This is a photo story from Nepal featuring Binita, Sangita, Laxmi, Mahesh, Nirmala, Anish and Sabita.
They’re all children with disabilities. But despite their challenges, they have a lot of hope. And each child has a unique story to tell you.
This is Binita. She’s a future engineer.
Binita attends a school for students who are deaf, located on the outskirts of a small city in Nepal. On a good day, you can see the white peaks of the Himalayan mountains on the horizon.
The school has become her home now, and she feels safe here. “If I could, I would rather have gone to a school with ‘regular’ people at home,” says Binita. “But I have no choice. There are no other deaf schools offering engineering studies.”
This is Mahesh. He’s a radio star.
Mahesh has a big passion — singing. “I feel happier when I sing,” he explains.
Mahesh has been blind all his life. He goes to a boarding school that was created for children like him. A teacher there noticed his interest in music and helped him record a song about children’s rights. The song was even played on the local radio. Mahesh loved this little taste of fame, and he’s ready for more. “I’d love to do it again. It was fun!”
This is Nirmala. She’s a survivor.
In 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal. It was devastating — nearly 9,000 people were killed and 22,000 were injured. Nirmala’s life was never the same.
“I was watching TV with a friend,” says Nirmala. “A wall collapsed on me and covered my leg.”
Nirmala lost her leg. But she didn’t lose her future. She now goes to a school in Kathmandu for children like her. It’s far from her family’s home, but she considers herself lucky, because she knows so many children in her situation wouldn’t be able to stay in school.
This is Sangita and Laxmi. They’re best friends.
Sangita and Laxmi look a little different from most Nepalese children. They both have albinism, a condition that causes little to no melanin production in skin. They face constant discrimination and harassment. It doesn’t help that they’re also both from the Dalit caste, known as “untouchables.”
These two friends met at school and became inseparable. Through all of their struggles, they find comfort and strength in each other’s support.
This is Anish. He loves basketball, and strives to be a good person.
Anish hasn’t been able to walk since he was young. Even though he has a wheelchair, getting around is still hard for him. The courtyard outside his house is uneven and their landlord refuses to let Anish’s family build a ramp.
Like anybody else though, Anish has passions and dreams for the future. He loves watching his friends play basketball, although he wishes he could be more involved. And he’s determined to stay in school.
“I want to get an education and become a good person,” he says.
This is Sabita. She wants to make a lot of money — so she can help other people.
One day, Sabita was hanging clothes out to dry on the roof of her house. She pushed aside a power cord, and everything went black. Thousands of volts had passed through her body. When she awoke in the hospital, she had lost both her hands.
But Sabita didn’t lose her drive. She’s determined to get an education so she can find a good job and earn enough money to help her parents. She wants to help other people too, especially those that she sees begging outside of temples.
“I want to be successful in my life,” says Sabita. “It is not so important to become famous, but I want to be very rich. So rich that I can help other people.”
Globally, children with disabilities often face unbearable challenges. Many don’t have access to the resources they need and are at higher risk for having their rights violated. Plan International works in communities around the world, making sure that children with disabilities are protected, educated and able to live up to their full potential.
Photo credit: Plan International/Morten Krogvold
