Wheels of Hope: How Rekha Found Her Way Back to School
Eighteen-year-old Rekha lives in Raike, Gurbhakot Municipality. She stays with her parents, brother, sister, and her little niece. Like many families in rural Nepal, her family depends on farming and daily wage work to survive. They have five goats, a cattle shed, and five acres of sandy farmland. But the land gives so little that their food doesn’t even last a month.
Rekha’s father works in India to help the family. Her mother and sister earn money by doing local work. Her younger brother studies in class 10 at a nearby government school. But Rekha has faced more than just poverty. When she was only two years old, she lost the ability to walk. One day, while her parents were out working, she fell down the stairs. Soon after, she had a high fever. The family didn’t have money to take her to the hospital. The fever went away, but it had already done damage. Slowly, Rekha lost movement in her lower body. Since then, she has depended on her family for everything.
As she grew older, Rekha really wanted to go to school like her brother. Her father took her to Shree Saraswati Primary School. She was happy and excited. But that didn’t last long. The school had no accessible toilets or proper classrooms. Rekha had to relieve herself in the classroom. She felt ashamed and her classmates made fun of her. After just two days, she dropped out. Later, she got some help from INF Nepal’s Shining Hospital. They gave her physiotherapy and a wheelchair. But the roads around her home were too steep and rough. She couldn’t use the wheelchair. It stayed unused at home.
Then something changed. INF Nepal Access and Inclusion Project team heard about Rekha. The team leader and staff came to her house. They listened to her story and offered real help. They made her house and school wheelchair-friendly. Now, Rekha is back in school. She has joined class one again. She moves around proudly in her wheelchair. At home, she can now bathe, cook, wash clothes, and use the toilet all by herself. She no longer needs help for daily activities. At school, her classmates treat her like a friend, not someone different. Rekha is doing well. With a big smile, she says, “I have received a new life because of the support from the project and the hospital.”
