It’s not enough for me to see the children in the TWAM Homes. I keep in touch with the graduates to encourage them, to let them know I care and that I want them to succeed. Pradeep graduated last year and he is attending junior college 4 km (a little more than 2 miles) up the hill from the LOT Home. I remember very vividly the first time I saw him. His father was old, uneducated and illiterate. He supported his wife and son by chopping wood and selling it for a few pennies. Somehow he had fallen down the mountain while he was working which severely injured his legs. One was paralyzed and the other leg trembled violently. When I interviewed this kind man I could see that he cared deeply for his son and that his son, Pradeep had much compassion for his father. During the interview the father’s leg would shake and Pradeep would reach over trying to stop the tremors.
Pradeep is now living with his father while attending junior college. His father desperately needs his son to help around the house. They are sustenance farmers, growing fruit (bananas, mango papaya), raising chickens for income, chopping and selling firewood. They only have a tiny vegetable garden because their plot of land is small.
I had never been to Pradeep’s village but I was exceedingly affected when I met his father at the family home. Though they are extremely poor, the home and grounds are immaculate, more so than my own home! His father does not let his infirmity discourage him or use it as an excuse to be lazy. He can only stand for a few minutes at one time but he still chops firewood to sell.
Pradeep is in our scholarship program. TWAM pays his school tuition. A year prior to Pradeep’s graduation his father sent a letter to me at the LOT Home. He had someone from the village write it for him. Though he is illiterate he understands the value of education. He pled with me, asking me to help his son get as much education as possible. We, at TWAM, do not abandon our children, and we will not abandon Pradeep. We will support him through his education as long as God gives us the money to do so.
