This is a story about the power of ANSWER!
One fall day in 2010 we had a fascinating speaker at our Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Phoenix, Arizona. After the service, my husband and I (Dave and Bonnie Cunningham) rushed to the back of the sanctuary to meet ANSWER Founder, Earle Canfield and select this card from the bulletin board.
13 year old Pabitra Bhandari, an only child with a mother earning less than $900 a year, became a part of ANSWER and started her education in private schools, and we became her dedicated and proud sponsors. Through the years Pabitra excelled, and Dave and Bonnie and their two children made an enriching connection to Nepal through their correspondence and two trips to Nepal to meet Pabitra and her mother, Ghita. Pictured below are Pabitra and Bonnie Cunningham and then Bonnie with her daughter, Shelly with Pabitra and her mother, Ghita. For all of us it became a life altering experience.
When Pabitra finished her secondary school education with honors we were very proud and realized her life was forever changed with her opportunities to find a good job and help support her family.
But Pabitra wasn’t done! She expressed her desire to continue her education in Law School, and we were eager to help her. She had a keen ambition to further the cause for women in Nepal and also to care for and support her mother and extended family. It was hard to believe Pabitra started Law School doing all her virtual lessons on a Smart Phone. We were able to send her a laptop, although she never asked for help. She overcame all the odds along the way. Power shedding (long periods without power) was a major annoyance, not to mention getting through the Pandemic. 13 years after starting our sponsorship, Pabitra, with persistence and grit, completed her Law degree at Purbanchal University and passed her board exams becoming the Topper of her class. But wait, there’s more! Now she has a scholarship to continue her studies at the Masters level!
Most exciting is her winning the prestigious Hulaschand Golchha Kanoon Snatak Gold Medal for the highest ranking Law student in Nepal! This is a very special award and Pabitra is now the second ANSWER student to receive it. (In 2019 Mamata Baral received the equivalent award for the highest scores in Business Studies.) The Gold Medal was presented to her by the Honorable Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda.
Pabitra wrote in her last letter, “Receiving this honor is the crowning glory of my life!” Since she is now supported by a full-ride scholarship, Dave and I have picked a new student to support. She is so grateful for our sponsorship through ANSWER and hopes to meet our new student to help guide her journey and other women to follow.
We’d like to take credit for Pabitra’s success, but truly the accolades are for ANSWER, Pabitra and the incredible ANSWER Staff in Nepal. Bal and his team have hand-selected children that show potential and desire and have been tireless in supporting their goals. We sponsors do our best with our dollars and words of encouragement, but the trick to keep this program rolling is the recruitment of new sponsors! We all need to pay it forward by encouraging others to sponsor a student.
Let’s keep the ANSWER dream alive!
