The importance of education 📝
by Ranjana Kami, Youth Ministry Apprentice
My name is Ranjana, I was born and raised in Nepal, and my dream is to see educational growth in the community. When I was growing up, I did not like reading in Nepali or English because it was not easy for me and living in a Nepali refugee camp made my life and education difficult. My parents were so busy providing for our family that they never had an opportunity to go to school. For this striking reason, I could never ask my parents to teach me or hire a tutor. I went to school, but education was not the first priority for children who live in refugee camps. Even if you had a degree, you were not guaranteed a job.
Many students dropped out and started working in construction to support their families. I was thinking this would be my fate as well, so I did not focus on my studies. Eventually when I was in second grade, my teacher taught each student to write their name on the blackboard in front of the entire class.
At that time, I realized that I knew nothing. I went to the blackboard and cried for an hour because I didn’t know how to write my name. Then my teacher gave me an alphabet chart to study and told me to learn how to write my name. After that, I went to my neighbor and asked for help, and after a couple of days of learning I was able to write my name. I didn’t give up and eventually I did learn to write and read in my native language.
I had many responsibilities at home. For example, because my mother was ill for a long time, I was the one who took care of her. These things took me away from education. I came to the United States in 2011, which was the turning point of my life. When I was in Nepal, I learned to read and write in my native language, but, when I came to the United States, I had to start everything over again. I needed to learn a new language and a new culture, and It wasn’t easy for me. I realized that reading is not only necessary when we travel, but in everyday life (street signs, cooking recipes, and many more small things.)
While I was learning to read, I saw many other refugees like me struggling with reading, writing, and learning a new language. During that time, I felt like I wasn't struggling alone.
Now I'm trying to help others who don't have the ability to read because I know and understand the struggle of not being able to read and write in another language. Guiding people who are new to these things and also people who have difficulties in these subjects is important to me. Reaching out to communities who need an extra hand and helping them is something that I pride myself in and I enjoy helping these people.
