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The History of Bright Futures Foundation

It all began when the Rogue Gateway Rotary Club of Grants Pass partnered with the Rotary Club of Kathmandu, Nepal to renovate a dilapidated building and create a health care facility in a rural area outside the capital. Rotarian Catherine Wood traveled to Nepal on a fact finding and planning mission in September 2000. Trekking to Bhotechaur, Catherine saw the old building first hand and met villagers, who were all eager to have a healthcare facility. In that initial visit, Catherine laid down the foundation for local oversight by forging working partnerships with the Rotary Club of Kathmandu and the Bhotechaur village council.

The old shell of a building was transformed into a beautiful facility in late 2003, despite difficult terrain, inclement weather, political instability, and the frustrations of working in one of the least developed nations in the world. The Bhotechaur Health Clinic opened for business in December 2003, the triumphant product of a grassroots effort by villagers with a dream and an inspired collaboration between Rotary Clubs on opposite sides of the globe.

During her stay in Kathmandu, Catherine was befriended by three young boys who spoke a little bit of English, and became her unofficial guides. She spent time with each of the boys [Samip, Anish, and Prajwal] and their families, witnessing for herself the grueling hardships of life in Nepal and marveling at the hospitality they offered in spite of their circumstances. She learned that the public education system was hamstrung by lack of funding for basic supplies, books, electricity, and sometimes even lacking teachers. She was dismayed that her new friends had no real hope of a meaningful education -- or a future -- unless they could somehow get into a private school.

Catherine investigated a number of private schools available in Nepal, eventually discovering Galaxy School, an exemplary institution with a visionary founder and head mistress. She learned that $1,500 would pay for everything for one year for one boarding student. Recognizing that this amount was far beyond the reach of most Nepalis, she decided to help Samip by paying for his education at Galaxy School.

Opting to give a hand up, not a handout, Catherine entered into an agreement with Samip who signed a "Moral Contract" to formalize her expectations. In return for a promise to pay for his education at Galaxy School to Grade 12, Samip promised to be a good student, to never in his life beat or otherwise abuse a girl or a woman and someday to help a young Nepali girl get an education. In this manner Catherine hoped to educate a child, affect a shift in a young man's thinking about women, and help a girl.

Back home in Oregon, when friends learned what she was doing, they wanted to help, too. Soon there were several generous people who had signed on to help Anish and Prajwal attend Galaxy school. Catherine found that people were enthusiastic about making direct personal commitments to bright young kids. This realization lead to the founding of Bright Futures Foundation in June 2002.

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