Divine Touch
I went to Nepal with a group of professors and students in 2013. There I met our tour guide, Mr. Mani who himself is a philanthropist and running a charity. He is an amazing man and a truly humanist and a philanthropist. Most importantly, I am impressed by his zeal to help poor and vulnerable people in remote areas in Nepal even though he had/has big family problems and he was/is the only bread owner in his family.
One year later I was to return to Nepal, but Nepal experienced a major earthquake. Mani's house was also damaged and I raised few thousand dollars to support Mani to rebuild his house. To my surprise, instead of using the money to repair his house, Mani sought my permission to us it to help others who had lost everything. I knew he needed that money but still I agreed to his proposal.
Mani used the money to re-build many houses.
And in particular, we helped re-build a house of a poor woman, who had two small boys but lost her husband in the earthquake. She had no skills except being a housewife. We funded them entirely. We also funded the building of green houses for farmers in a village to start over again with their farming and gave an entire village an income based on this investment.
I went back to Nepal next year in 2016 to see the impact of our work and it was amazing and heartwarming. I was very much touched by the changes in life of people with that little money I had donated. We decided to fund two new libraries at two schools that had never had a library before.
On our way back to home base, we stopped to look at a Development For Peace International supported project for severely handicapped children. The project was basically an orphanage supporting 15 to 20 children and run by a staff of just two women, which I could not believe.
The children, my god, were so sweet and charming, and were so excited to see us, hugged and kissed us and just wanted us to hug and touch them. They were all over us.
I looked around the room and noticed one little boy who was sitting in the corner all alone. I went over and sat next to this little boy and looked at him and he looked at me. Then he took both of his hands and put them on my face just to touch me and I did the same to him and we just stared into each other's eye. I felt as if it was a divine touch!!!
I felt so sad when I realized that the little one had autism!!!
Of course my eyes were filled with tears and noticed Mani watching us and he too was crying. I am crying right now as I write this. I hugged the little boy and it was time to go. Before we left the orphanage, the woman in charge requested us to help them hire one more caretaker. I right there decided to fund another helper. Believe me, it just cost me $450 per annum.
I had to leave the next day for the USA and right now there are three women taking care of these helpless children. This is what makes life all worthwhile helping the helpless and that is what I always try to do.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Professor John Parrish
Goodwill Ambassador
Development For Peace International
Hurst TX
Review from #MyGivingStory