A Life Changed
A note from HYF Board Member and Sponsor, Christina Sherry about how connection with our Kailash Kids has transformed her life. Learn more about becoming an HYF sponsor here.
As I write to you, my computer illuminates a row of photographs on my desk. Tiny Dawa beams in a Cinderella costume. Thupten hugs a soccer ball, grinning like a teenage Bollywood star. And graceful Nyima, who dreams of becoming a doctor, holds out incense. You can almost smell its spicy scent. If you close your eyes, you’ll hear echoes of laughter, playground shouts, faint Nepali pop music drifting through the air. Just like that you’re at Kailash. In a year marked with global turmoil, heartache and stress, I look at those faces and am strengthened. I see hope. I witness the future. I feel love.
The bond between sponsor and child is unique and mutually life changing. My journey to the cluster of red brick buildings began six years ago when I became a pen pal to a young boy who left goat herding for a chance to be the first educated in his family. Today I still write. But I also email, text, and video chat with him and our four other children. My phone pings throughout the night with messages from them—who cares about time zones?! I wake to their latest adventures: a Tik Tok dance, a photo of them baking bread, a video of their Diwali celebrations. I wake with a smile.
In the mix of this silliness and joy, this only child has become big sister, confidante, dream maker. Educator, too. Every week I read a book to the two youngest. These remarkable children, who have so little, still constantly share and give. They show me a humbling strength and make me realize what’s most important. Traveling to hug them in Nepal last year was one of the most moving experiences of my life.
Am I a different person six years later? Absolutely. Not simply because Buddhist chants, the Hindu pantheon, and dal bhat are part of my world. I am different because I’m blessed by these precious relationships.
On behalf of the HYF Board of Directors, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for embracing these children, our Kailash Kids. Your love, involvement in the children’s lives, and concern for their future is a shining example of the holiday season. We raise our glasses to you and wish you, your family and loved ones a time of peace and joy. You are our light today and tomorrow.
Namaste, Christina
