A Daughter’s Courage: Sonima Tamang’s Story

By Sanjita Balami, Rukmini Didi

I first came to Rukmini Foundation as a GLOW Club mentor, supporting girls to find their voices and build their confidence. A little over a year ago, I joined the staff team—and in that time, I’ve learned that the most powerful stories are often the ones that almost didn’t get told.

Sonima Tamang’s story is one of them.

A Childhood Interrupted

Sonima grew up in Hudu, a village in Dakshinkali Municipality. Her parents worked hard as daily wage laborers and ran a small meat shop to support their two daughters. Her early years were simple and happy—filled with school, friends, and a love for tending her garden.

Then her father fell from a tree while cutting fodder. What seemed like a minor injury slowly revealed itself as kidney disease. The family’s income shrank. Their world narrowed.

As the eldest daughter, Sonima carried the weight. She helped at home, worked when she could, and watched her mother become both caregiver and the family’s only steady hand. Her studies began to slip. By Grade 7, dropping out felt inevitable.

A Lifeline, Then a Promise

A teacher at Shree Setidevi Secondary School connected her with Rukmini Foundation. She received a scholarship, and suddenly there was a door where before there had only been a wall.

When the Didis first visited her home, they sat with her family, listened, and promised that Sonima would not face this alone. Her younger sister, Monima, would later become a scholar too—two girls held by the same circle of support.

A Mother’s Sacrifice

The hardest moment came when Sonima was in Grade 8. Her father’s condition worsened, and the family faced an impossible choice. Her mother, Sanukanchhi, donated her own kidney to save her husband’s life.

For a time, both parents were recovering. The household rested on Sonima’s shoulders. She managed the home, tended their small vegetable tunnel, and somehow kept studying. Many would have crumbled. She kept going.

Rising, Not Just Surviving

Sonima passed her SEE in 2023. She completed +2 in Management in 2025. Along the way, she took barista training, worked in a hotel in Lukla, and saved every rupee she could. Her younger sister, Monima, is now in Grade 10—a school topper and a Rukmini scholar.

Recently, I sat with Sonima before she leaves for abroad. She plans to work and study, to support her family and pave the way for Monima. I asked her what she would say to other girls facing hard times. She paused, then said:

“Never take support for granted. It can open doors to your future. Study sincerely, work hard, and take every opportunity.”

Then she smiled and added: “And if someone helps you, one day, help someone else.”

Why Her Story Stays With Me

I joined Rukmini Foundation because I believe in the power of education and the importance of lifting up girls. But hearing Sonima’s story has given me something deeper. It’s not just about grades or scholarships. It’s about a girl who refused to let her family’s hardship become her ending.

This March, during Women’s History Month, I think of all the women whose stories we never hear. The daughters who carry too much too soon. The mothers who give parts of themselves to keep their families whole. The sisters who build ladders for each other.

Sonima is one of them. And as a Didi, I carry her story with me—a reminder that every girl we support is not just a name on a file, but a whole universe of courage waiting to unfold.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we celebrate Sonima and all the women who teach us what it truly means to rise.