Eleven-years-old Pushpa Kumari Rawat lives wither family of seven at Purbichowki Rural Municipality of Doti. About 20 kilometres from the district headquarter is her house where she, her mother, three sisters and one brother live. Undergoing surgery has made her day to day life easier and comfortable.
Born in a poor family as an elder daughter and to be affected with bone Bone Tuberculosis (TB) at the very young age of two and a half years was a very painful and challenging situation to be in for Puspa. Despite financial issues, Pushpa’s father Yogendra Rawat took her to India for the treatment at the initial stage when the symptoms were appearing. But the disease was not diagnosed. After visiting many hospitals in India, he returned to Nepal with his daughter because doctors could not treat her properly.
After returning to Nepal, Pushpa joined school but she couldn’t carry her bag as there was an overgrowth of bones at the back. Even she could not sleep comfortably at night because of the difficulty at the back. Facing so many difficulties in life, Pushpa was continuing her study and day to day life.
One year ago, her father came to know about UMN’s partner Disabled Service Organization (DSO). He brought his daughter in the office to fill the form. During the visit of community physiotherapist of UMN in Doti, many children with a disability were screened along with Pushpa. From that screening, Pushpa and some other children with a disability were selected for the treatment. Five months ago, Pushpa was sent to the Hospital and Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children (HRDC) for the treatment. She underwent a surgical operation and the doctor has given her a belt to maintain her posture. Her everyday life is slightly changing as it is being comfortable. After treatment, she has gone for one time to follow up and must continue going again until her physical condition becomes better.
Pushpa is very happy to go to school because she can carry her bag now. She is regularly going to school and is improving in her studies as well. She passed her final examination of grade 5 and has been studying in grade 6. Puspa is happy to see her life becoming easier and comfortable.
