January–March 2026: Stories behind this quarter’s update

Rojina – Resilience in daily life paying off

After losing her father at a very young age, and with her mother no longer in contact, Rojina and her siblings were living with their elderly grandmother and struggling to meet even their basic needs. When their grandmother became seriously ill, the children were referred to Sunrise for care in 2022.

After nearly a year, their grandmother recovered, and the children happily returned to her care. Since then, SCAI has continued to support them with education and basic needs.

Each day, Rojina and her older sister Roshma wake early — often around 4:30am — to prepare meals, complete chores and any unfinished homework, and get ready for school. They also collect grass and feed their 4 goats and 1 cow, and work on small plots of land to support their food needs.

Despite this, Rojina has shown remarkable dedication to her education, achieving a First Division in her Class 7 second-term exam, and hopes to become a teacher in the future.

Manisha – Still smiling after loss of a parent and her beloved cow

Manisha’s father passed away when she was very young, and her mother, just 22 at the time, struggled to care for the three children due to poverty and discrimination from her in-laws.

Manisha and her siblings received temporary shelter in Sunrise Home, and later, they were reintegrated with their mother, who was determined to make things work. SCAI continued to support the family enabling them to stay together.

SCAI also provided a cow in 2024 which only allowed Manisha to milk it, alongside her mother who milked their other.

Manisha was often waking at 4:30am, preparing warm water and food, milking the cow, then delivering 6 litres to the local dairy before walking 45 minutes with her young siblings to school. Tragically her cow recently died, another very sad loss for her.

Despite her ongoing household responsibilities, Manisha secured 1st position in her last 2^nd term exam. She dreams of becoming a nurse to help those in need.

Deval Devi – From tragic loss to a strong career path in health

Deval lost her mother at a very young age, and her father, who suffers from asthma, was unable to work regularly. With only a small piece of land in Humla, the family had no stable income and faced significant hardship.

Due to her vulnerable situation, Deval was referred to Sunrise by the Rural Municipality and joined in 2018, where she received care and education support. In 2022, she was successfully reintegrated with her older brother in Kathmandu, with Sunrise continuing to support her education.

With this support, Deval passed her Secondary Education Examination (SEE) in mid-2025 with distinction (88%). She then received a scholarship to study a Health Assistant course through CTEVT.

She is now in her first year at National Health Foundation College and hopes to work as a government Health Assistant, giving back to her community in the future.

Muskan – On her way to becoming a teacher

Muskan’s father had been unwell for a long time due to an ulcer and ongoing infection, leaving her mother to manage the household alone through farming and daily wage work, with no stable income. Meeting daily expenses — and supporting the children’s education — became increasingly difficult, and Muskan was at risk of dropping out due to irregular attendance.

Since receiving support for her schooling in 2023, along with regular follow-up with her family, Muskan has been able to continue her studies and her academic performance has steadily improved.

She passed Class 9 with a First Division, is now in Class 10, and has recently sat her Secondary Education Exams (SEE).  Muskan hopes to become a teacher in the future.

Himli – Achieving distinction against the odds

Himli comes from a family with very limited income. With little land and her father relying on irregular daily wage work in Kathmandu, it has been difficult for her parents to manage household expenses and support their children’s education. At one point, they were unable to afford even basic school materials, and Himli was at risk of dropping out.

In 2023, Himli joined SCAI’s scholarship program. With support for her schooling and regular follow-up with her family, she was able to continue her studies, and over time her confidence and academic performance improved.

Himli passed Class 7 with a First Division and has now achieved a Distinction in her Class 8 second-term exams — a strong reflection of her effort and progress.

She now hopes to become a teacher in the future.

Roj Bahadur – From loss to Civil Engineering

After his mother passed away, Roj Bahadur was raised by his father, who has hearing difficulties and relies on subsistence farming as the family’s only source of income. Meeting daily expenses was a struggle, and continuing the children’s education was uncertain.

With support for his schooling from 2018, along with regular follow-up with the family, Roj Bahadur was able to stay in school and gradually improve his academic performance.

He went on to pass his Secondary Education Exams (SEE) with a First Division result and has since completed a three-year diploma in Civil Engineering, also with a First Division.

Roj Bahadur is now preparing for the Public Service Commission exam, aiming to become a government Civil Sub-Engineer. He hopes to continue on to a Bachelor of Civil Engineering, once he is able to support his own studies.

Shanti – Turning loss into a thriving goat and dairy business

When Shanti Mainal’s husband passed away from cancer when their daughter was just four, Shanti became solely responsible for raising the family. With only a small piece of land and no stable income, it was difficult to meet daily needs, and one of her sons was forced to leave school.

A turning point came in 2023 when her daughter, Punam, received an education scholarship from SCAI, and Shanti joined the livelihood development program. Through this, she received training in farming entrepreneurship, which encouraged her to start a small goat-rearing business.

With support from SCAI, she took a loan of NPR 10,000 to purchase two goats. Within a year, they had produced two kids, and selling one allowed her to repay the loan.

Over time, she expanded her livestock and now owns fifteen goats and one buffalo. She earns around NPR 100,000 per year from goat rearing and a further NPR 100,000 from selling ghee made from buffalo milk and buffalo calves, bringing her total annual income to around NPR 200,000 (almost AUD$2,000), a very good salary in rural Nepal.

Kanchi – From a few chickens to a growing livestock income

After her husband passed away, Kanchhi was raising three young sons with no stable income. Her eldest had already left school to work, and the younger two were at risk of doing the same.

When her younger sons joined the scholarship program, they were able to remain in school. At the same time, Kanchhi began participating in livelihood activities, starting with a small loan of c.AUD $185 to purchase 50 chickens.

From there, she built a business gradually — repaying her loan, reinvesting, and expanding into goats and buffalos. She now proudly owns 2 buffaloes, 5 goats and 70 chickens.

Over time, she has developed a solid and stable income. She now earns around NPR 200,000 per year (c.AUD $2,200), a very good income for a rural family, and the family is in a much more secure position.

Her two younger sons continue their education, and their situation has improved considerably.

Jaisman – From subsistence farming to 12 goats, buffalo & more

Before starting goat rearing, Jaisman (Rajendra’s grandfather) relied on traditional farming. With limited land and a large family, it was difficult to produce enough food or cover household expenses.

Jaisman raised his grandson Rajendra following the divorce of Rajendra’s parents, at a time when he almost dropped out of school.

After joining the scholarship program, Rajendra was able to continue his education and is now in class 10. Back then, Jaisman began participating in livelihood activities, starting with a small loan of around AUD $300 to purchase three goats.

He gradually expanded — repaying the loan and reinvesting – and now owns 12 goats, one buffalo and around 40 chickens.

He has now created a stable income of c.NPR 190,000 per year (around AUD $2,100), significantly improving the family’s situation.