School in Bhaktapur, Nepal (just outside the capital city of Kathmandu) and also arranged for on-campus hostel for the youngster’s accommodation. 

We at My Small Help are of the idea that a child’s future can only be secured through education — be it vocational or academic — which would ultimately give the child the footing required for financial independence and finding a place in the society. That is exactly the future we wanted for little Anita.

Three years after the unfortunate incident at the orphanage, Anita completed her basic schooling and graduated with a School Leaving Certificate in 2011 (equivalent to sophomore year of highschool). 

We also arranged for her to continue with her higher education and helped complete her high school from Grand Academy with a major in Sociology. Since her academic career at Everest Academy was over, the school could no longer accommodate her in their hostel and so Anita moved in with the wonderful kids over at Marybery Children Homes in Lalitpur where she could spend time with kids who had faced similar hardships in their lives. She grew up as a mentor figure for the kids there too.

With her high school behind her, Anita wanted to continue studying and get into college. So, we did what any good guardian does, MSH got Anita into Nestfield College. Anita graduated college with a Bachelor in Social Work (BSW) in 2016. 

The ambitious girl didn’t stop there. She enrolled for a two-year Masters in Social Work degree from Ganpat University in Gujrat, India, and graduated in 2021.

We are proud to call Anita one of our children. Today, she is a respected and independent member of the community and is currently employed as a Project development officer in Institures of Cultural Affairs (ICA), Nepal.