The family of five, parents, a daughter (14) and two sons (9 and 7), live in Bhadrapur, near Birtamod in southeastern Nepal.
Suresh Kumar Kurmi is handicapped. His legs are bent and he cannot walk. His wife Renu also has bent feet, but she can walk. Suresh’s store, selling paan, a Nepalese specialty made from betel nut tree leaves and herbs, came to a halt with the pandemic and income fell away. During our visit in April, we found the family in a sad state.
TNF therefore decided to provide the family with food for the time being and to support the family with 4,000 rupees/child from now on.
The family is grateful for this support which ensures food, clothes and school fees for the children. The couple has started to offer Indian and Nepali street food at the local market. From the proceeds, the additional costs of the family can be covered.
Suresh owns a scooter with additional wheels with which he can get around. He was able to purchase it years ago with money he received from his father. The scooter is the only way he and his wife can go to the market. It is very old and in need of repair – TNF also spontaneously covered the cost. This ensures that the journey and transport to the market and thus a small income for the family are still possible.