Pemi’s Dream: To help families who have suffered great loss

I am Pemi Sherpa. I grew up in a nomadic family living high up in the mountains in the northern part of Nepal. On the 12th May 2015, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 destroyed our home with everything we owned and flattened our entire village. Still today our village is mostly in ruins as my family struggle to rebuild the life we once had.

Growing up, my parents had to work very hard to raise, feed and clothe 8 children. My siblings from a young age were engaged in the household work and during this struggling phase of life, we stuck together as a family which made our bond very strong. My parents couldn’t afford to send us to school. However, I was fortunate enough to be taken into a Buddhist school offering free education for Himalayan children, the indigenous people of Nepal's borderlands. This opportunity totally transformed my life. Apart from my education, I learned about Buddha’s teaching and the importance of serving one’s community.

After completing my grade 10 I took a gap year volunteering at the Thrangu Tara Nunnery where I taught English, Maths, and Nepali to young nuns between the ages of 4 to 12. During this time I also help to distribute humanitarian aids to the earthquake victims. However, those who were struggling with the trauma and loss suffered during the earthquake received little to no emotional support. Counselling and psychological support is seldom offered in Nepal and is largely seen as taboo by many Nepalese people. Fortunately for me, I was surrounded by loving and caring people who helped me deal with the grief and loss I had suffered. This got me thinking about the importance of being able to help people emotionally and what a big impact this could have on their lives. More recently, I sought counselling this past autumn when I lost my eldest brother whilst completing my International Bachelorette (IB) in Zurich, Switzerland, for which I had received a further scholarship. Once again, I experienced first hand benefits of counselling and became more determined than ever to study psychology and give back to others in need.

During the past 2 years, whilst completing my IB, I’ve been involved in numerous outreach programs aimed at raising awareness about the need for counselling Nepalese families who have suffered great loss and are living in extreme hardship.

I’m about to finish my IB and would love to go onto study a degree in psychology. I’ve been offered a place at the University College of Maastricht, however, in order to make this dream come true I need to raise the funds necessary to cover my tuition and living expenses.

Here’s a break-down of the costs:

First-year tuition (12,500)

Living expenses 3,600 (300 pm)

Housing, 3,600 (300 pm)

Your contribution, big or small, will help me realise my dream and is most appreciated! Thank you!

To make a donation via PayPal or Credit Card please click on the 'Donate Now' button.

If you prefer to pay via bank transfer, here are my bank account details:

IBAN: CH52 0483 5113 8908 0000 0
Name: Pemi Sherpa
Bank: Credit Suisse
Address: CH8070, Zurich (0845)
Account no: 1138908-00
Clearing No. 4835
BIC: CRESCHZZ80A