Spring 2010

When you walk through the storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
There's a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of the lark

Walk on, through the wind
Walk on, through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone

God is always with you.
The place which God gave you,
Can only be occupied by you.
Who is standing there is of importance,
Yes, he especially needs you for this.

From America, 1946

Dear Friends of our Shanti Family,

I returned to Germany from Nepal exactly one week ago. During the return flight, I gave some thought as to what a privilege it is for me to be able to share my experiences with you. It is like coming home and then telling my circle of friends what moves the Shanti family at the moment.
How do I start?
Pleasing news is what fits in best with the sense of optimism which spring brings with it.

Our volunteers

We are for example always pleased about our wonderfully motivated volunteers who are always prepared to work. There are both young one and old ones, those who will soon be commencing vocational training and those who have already been employed for many years.
They all contribute their own skills to the most diverse areas in Shanti: working with the disabled children and in the school, in the workshops and in the clinic, the ecological agriculture and in the administration.
They contribute to the stages of development and the pleasure of the disabled, to the feeling of being noticed and appreciated. After all, there is always the risk in a large organisation like Shanti, that the shy, the fearful, the sad, do not receive sufficient notice. This is why I find it such a pleasure everytime when I hear that the volunteers have succeed in awakening the weakest skills in the weak with loving care, skills which none of us were aware of, least of all those concerned.
It is hereby not easy for all of the volunteers to experience how hard death repeatedly manifests itself in the Shanti family. It is all the worse for them and all of use when this affects children.
For example, two of our children died during the past week: a small severely disabled girl, Sunita and Prasant.
Prasant suffered from muscular dystrophy. He was the brother of Sujan, who also died of muscular dystrophy exactly two years ago.  Hardly anybody in Nepal is aware that this is a hereditary disease. This is why their parents have so many children and we have to expect Rabi and Himan Singh, the other two brothers, will also die of this terrible disease in the foreseeable future. Even their sister Lotta has contracted this disease which normally only affects boys. We sincerely hope that this lovable, highly intelligent girl will be able to remain with us for a long time as her disease has not progressed so rapidly.

Something occurred at the time Prasan died which especially shocked us. Prasant so wanted to see his mother again. His uncle also told her that her son was dying. She would so have liked to hold him in her arms as a farewell gesture but she did not have the courage to do so – she was afraid that if she were to turn up at Shanti, then she would have to pay for the five years he stayed with us!!
This experience again made it clear to us what existential fears could be caused by the lack of any kind of protection in the health service and it – also again – made it painfully clear to us how important Shanti is for the people in Nepal, as a no-cost, reliable refuge for everyone who really needs help but is unable to pay for it.