June 21 2012
Hermann Gmeiner Award winner empowers children
21/06/2012 – In Jorpati SOS Children's Village in Nepal, Rama Karki excelled in her school work. This continued as she recuperated from the corrective surgery and physiotherapy she underwent for her clubbed feet. Today, in Innsbruck, Austria, she received the 2012 Hermann Gmeiner Award at the SOS Children's Villages General Assembly. This is in recognition of what she has done to help children with disabilities.
After successfully finishing school, Rama was accepted into Nepal’s Institute of Medicine, where she graduated as a nurse in 1996. Her talents were also to shine later when she took up a nursing position at the Kathmandu Medical College. There, she emphasised with disabled children in her care, many of whom are known to suffer a high level of discrimination - not only in Nepalese society but also in the home.
Determined to help the most disadvantaged children cope with disability, Rama returned to the SOS Children’s Village in Jorpati where she grew up. There, as a residential nurse and counsellor she now plays a major part in the successful development of the specially commissioned family houses that cater for children and youths with mental and physical disabilities.
Through Rama’s success, the local community has recognised the value of empowering the disabled. As a result, they have given her a leading role in future planning and development, to ensure that her positive and talented disposition will help empower future generations of children with disabilities.
The Hermann Gmeiner Award
The Hermann Gmeiner Award is awarded on decision of the board of the Hermann Gmeiner Academy for special achievements in the humanitarian and cultural field and for outstanding performances in profession, sports and studies. It is awarded biennially to people who have grown up in an SOS family or to young people still living there.