And there under a very large tree, were a lot of children.
When I asked why they weren't in school on a school day,
I was told that it was because they were orphans.
There was nobody to pay their school fees, or buy their books, or
their uniforms, so they couldn't go to school.
Without thinking, I said that's not right.
I'll make sure you all go to school.
Quite mindlessly, I said that.
So, there I was.
For the first two years or so,
I personally paid for each child to go to elementary school.
It didn't break the bank, cost about $5000 a year.
And then the villagers came to me with the, quote unquote, good news that
suddenly six of these children were going to go high school, boarding school.
Something totally unexpected in the community.
They were thrilled to death, and so was I.
Until I realized that was going to be a very different story for me.
Now the school expenses were going to change from about $50 per child,
to about $600 per child in boarding school.
But, of course, they said yes.
And that started me writing dear friends and
family letters to my community members and my family members.
Who supported me to the tune of 21,000 for the first year,
40-some thousand for the second year.
And this year, it's up to 65,000.
It increases by about 20,000 a year.
What we find is that they are highly motivated.
There are many cases where the top four students
in the class are our orphan groups.
And then you realize that these students were sometimes brought from being
servants, because they had to leave school.
It's quite extraordinary they have been able to do so well.
For them, it was a major struggle beyond their wildest dreams.
And their poems certainly reflect their tremendous appreciation and enthusiasm for
what's happening in their lives right now.
This is a poem called Death Child by Charles.
Death followed me everywhere.