Nepal

It is reported that Mahatma Gandhi,Father of India wrote a note to his leaders in 1948, which today, is relevantto us as well. He said, "I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt,or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recallthe face of the poorest and the weakest man or woman whom you may have seen andask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him orher. Will he or she gain anything by it? Will it restore him to control overhis life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj (freedom) for thehungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts andyour self melt away."

‘Usha' in Nepali means Dawn of the Sun. Usha, the young woman, comes fromone of the farming classes of the Newar community of Nepal. They are thought tobe people who are good with their hands but with limited intelligence.

In her testimony Usha says, "I was justa village girl when I first heard about the Lord in a small Christian meetingalong with my friends. In a few weeks all my friends stopped going to thefellowship but I kept attending and believed in the Lord. When I shared myfaith with my relatives they were really upset and treated me very badly but Icontinued to believe."

Usha had dropped out of school afterthe fifth grade and people thought she was not capable of anything except tobear children and be a farmer. But when she found the Lord she was motivated tobe something and this is the time when she was introduced to Lydia VocationalTraining Centre in Kathmandu. She was timid and fearful and when she was in theschool she did not show much sign of talent.  One day when the Lydia Centre needed someone to come and helpas a maid she applied for the job. She was fine when it came to making tea andsweeping and washing floors but to her horror she was asked to clean toilets aswell!  This was too much because itis the job of the Chame (low sweeper caste) in her community. She went home andcomplained and cried in front of her husband. He told her to think and praybefore quitting the job. She prayed and in her own words says, "Whenever Iprayed the Lord showed me only toilets. I asked the Lord to remove the visionof the toilets but it would not go away. Then the Lord told me to be humble andclean the toilets and that settled the matter and I joyfully cleaned thetoilets too." 

In a few months she was asked to helpstudents in crafts during her free time and there she found that she had a naturaltalent for designs and handwork. Later when there was vacancy for a craft teachershe applied and got the job. Now she had found a niche in the school and therewas no looking back. She asked us to provide her with more training and we senther for all the needed training and today she is managing the whole department.She not only teaches but also sells the items produced at the Centre. She toldme, "When I was asked to sell I was told to use a calculator but I had no cluehow it worked. One man taught me how to use a calculator. Today I can doaccounts of any amount for Lydia." When I heard this I challenged her to learncomputer and now she can do simple and basic work in computer as well.

She says "I want to thank God for allthe things He has done. Before I came to Lydia I did not know anything but nowI am capable. I am also privileged to help many girls who come from thevillages who are as ignorant as I was. Now I know all I have is given by God toempower other ladies."

Let us always have those like thisyoung lady in front of our eyes. We should honestly ask, "Will our decisionbenefit and empower people like Usha?"  

True to her name Usha today brings thedawn of hope and life to many women. But we must all also realize that Usha iswhere she is today because of a sponsor somewhere sending money faithfully, anoffice assistant laboriously compiling letters and reports and a host of peopledoing big and small things.

Nicanor Tamang