"The Wonderfulness of Others"

 

Sarah Zacharek

 

After reading about Dorje Gurung last summer on a Kathmandu social page I was desperate to meet him. A few days later I bumped into him, by chance, in a lively Kathmandu bar. He is an interesting character with a kind face and an admirable outlook on life. Hearing him speak about his experiences is not only inspring but incredibly humbling.

As a teacher Dorje has worked in 10 different countries, most recently Qatar. It was in Qatar last May that, after receiving abuse from some students, Dorje was arrested and falsely accused of insulting Islam. Dorje was imprisoned and told that he could be facing a 5 year sentence (it turns out it could have been 7 years). After 8 days an article was written about his incarceration and at this point word spread to friends, family, colleagues and students around the globe. People wrote letters, signed petitions, campaigned on social networking sites, and remarkably, 4 days later, having received pressure from thousands of people from 168 countries, he was hastily released from prison. So hastily in fact, that he had to return the next day to pick up his release papers as they had not yet been prepared. Dorje's story is a remarkable example of how friendship, hope and social networking can bring about change, and it is with these tools that Dorje now plans to use his freedom to help underprivileged children of Nepal. 

Dorje himself is from a low socio-economic background but his life changed when a teacher recognised his potential and he was given a scholarship to receive a better quality of education. Dorje admits that he would not be where he is today if it were not for this opportunity. The education system in Nepal is flawed. Despite the good intentions of teachers, they simply lack the funding, resources and training to deliver effective education to the children. State education should be free but the money provided to schools by the government simply cannot cover all of the costs. As a result, families need to contribute fees in order to send their children to school. For many this is not an option, despite the fact that a scholarship for a grade 6 student is around 7,000 rupees (£50) for the year. Because of this a high proportion of the children that start school do not finish it. 

As I speak to him, Dorje recounts fondly his experiences with the teacher that sparked his love for science. It is easy to see that Dorje too is one of 'those' teachers, you know, the history teacher whose exaggerated stories of the American West caused a rowdy classroom to fall silent, the university lecturer that is so passionate about his subject that you can't help but be enthused. This is confirmed to me when Dorje shows me the section of his website dedicated to science resources and videos of experiments he has performed with his students. He is fully aware that good education is absolutely vital for the future of Nepal and is determined to do his bit to help. 

Dorje's experience in his own words, a short video 

Since being released from prison Dorje has thrown himself into fundraising and gaining awareness for his 'education is freedom' project. He has built up a relationship with the community of Sindhupalchok and has raised money to improve facilities and teaching at a local school. Again, with the help of friends around the world, Dorje raised more than his $28,000 target in 30 days, another remarkable example of the effects of social networking. 

I feel honoured to have met this man who strives to take his negative experiences and turn them into something positive, not just for himself but for generations to come. He tells me "I am here because of the wonderfulness of others.", a quote that stuck in my head all evening because I can't help but think that someday, because of Dorje, many of Sindhupalchowk's children will be able to say just that.

 

You can read more about the vital work Dorje is undertaking for the children of Nepal on his blog.