Michelle Bliss
Originally from the UK, I taught French and German at the Frankfurt International School for 15 years, where I was also Community Service Coordinator for a number of years. It was in this capacity that I first got involved in humanitarian projects in developing countries and I became increasingly convinced of the value of such involvement both educationally and personally.
One such school-wide project, which I initiated in 1998, assisted young Chernobyl victims in Belarus and is still ongoing. I also took part in a school-building project in the Kalahari Desert and forged links with an orphanage in Nepal.
In 2003 I took a leave of absence from my job in order to travel and to do some kind of voluntary work in Asia. I did not know what. On arriving in Pokhara, Nepal, I came upon Farmer House and the Gautam children and within a short time I realized I had found my purpose.
Several years later the Farmer House family is flourishing. The eight children are all in school, the youngest just having started school and the eldest currently studying in the UK.
We have had many visitors to the house, some long-stay, and many returning. Although I am now teaching full time in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I return to Pokhara twice a year in my school holidays!
The Gautam Family
Laxman Gautam is a trekking guide with 5 children of his own. He and his wife Kanchi also take care of three cousins whose parents live in remote villages, and Laxman's mother, Laxmi.
When I originally met the children I was impressed with how bright and motivated they were, but mostly with their kindness and openness. It soon became apparent to me that the school they were attending was not giving them the opportunity to fulfill their potential. I also discovered that they were being inappropriately treated by some of their teachers. I subsequently found out that it was possible to send them to a good local private school where English is the medium of instruction.
In November of 2003, the 5 oldest children began to attend the Himanchal English School in Pokhara. The two youngest cousins attended local government schools until April 2005 when they also started at the Himanchal School. In April 2006, the youngest child, Anusha, also started at the same school.
In this time, the children have blossomed and it is a joy to see them now achieving their true potential in all respects. Their living conditions have also improved enormously as I have created a simple but comfortable home for them next to the farm, where the boys and girls each share a room, and there is a guest room which is rented out to help with expenses.
