Stories of Nepal: Pansari
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
"My daughter died of Pneumonia. We rushed her to Kalagaun and then to the hospital in Nepalgunj. There the money ran out and so did her life. My granddaughter was only 45 days old when she lost her mother. She was tiny. She could not get the taste of her mother’s breast. For a while, the father took her back to his village. Some time had passed and I went to see the baby. I was shaken when I saw her. She had sores on her back for being kept in the cradle too long. She still has the scars. I knew that she was not receiving proper care and the more I looked into her sad eyes, the more it reminded me of my deceased daughter. I pleaded with my son in law to let me take her with me. But he did not let me. I had to return home alone with a pain in my heart. Not long after that, the father came with her. He must have changed his mind. He told how while on the bus, out of pity for the baby, the women passengers took turns in feeding her their breast milk. The father left. I remember him saying to me, 'If she lives, raise her. If she dies, throw her away'.
"After that day, my life changed. I stayed with her all the time. Cleaning her, feeding her and providing her what she needed to survive. I was still very worried that she was going to die and I could not sleep at night. I sometimes forgot to eat lunch. Because I could not leave her, I lost contact with all my friends and relatives. Every time she cried at night, I would wake up and put her in my lap and sing to her. And I could never go back to sleep. Even though she was getting better she was very thin. My eyes fill with tears remembering those days. When she finally turned 1 year of age, I slowly started to breathe freely. I found peace. I knew that she would live.
"She is turning 5 soon and I have no clue where her father is. I think her father never came into any faith. Now my granddaughter calls me “Mummy”. For her, I am her mother. Even though I had a very difficult time raising her to be this healthy, I am very happy today. And now that she goes to school, she will be able to see the world. I have some time for myself and the rest of the family. My friends who have seen me devote my time to my granddaughter thank me for bringing her back to life. they say, 'Thank you, she was dying and now look at her. God will look after you.' " (Pansari, Maalika 7, Dailekh)
This month, we’re collaborating with our friends at Stories of Nepal to tell the stories of the families we serve. Each subject has children enrolled in the Kopila Valley School, and has agreed to share their journey with you.