Why sponsor this child?
Khusi Lepcha is the youngest of four siblings. She lives with her father who, regardless of their difficult financial situation, has to drink every night. Although her father works in the fields around town, his job is seasonal and doesn’t make enough to fulfill the needs of the family. The main source of income for the family is the government stipend they get for belonging to a protected tribe. The family receives NRs. 500 ($6.25) per head per month. However, Khusi’s father spends most of it on alcohol.
At five, Khusi doesn’t receive the care she deserves from her father. Her older sisters look after her, but during the daytime she is left on her own as her sisters go to school. She often goes to a nearby school and watches other children playing and studying. Sometimes she talks to the teachers and expresses her desire to join school. However, she cannot go to school despite her profound desire for education because her father has no plans to quit drinking in order to afford his daughter’s education. She hopes she can join her sisters at school someday. At the moment, she is happy holding her sister’s old notebook that has a statement printed on the cover page, “This is my Copy, Now I will Write in it.”
