Soni’s Story: Hope on the Horizon

From a rented one-room hut in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Soni was only 11 years old when her father passed away suddenly from a heart attack. At 49, he left behind his wife and five children. For Soni’s mother, the loss was not only emotional. It meant losing the person who shared the weight of everyday struggles.

“I felt like I lost everything. I had five children and with no job; I did not know how I was going to look after them,” Soni’s mother recalled.

For a while, survival was the only goal.

Soni’s eldest sister, Sangita, works as a teacher at a nearby school, while the second sister, Sumita, worked as a housemaid. Together, they earn around NPR 10,000 (USD 84) monthly. Most of it goes towards rent and food, and it is barely enough to feed the family. Education, once a hope, became difficult to sustain.

“We do not have the money to continue Soni’s education,” her mother shares. “Buying school supplies, uniforms, and paying school fees cost a lot.”

In March 2021, Soni stopped school after completing Grade 5. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, most of the schools shut down and were only running virtual classes, but for families like Soni’s, virtual classes were out of reach.

Soni expressed, “Since my father passed away, my mother has been struggling a lot. We do not have enough money to even feed ourselves let alone continue my education. I wish to grow up so I can help my mother and family.”

Yet even in hardship, hope found a way.

After hearing from a neighbour about World Vision’s Child Sponsorship programme, Soni’s mother registered her daughter, Soni, hoping it would ease the burden and open new doors.

“I’m glad we had her registered in the programme. Since then, we have been receiving a lot of supplies. We have received school supplies for Soni, and hygiene kits. We even received food supplies including rice, lentils and cooking oil from World Vision. All this support has been really helpful to us during these trying times.”

These simple items meant that Soni is no longer held back by what her family cannot afford.

With support from World Vision and local partners in Nepal, a school Soni wanted to go to was contacted. After some negotiation, the school agreed to admit her without cost, and Soni was successfully admitted to Grade 6.

Despite the loss of her father, her family’s struggle with poverty, and the difficulty of continuing her education, little Soni has big dreams of her own. A drawing and dancing enthusiast, Soni wishes to become a doctor in the future.

“I know how important it is to save people’s lives. I want to become a doctor and serve the needy people for free when I grow up!” said Soni, with a beaming smile.

For families already stretched thin, this support makes a difference beyond the classroom. It brings dignity, it eases pressure on parents struggling to provide, and it keeps hope alive for children like Soni, who know that education is their pathway to a brighter future.

Your gift is more than supplies. It is the chance for a child to keep learning, keep dreaming, and keep moving forward.

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