In Nepal, children who are HIV positive are often denied an education.
Due to the stigma and misinformation surrounding HIV/AIDS, schools are too frightened to enroll them.
To fill the gap a private school called the Saphalta HIV Shiksya Sadan School, has been set up just for HIV-positive children.
It’s the start of the morning routine for children at this successful HIV shelter and school.
After breakfast in the dining hall, they take their anti-retro viral drugs.
The other children are playing but 9-year-old Urmila Aryal doesn’t feel like it today.
Last night she saw her mother in dream.. so she wants to write her a letter.
Her mother lives 600 kilometres away from the capital Kathmandu.
She sees her just once a year.
“My father worked in New Delhi for years. When he returned home he gave the HIV virus to my mother. After that she became pregnant and in this way we both became HIV positive.”
She never told anyone about it... but when she was in grade one at the local government school, she was asked to leave.
“At the time I was taking ARV drugs but when my friends asked me, I told them that I was taking medicine for a headache. I knew that if anybody found out I would be forced to leave the school. Therefore I always had to lie to my friends. But one day my principal called me and told me not to come to school because I was suffering from HIV.”
Since that day the school doors have remained shut to Urmila.
When Rajkumar Pun and Uma Gurung read about her story in a local newspaper, they persuaded her to come and live at their shelter and school.
Ten children live in the shelter – ageing from 3 to 10 years old.
Dattaram Rai is busy teaching the students in the classroom.
He left his old job to become a volunteer teacher at the school.
“I was working in another office. When I heard about this school I came here and was so impressed. This is the best job…. teaching the children who are discriminated against in our society. Money is not everything in life, this is a social service. I'm very happy with my work.”
The school is the first of its kind in Nepal.
28-year-old Rajkumar Pun is the founder and President of the School.
“All the other schools refused to enroll our children. They claimed that they would lose business if they admitted HIV-positive children to their school. Even the government school refused them.”
To fund the school Rajkumar sold his house for 35 thousand US dollars.
They have to pay around 200 US dollars a month in rent for the place they are now using.
He is worried about the future.
“If we have to leave this house it would be very difficult to find a new house to rent for our children. Nobody would be willing to give their house to us, knowing that the children have HIV. Among the children, some have been forcefully removed from schools and some from their families. So it is difficult for us.”
10-year-old Manju Chand has had a very hard life.
“After the death of my parents my aunt took me to her home. The villagers often told their children not to play with me, saying that I was suffering from HIV. When I heard this, it broke my heart and I usually cried. My aunt looked after me but in reality she also hated me. I knew by the way she behaved.”
Her elder sister lives near the school but she never comes to visit.
“She doesn’t mean anything to me because she doesn't love me either. Last year she promised to come and take me home for a festival, but she never came. My relatives hate me but I don't care. We have Rajkumar sir and Uma madam. They provide us with food, shelter and education. Sir is my father and madam is my mother. I will follow their path in the future.”
After school, Urmila leads the children in a dance.
She loves to dance and wants to be a famous dancer in the future.
