Maya Rai by Wayne & Jenny Miller
Maya Rai’s mother killed herself before Maya was 3. Her father drank too much, beat her, and married a second wife who didn’t like her. Her father wanted to be rid of her so much that he offered to give her to anyone who would take her, but no one in her village would take her in due to poverty, other hardships, or disinterest.
I met Maya at the Sunrise Lodge in Phakding where our groups always stay on the first night of the Everest Base Camp trek. The lodge owners are devout Buddhists, and they took in both Maya and another girl with a similar story. They were willing to adopt the other girl, and they were looking for a sponsor for Maya’s education.
Maya means “love” in Nepali, and all of us who met Maya this spring seemed to immediately love her. Her story touched us, and her smile captured our hearts. She was shy at moments, but then she would break into a laugh. She loved horses, she was bright and sweet, and we all knew her situation was precarious.
If Maya had not been rescued by this family, she faced abuse, abandonment, and worse, given the problems of human trafficking and the position of women in this society. Now she was safe, but her future hung on funding an education. After returning to the US, we produced a short video about Maya’s situation, and Changing Lives Nepal received some generous donations for her education.
With great appreciation to our donors, we were ready to find Maya a school and a home!