“Are you really the Nirmala Gyawali, from the Nepali TV and radio programs I’ve heard?”, asked a student at the Dharan School for the Blind in South-Eastern Nepal. “I have always dreamed of meeting you! My name is Ramesh.”
That was our first introduction to an extraordinary young man who lives and studies at one of the few schools in Nepal that have only children with blindness, not integrated, inclusive schools which most blind children attend. This school has about eighty children living within the school compound and attending classes. The school seemed to be a very nice environment for the children. The school grounds were neat and well cared for and the classrooms weren’t fancy, but they were functional.
We were in this part of Nepal to meet three Rotary clubs with partner projects helping people with disability and also to visit the Purwanchal Deaf School where, the following day we were going to take the entire school of 55 kids out to a park for hiking, lunch and games. Longtime friend, Ms. Nirmala Gyawali (a woman with blindness, who has been on many Nepali TV and Radio shows promoting disability awareness) and her sister Sita wanted to make a short visit to the school for the blind to see how it was running and how the children there were doing.
We met many children at the school that afternoon but the one who stood out for me was definitely Ramesh. Born with a birth defect that kept his eyes from being formed, with only skin covering where the eyes would have been, his appearance was so different and, initially, a bit unsettling. However, as is always the case, appearances are only skin-deep and within that young man is a sharp mind, an engaging personality and an inner-vision.
“Tell me about Seattle, Mr. Robert….what is it like there?” asked Ramesh as we sat surrounded by other students in the boy’s dormitory.
His English was polite and clear. Ramesh asked many questions about my photography business, my family and what I looked like.
“What is your age, Mr. Robert?” he asked.
I replied that I was 52 years old.
“Oh, you don’t sound that old at all” he replied with a bit of a twinkle in his voice!
Our conversation went on for another 15 or 20 minutes and then I needed to catch-up with the rest of our group and head off to the hotel. As I was led out of the dorm room by a number of kids with blindness, suddenly Ramesh asked, “Mr. Robert, how tall are you?”
“Check it out for yourself!” I told him.
Then he and the other boys reached up and up until they got to the top of my head and “oooh’d” and “ahhh’d” at my comparative height (FYI….I’m 6’2”). Another kid put his arms around my waist to see how big around I was. It was an interesting and special experience for me as I thought to myself how curious I would be if I didn’t have sight and how much I would want to know a person’s physical shape to help me make a mental picture of them.
As we crossed the open field between the buildings I saw a boy kicking a soccer ball and then running after it. The ball was wrapped in a noisy plastic bag that made a distinct ‘rustling’ sound every time it bounced on the ground. He didn’t have vision, but his hearing was acute as he strongly kicked, then deftly ran precisely to where the ball landed and bounced to a stop. Another new concept to me: what an ingenious, low-tech way to make an easy-to-find ball for the blind!
Ramesh had a final, difficult question for me. “Mr. Robert, what opportunities will there be for my further education after I finish my high school?”
That was a tough one…I though carefully about my response. I didn’t want to promise anything I couldn’t deliver or to raise his hopes too high, but I also didn’t want to discourage this bright young man either. I said, “study hard and do well on your final exams, then let’s see what is possible. If you do well, I’m sure there will be opportunities for higher education.”
Many of the boys and girls gathered to say goodbye to us after our short but sweet visit. I know we will return next year to see how they are all doing and how we might be able to provide help.
Life is about investment and return. This is true for ourselves and our personal lives, as well as in our financial lives. We invest time, energy and sometimes money in ourselves, our family and our friends. For example, we invest in golf lessons hoping that will ‘pay off’ in a better overall game. If I was giving financial advice, I would say that making sure Ramesh gets a great education is an investment deal that can’t miss.
-Robert Rose
