I have grown up with a Little Sister, Kishudha, for my whole life. But she was never really my little sister, she was more of a big sister. She has always been my built-in friend— someone I could give mini life updates to about my soccer team, the weather, my favorite seasons, and favorite foods. In return, she would send me beautiful drawings, stories, and words translated from Nepali into English so I could learn a bit of her language. About once a month or so we’d get a letter. Those thoughtful letters became both a special and a routine part of my life.

We have three pictures of Kishudha (at different ages) up on the corkboard in our kitchen. I am reminded of her every time I grab something out of our pantry. I never really knew the whole story of the Little Sisters Fund until I was older, but I have always known the main idea. We are helping Kishudha go to school because she doesn’t have the same easy access to education as we do. We should never take our education for granted because some girls don’t have the privileges we do. 

Only as we finished supporting Kishudha through her education, however, did I realize her true impact on my life. She sent us a final program letter a little over a year ago. It was weird to think that I would not keep getting her monthly letters. This friend— this connection— I had in Nepal, was moving on to the next stage of her education and life. I had always imagined going to Nepal to see her, and I still hope to someday. I hope to hear and see what her life is actually like– not just what she included in her letters.

Something that felt so constant in my life changed when Kishudha graduated from the LSF program. But I recently realized that my connection with Little Sisters Fund and Nepal can continue even without writing letters to Kishudha. There are still things I can do to help the Little Sisters Fund. Growing up with LSF as a part of my life has shown me what it means to dedicate our lives to serving others and making a tangible difference. Writing letters to Kishudha showed me how individual people are impacted by LSF. It has made me want to do the same thing for others. I recently started volunteering my time editing monthly LSF reports and writing blog posts like this one. I am learning so much more about the program, and it has made me feel connected to Kishudha again. Every time I read through the monthly reports, I am secretly hoping that there will be some story about Kishudha and what she is doing since graduating.

Kishudha and the Little Sisters Fund have taught me to never take anything for granted. They have shown me what it means to be grateful for what we are given and to do our best in whatever situation we are put in. Kishudha often wrote out in her letters to me the fables and stories she learned in school. Each one held a lesson or moral that readers could learn from. Her thoughtfulness in reflecting on each story and her eagerness to spread the knowledge she learned pushed me to do the same. I want to continue to search for knowledge like Kishudha. I want to spread education like Trevor and LSF. I want to make my big sister Kishudha proud.

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