“I was a little fellow, perhaps eight years old, and generally hungry.  School life was out of the question for me.  My days passed with gathering fodder for the buffaloes, and fire wood to prepare cheese.   The steep forest above our home made for difficult work, compounded with rain, mud, and leech bites during the monsoon, and freezing cold in winter.  In the spring there were corn fields to plough, hoe, and fertilize.  Meals consisted mostly of thick cornmeal porridge, with a little vegetable sauce or buttermilk. 

“One quiet afternoon, while my parents rested downstairs, I gave into the temptation to taste some of the cottage cheese, our only source of cash.  It was delicious, but I suddenly sensed someone behind me!  My angry father lit into me, and left me crying in a corner.  That was enough!  I was off to Kathmandu, a two day walk, begging along the way. 

“I found my way to Thamel, Kathmandu’s tourist area, where I washed dishes for my meals and soon met three friends.  While we begged from tourists, we met Kitty and her friends who fed and befriended us!  We were in heaven, but a temporary heaven, for they would soon leave.  Kitty arranged place for us at the St. Xavier’s Social Service Center.  Fr. Tom Gafney, S.J., and his assistant, Bhaikuntha, welcomed us.  However the rules there were not to our liking so off we went to town again.  My friends were happy, but I found the idea of getting an education attractive, so back I went.  Bhaikuntha did not scold me, rather gave me a sweater and a smile.  Then I settled down to student life.”

So Eak Bahadur Tamang began his story.  His mother bore eleven children, five of whom have survived.  Eak was born about 1980, the second child to live. His two younger brothers, and youngest sister followed.  After Fr. Tom’s murder in December 1997, I began to administer the center so got to know Eak and the other hundred or so boys there.  Eak completed the ten year high school course.  That was enough of books for him, so he trained as a plumber for six months but could not find work. 

The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, who run the Navjyoti Center for Special Children, hired Eak to be a door man and helper on the school bus.  Eak was looking for more training, so Kitty helped him with the cost of a nine month social work training program.  He passed the course, and then worked in a home for the mentally ill.  Eventually the Sisters brought him back to Navjyoti as a teacher’s assistant.  He continues that work today.  He is now married and has a fifteen month old son.  

The April earthquake destroyed most of the homes in Eak’s village.  His parents and three surviving grandparents love their village life and so don’t want to move to stay with Eak or his brothers.  His mother commented, “All I want is a place to sleep and cook, and a buffalo or two to care for.”  There will be no place for a buffalo if she moves! 

Eak’s generation certainly does not want to live the hard and dangerous life his parents are used to.  The rocky land gives poor yields.  The steep slopes are ready to slide as the monsoon rains begin to soften the mud, already loosened in the earthquake.  There is no question of construction until October, after the monsoon. 

Eak and his brothers have hard decisions to make, but will certainly care well for their parents and grandparents.  Eak will take the lead, thanks to Kitty, Fr. Tom, Bhaikuntha, and many supportive friends.  Kitty’s concern twenty-eight years ago has paid high dividends.  Hopefully our continued concern can do the same for some of the hundreds of thousands of people in central Nepal, who are facing similar decisions. 

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Source for all photographs:  Bill Robins, SJ