New SADLE was one of the first organizations in Nepal to combine care and empowerment for people affected by leprosy. True empowerment needs a complete and thoughtful approach. One of the main pillars of New SADLE’s work is ensuring education for the children of leprosy-affected families and other low-income, marginalized groups.
The students supported by New SADLE come from deeply disadvantaged backgrounds. Their families have often been excluded from mainstream society because of the stigma around leprosy. For over 30 years, New SADLE has not only provided medical care but also focused on education to help break the cycle of poverty and social discrimination.
Even with limited resources, New SADLE has continued its scholarship program, covering important costs such as tuition fees, school uniforms, textbooks, and school supplies. Most students are supported until they complete their Secondary Education Examination (SEE), or Grade 10. In recent years, some students have received scholarships beyond Grade 10, with the goal of helping them complete Grade 12 or gain technical/vocational diplomas at the higher secondary level.
This long-term commitment has been made possible through the loyal support of our partner organization, Nepra e.V. (www.nepra.de), which has supported this initiative from the beginning through funding and technical help.
As of the 2023–24 academic year, New SADLE has awarded multi-year scholarships to 540 children.
In addition to scholarships, New SADLE has helped establish three schools to provide quality education for children from leprosy-affected and disadvantaged families:
Nepal Rastriya Namuna School, Kalaiya (in the southern plains of Nepal)
Born into a low-income family, Karuna grew up in the humble quarters of a community inhabited by leprosy affected families in Kathmandu. Her father, Budhi Tamang, is a leprosy survivor who never had the chance to attend school. After receiving treatment from New SADLE, Budhi was given a job as a cleaner and gardener. Her mother works as a domestic helper. Despite both parents being employed, the family income was never enough to support education for all the children.
Budhi’s family had escaped to Kathmandu from SindhuPalchowk district to avoid trauma of being affected by Leprosy in the rural village. Unfortunately for the family, their family home back in village also totally destroyed by the massive earthquake in 2015.
For Budhi, like many fathers struggling to provide for a large family, education for his daughter didn’t seem like a priority at first. Putting food on the table came first. But New SADLE saw the potential in young Karuna, and stepped in. With full scholarship support—from pre-primary to higher secondary school—Karuna was given the opportunity!
Karuna, now 22 studied hard, year after year, at Lovely Angels’ School, a school established by New SADLE itself for children from marginalized communities. After completing Grade 12, Karuna did not stop. With great effort and personal discipline, she managed to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies, becoming the first in her family to go to college.
But Karuna’s heart was in teaching. She returned to the very school where she had spent more than 14 years of her life—as a student, and now, as a teacher. Today, Karuna happily teaches English to students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 at Lovely Angels’ School.
Her father Budhi, who still cannot read or write, says with pride:
“I may not know how to read, but I know my daughter can. I never imagined one of my children would grow up to become a teacher.”Karuna’s story is just one among hundreds supported by New SADLE. It reminds us that education changes everything—not just for a child, but for the entire family, and for generations to come.
