Kesang Hyolmo left Nepal for India over a decade ago but recently returned with her husband to rebuild their home after it was destroyed in the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Aythos’s Sujata Lama met Kesang at an Aythos-organized jam-making training.
Asked why she wanted to leave Nepal to live in India for over a decade, Kesang said she didn’t want to, “I don’t have any interest in living in a foreign country,” saying, “I am forced to live there to earn money and for the quality of education for my kids.”
This is a common scenario in Nepal, especially for rural residents. In 2014, half a million labor visas were issued to Nepalis, from a country of 30 million. This doesn’t count those in India, like Kesang and her family, where Nepalis can pass the border freely and accurate counts are not available. Remittances, money sent to Nepal from relatives working overseas, accounted for 30 percent of Nepal’s GDP in the same year.
Though the laws of India afford Nepalis the same rights as Indian citizens, Nepalis face significant discrimination. But the Indian economy is more robust and offers Nepalis a chance to earn more money, participate in a more diverse workforce, and often provides better education opportunities.
After living in India for so long, Kesang was asked why she chose to rebuild her home in Nepal. She said it’s the lack of income opportunities at home that keeps her away. That is why the jam-making training was so appealing. She said, with Aythos teaching skills that can generate income in Nepal, it gives her hope that she can return her family to the village much sooner.
This kind of message is very inspiring for us at Aythos and we hope our donors recognize how their contributions have a positive real world impact on our beneficiaries.
Aythos, Inc. is an IRS registered 501(c)(3) organization and a registered nonprofit corporation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Your donations to Aythos, Inc. are tax-deductible.