Gertraud Wild: One of Mitrata’s First Sponsors
Although our 20th Anniversary Celebration is over, we are still taking the time to reminisce on the past 20 years. This week, we are sharing a lovely story from Gertraud Wild, one of Mitrata’s first child sponsors.
When Mitrata first began, the country of Nepal was in turmoil. As our Executive Director and Founder, Dr. Christine Schutz said, “It was a challenging time with the Maoist insurgency as the country was in a civil war. Gertraud Wild was brave enough to go with me on the first sponsor trip to Nepal in 2003. We had many adventures while trekking and rewarding experiences with the Mitrata children. I so appreciate her dedication as a continuous child sponsor to this day.” Keep reading to learn more about these experiences from Gertraud’s perspective:
“It was in the year 2002 in St. Louis, when I first heard from Christine about the rescue of Ishwori and the foundation of Mitrata. I felt a strong urge to help and my husband David and I decided to sponsor a girl called Japanesha Gurung. She still had parents, but they lived in utter poverty and needed support. In the same year, Christine told me about a little boy called Dinesh Papa who was raised by his single mother. We decided to sponsor the education for Dinesh too.
Gertraud and Christine
In the fall of 2003, Christine planned a trip for sponsors to Nepal. Due to the civil war and the conflict with the Maoist movement, Christine and I were the only ones who travelled to Nepal that year! This was the first time that I met Japanesha and Dinesh in the children’s home. I also met Patima, the girl sponsored by my sister-in-law. At this time, there were 17 children living in the home. I was impressed by the polite behavior of all the children.
Christine and I also did part of the Annapurna trek together, starting in Jomsom (9000 ft) and trekking to Pokhara. Hardly any tourists hiked at this time due to the civil war. We especially encountered the danger and military force on the way back to Kathmandu with the many checkpoints and road blocks erected by the heavily armed military.
When I came back from the trip, my daughter Anna-Sophie was so impressed by the work of Mitrata that she asked her friends before her birthday party not to bring her presents but instead donate money for the organization. She was very proud that she could help.
Anna-Sophie volunteering at Mitrata in 2011
Eight years after my first trip to Nepal, I returned in September 2011. Anna-Sophie had decided to work in the children’s home as a volunteer and helped out where she was needed. After finishing her time, my son Robert came from the United States and I from Austria and we three started a three-week long trek around the Manaslu, the 8 highest mountain in the world. Again, I could see Japanesha and Dinesh and was very happy that they were doing well. I also could meet Christine and a group of sponsors visiting the home.
Christine with a group of sponsors in 2011
After many years of sponsoring, I feel that our support helped both of the sponsored children to lead a better life and I am thankful that we had the opportunity to help.”
Mitrata would not have been successful without the help of the first sponsors such as Gertraud. We are extremely thankful for them and their dedication to Mitrata. To hear more stories from Mitrata’s first sponsors and founding advisors, click the button below!
