Dear friends, dear project sponsors of Back to Life,
I warmly greet you on the first Sunday of Advent with the powerful words of a man from the mountains of Nepal who has been tested by fate, who says: “Today I know that there is always a way – when someone believes in you.”
Bali’s Road Back to Life
A Blow of Fate Changes Everything
“Namaste, Dil dai!” Bali calls into the phone, laughing. It is a sunny day at 2,300 meters in the mountains of Mugu in western Nepal. In the background there is a soft clatter – his wife is just stocking new goods on the shelves of the little shop. Bali sits on a wooden bench, surrounded by soap, rice, oil, and school notebooks, completely in his element. It is his 40th birthday, and our colleague Dil is calling to congratulate him from Kathmandu.
Just 10 years ago, Bali Rokaya’s life was the way it is for many in the mountains of Mugu: simple, shaped by hard work on the terraced fields, yet fulfilled by family and belonging. Together with his wife Maya, his parents, and four children, he lived under one roof on what his plot of land in the high mountains provided. But then everything changed in an instant.
While working, Bali sustained injuries that became infected. In the remote mountain region there was no medical help, no doctor, no hospital. As the infection worsened, his neighbors carried him for several days over the mountains to the “nearest” hospital in the neighboring province. But by then it was already too late. Gangrene led to the amputation of his left lower leg. Later, he also lost the right one.
For the family’s sole breadwinner, the world fell apart. “I was devastated, because I could no longer provide for my family,” Bali recalls. His wife Maya fought for their shared survival, but the harvest she could bring in from the terraced fields was not enough. Eventually, everything the family still owned had been sold. They were almost crushed by their worries about survival, and no help was in sight.
A New Beginning
When we visited Bali’s home village of Saina in December 2021 as part of our drinking-water project, we learned of the family’s desperate situation. For Back to Life it was immediately clear: we would help – with a perspective that lasts.
The business became a real family enterprise, and Bali found his way back to a life full of meaning. His wife handled the purchase of new goods according to his lists, and he sold them. “I used to sit at home alone all the time while the others worked. Today people come into my shop, where I work,” Bali says happily. “I am part of village life again.”
After in-depth conversations between Bali and our team, the idea took shape to open a small general store on site. The nearest market was a full day’s walk away on foot, so a shop in the village would benefit not only Bali and his family but the whole community. Bali was thrilled, and we began implementing it right away. After bookkeeping training and the creation of a business plan, he received one-time support of 100,000 rupees (around 750 euros at the time). With it, he set up his shop and stocked the wooden shelves with goods. When he opened the shop door for the first time in early 2022, it was a new beginning – for him and for his family.
Das Geschäft wurde zu einem richtigen Familienunternehmen und Bali fand zurück in ein Leben voller Sinn. Seine Frau tätigte den Einkauf neuer Waren nach seinen Listen und er verkaufte sie. „Früher saß ich die ganze Zeit allein zuhause, während die anderen arbeiteten. Heute kommen die Leute in meinen Laden, wo ich arbeite“, freut sich Bali. „Ich bin wieder Teil des Dorflebens.“
A Bond That Lasts
Even today, years later, the contact remains close and friendly. Bali regularly calls our colleague Dil in Kathmandu – sometimes even by video call directly from his shop. Then the whole family gathers around the phone, and the “hello” to Kathmandu is a big one every time.
When Bali’s left prosthesis was recently damaged, we arranged the repair within a record-worthy ten days, without his having to undertake the arduous journey to the lowlands. As the repaired prosthesis was handed over, Bali said, beaming: “The best thing about Back to Life is: you let actions speak!”
This autumn, Bali turned 40 and now stands firmly in the midst of life. Asked what he wishes for, he answers: “I am a happy and contented man. My children go to school, and our family looks to the future with confidence. What more could you want?”
Become a project sponsor of Back to Life, so that even more people can find their way back to life – because someone believes in them.
I wish you and your loved ones an especially beautiful start to Advent,
Namaste,
Yours, Tara Stella Deetjen
