Prem Kumari
Career: Nurse
Prem Kumari has come a long way, both metaphorically and otherwise. She hails from Pokhara where she and her family work on the sand banks of the Seti River for a living. “If Room to Read had not supported my education,” she says, “My dreams of getting educated would have been washed away by the Seti.”
Girls’s Education Program supported she and her sister’s education from the secondary level. Both of them attended Shree Kalika Higher Secondary School in Pokhara. It was in this school and under the guidance of our program team, Prem Kumari kindled her dreams, her ambitions. Back in 2008, when this scribe first met her, she wanted to be a teacher. She had recently cleared School Leaving Certificate (national level exams all tenth standard students have to appear in). She was just starting to explore her options.
By 2010, Prem Kumari had found her calling. “I want to be a nurse,” she said to John Wood, in the home visit program during our anniversary and inauguration of 10,000th school library trek. Impressed, John pledged to help her attain her dreams. She had just finished her higher secondary levels. A family tragedy shaped her decision to pursue nursing. Earlier in that year, her father had passed away. Owning to their weak financial condition, her family was not able to afford medical care.
Prem Kumari (right) and her younger sister Ishwari (left) looks on as John Wood autographs his first book for them. “That book is my most prized possession,” she says.
Fast forward to three years – Prem Kumari is already a second year student in the Proficiency Certificate Level in Nursing in Dhulikhel Hospital. The hospital, which is situated in Dhulikhel municipality, two and half hour drive from Kathmandu, is one of the reputed teaching hospitals in Nepal.
After clearing the higher secondary level, she started preparing for the entrance examinations for the nursing classes. She prepared for the exams diligently. “I prepared a lot for the exams,” she says. “I was afraid that my weak foundation might hold be back in the exams.”
She overcame her fears to prove herself. She applied for entrance examinations in three prestigious academic institutes: Dharan Teaching Hospital, Dhulikhel Teaching Hospital and CTEVT (Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training). Out of those three, both Dhulikhel Hospital and Dharan Hospital welcomed her with open arms; the exams for CTEVT were scheduled much later than other two institutions. She chose Dhulikhel Teaching Hospital.
“It was a dream come true,” she says, “I was enroute to Palpa when my sister informed me about the result. I jumped up with joy! It was the happiest moment of my life.” Despite securing her position in the college, her initial fear of failure slowly crept in. “It was difficult initially,” she says. “I had long hours of hospital duties, equally taxing classes and by the end of the day, I was very tired. At the back of my head was a nagging feeling that I might not be able to succeed.”
She dealt with the fears of failure by working hard. She persevered until she was finally able to cast her fears aside. “I feel very comfortable now,” she says. “The atmosphere is very inviting and I have great friends.” More importantly than that, she has her dreams to hold onto. “I cannot let fears stop me from achieving my dreams,” she says.
“the funds served as wings to help me achieve my goal”
Accomplishments
Earned nursing certificate from Dhulikhel Teaching Hospital
Serving as a frontline medical worker during the COVID-19 pandemic
Financing the education of her younger siblings
