Hey you… Welcome to Episode 9 of One Step Beyond, a fortnightly show about positively engaging with the world outside our door, with host Tony Fletcher.

At the age of 4, Manu Shrestha, along with her two siblings, was found abandoned on the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal, a not uncommon occurrence in a country of devastating poverty, where women generally have little by way of education, opportunity or rights. Manu was taken in by House With Heart, established in the Kathmandu neighborhood of Boudha in 2001 when the late Beverly Bronson took guardianship of two abandoned boys, and which has grown over 20 years to become "a home for abandoned children, an education center for impoverished women and children, and an outreach program for needy families."

Now, at the age of 22, Manu is about to start her Junior year at an American college, studying for a nursing degree with the intent of become a nurse practioner, a role that does not exist for women in Nepal. Manu is not the first House With Heart alumni to receive a college education; she is, however, the first to come to the USA. On this episode of One Step Beyond, I talk with Manu about her incredible life journey so far, from the streets of Kathmandu to the mountains (alright, the hills) of Vermont, and her intent to give back to her community once she graduates. We are joined by House With Heart chairperson Colleen Boland.

Also: I ruminate on the summer of staycations, and why I undertook a lengthy mountainous trail race after the race was canceled.

Please take time to visit

HouseWithHeart.org

where you will find links to the charity's social media, and resource information that I quoted in this story.

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