Last year one of our boys, overcoming great odds, and thanks largely to the generosity of his sponsor and Florence, achieved his dream and took up a place at a London university to study for a Master’s degree in Business. This year we would like to offer a similar opportunity to one of our smartest girls. Laxmi intends to further her studies at London’s University of Greenwich where she has been offered a place to gain an MSc. in International Banking and Finance. We are fundraising to pay her tuition fees, which cost £16,000 for international students. CAN and Florence will contribute £6,000 and also cover all her living expenses and flights. We need your help to raise the remaining £10,000.

Let us tell you about Laxmi: Laxmi joined our orphanage in January 2003 with her older sister Maya. They came from the high Himalayas, on the northern border with Tibet. The family was extremely poor, and every winter travelled to the south of Nepal to sell spices and medicinal herbs. Their father was an alcoholic who died young after a life of deprivation. Their mother was left with four children, including two boys aged two and six. She could not take care of them and there was a danger that the girls could be abandoned. Boys are given priority in Nepalese culture and Laxmi’s mother placed the older brother with a Buddhist temple school in Kathmandu.

Laxmi adapted quickly to her new life at the LBU orphanage and was without doubt the chattiest little girl Florence had ever met. Very bright, she was always asking questions and making funny remarks. But she spoke so quickly that we frequently had to make her repeat herself because all the words seemed to jump over each other. At first, we put Laxmi in a nursery class, but she had been at school before, and being very bright she was able to rapidly leapfrog to the higher groups appropriate to her age.

Laxmi has always been top of her class. She enjoys studying and has a curious mind. She reads a lot and is a good artist, painting beautiful watercolours. One of the eldest now, she takes care of the younger ones and is helping us a lot at the orphanage. Laxmi always seems upbeat and full of energy. She has her down moments, like everybody, but they never last long. She is amazing with very young children, and they love her.