Last July, a video of a boy from Bajhang Talkot went viral on social media. The five-year-old boy had to crawl to walk due to congenital deformity of his legs.

The boy was Manoj, son of Jayalal Damai of Talkot-5. Jayalal, who is financially weak, finds it difficult to meet the daily needs of his family. He could not even think of treating his son. Nor did he know that such a problem could be treated.

Prakash Singh of Bajura Budhiganga was filled with joy after seeing this video. He contacted his friends from Dhulikhel Hospital, whom he knew before, for Manoj's rescue and treatment. He showed him his video and requested for help.

The hospital offered free treatment, but Jayalal did not even have the car fare to reach there. Singh helped Manoj's father and son go to Kathmandu by giving 10,000 rupees. He himself took him to Dhulikhel Hospital. After 5 months of treatment, Manoj is now walking with ease. Jayalal's family is happy that his son is walking well. 'He could not even stand properly. "We used to worry about how this child would eat after we passed away," Jayalal said, "Now he is walking like others. Our family has become brighter." The condition of 40-year-old Jaula Devi Budha of Pandhara, Triveni Municipality-6, Bajura was even worse. While undergoing cancer treatment, the doctor had told her to have a rod inserted from the knee to the waist in her left leg. She reached Bharatpur Cancer Hospital in Chitwan after borrowing money from relatives, but was left stranded as she could not afford the expenses. A total of Rs. 550,000 was required to insert the rod. Additional funds were needed for the surgery. Which Jaula's family could not afford. While waiting to die in the hospital, she met Prakash Singh from a villager and heard that he would help her. Her family members came to Prakash's aid. After seeing her condition, Prakash coordinated with the Medical Rehabilitation Center in Kathmandu, and the rehabilitation center bore her treatment expenses.

Her rod was placed and treated at Kisht Medical College. Singh is also covering the expenses for her further treatment. Jaula's health is improving significantly. 'I had given up hope that this was all life would bring,' she said, 'Prakash Singh came as God. I was born again.'

12-year-old Omu Mijar of Badimalika Municipality-5 in Bajura had stones in his urinary tract. After the Bajura Hospital was unable to treat him in the district, it referred him to a well-equipped hospital in Dhangadhi or Kathmandu for treatment. Who would take him there if he had no parents? He was stranded in a relative's house due to lack of treatment.

An employee of the women's branch of Badimalika Municipality saw her miserable condition when she went to the village and informed Prakash. Prakash took her to Kathmandu for a stone surgery, and Omu is now completely healthy. 'I shouldn't have been sitting and eating with stomach pain. I felt like I was going to die at some point,' said Omu, a young man from the Dalit community. 'There was no one to treat me. If he hadn't helped me, I would have died by now.'
     

These are just a few examples of how the helpless in society can be revived when only one person helps with humane feelings. Prakash, 40, of Bajura, has a list of hundreds of people he has helped in this way over the past decade and a half. He used to work as a journalist in Bajura, a district that ranks last in the country in the Human Development Index. While traveling to remote villages to collect news, he came across such characters in his life that forced him to engage in humanitarian service rather than journalism. A CMA graduate, he used to carry essential medicines in his bag when he went to the village. But the medicines he carried were only for general treatment. The condition of the patients could not be seen. He said, ‘Some people’s hands and feet were seen withered and falling off. Some looked like they were going to die of a serious illness at a young age.’ These scenes used to make Prakash sad.
‘After returning from reporting, the faces of those who were suffering due to lack of treatment, those who lost their parents and were helpless, those who were wrinkled due to malnutrition due to lack of food would flash through his mind,’ says Singh, ‘I am living by writing about their suffering. If there is no difference in the suffering of their lives, I feel that there is no point in my living.’ That is what inspired me to engage in humanitarian service.'
He started humanitarian service by helping with the allowances he received from various programs, cash he received as a reward, and small amounts of money he could afford. People with a sense of helpfulness from home and abroad started connecting with him. Various organizations also started providing assistance to those affected by disasters for education and health.

Prakash's initiative has so far rescued more than 150 orphaned children from Bajura, Humla, Achham, and Mugu. They are studying in well-equipped schools in Kathmandu, Butwal, Pokhara, Dhangadhi, and other places with the help of various organizations. More than 300 underprivileged citizens from Bajura and other districts have regained their lives after undergoing treatment for complex diseases because of him. With Prakash's support and coordination, more than 30 million rupees have been spent on the treatment of patients so far.

Prakash's identity has now become such that sad, poor, and helpless people come to his home expecting help. ‘People from a village like this are in trouble,’ he said. ‘People from that village are in trouble,’ he said. ‘They come to tell me that they need to be rescued.’ Prakash, who has decided to spend the rest of his life in humanitarian aid, has now established an organization called Badimalika Foundation for social service. He said that through this organization, work is being done to collect, coordinate and organize assistance for the helpless.’

‘No matter how much I praise Prakash for his dedication in the field of humanitarian service, it is not enough,’ says Dayaram Pandit, a civic leader from Bajura. ‘The poor and helpless, children who have dropped out of school have received a good education. They have received life because they have lost the love of their lives because they could not afford treatment. The disabled and infirm have become normal.’

From providing oxygen during the coronavirus pandemic to carrying relief materials during disasters, Prakash has reached remote villages to meet those in trouble. From building houses for the homeless to collecting documents for those deprived of social security benefits due to lack of citizenship, he has also been advocating for those who were unable to vote due to lack of salt and rice, and those who were unable to vote due to lack of polling stations near their villages.