Susmita and Susma Sundas Story
Sunday, July 18, 2010

Susmita and Susma are sisters, they live in Dhulikhel, Nepal. Susmita is the eldest of the children followed by Susma and they also have a little brother. Susmita is nine years old and turns ten on the 18th of August 2010, while Susma will have her seventh birthday on the 17th of July 2010. Susmita and Susma live with their parents in a remote mountainous region of Dhulikhel.

Even though various laws in Nepal have declared it illegal to mistreat a person based on their caste, discrimination is still practiced in many villages, making Susmita and Susma’s lower caste family "untouchable." The villagers of higher caste do not communicate or go near them due to a long history of communication with the villagers only of the same caste. The Sundas family owns a small plot of land for agriculture, but the harvest is only enough for their family and there is never enough left over for sale. Recently the change in climate has resulted in poorer crops each year, which has been insufficient to feed the family.

Navaraj Sundas is the father, and is the eldest among his siblings. As the eldest, Navaraj has huge responsibilities to provide for the family. Recently, realizing that he couldn't fulfill the responsibilities, his parents threw Navaraj and his family out of the house. Now they stay in a rundown cow shed nearby which has been converted into a small house (made of mud). He works as a tailor in Kathmandu tries to provide for the family. Most frequently, he lives in Kathmandu. The mother, Rita Sundas, works in their field and looks after the house.

With hardly any income, Susmita and Susma face problems with transportation to school (it takes an hour and a half by foot), as well as paying school fees. My Small Help (MSH) has been donating NRs 2880 (24 pounds) to Susmita and Susma per year since 2007. Despite this, the money is not enough to cover their school fees for even one year, as the annual cost of school is at least NRs 8000. Although the Sanjibani Boarding School director agreed to admit the girls charging only a ¼ of the regular cost, the school management vetoed this decision and the girls could not pay the required tuition. To make matters worse, the school changed the uniforms this year and the family was unable to afford to buy new ones. Susmita and Susma were forced to stop attending school and studied on their own at home.

After receiving news of their situation, MSH members Raju and Amon went to Dhulikhel to analyze the situation. Once they gained better understanding of the problem, Raju and Amon went to the school to speak with the principal. He was kind enough to deduct the school fees per year from NRs 8000 to NRs 6000 for each student; and this year, MSH has paid the school fees for both girls as well as the cost of their new school uniforms and books. Susmita and Susma were eager to return to school and they have now returned to school with the correct books and uniform.

Their mother Rita will continue looking for paid work to save up for her daughters' education.