New School Celebrated in Nepal
Yesterday John Cook, educational philanthropist and member of the OLE Board of Directors, bordered a helicopter and flew to a remote Himalayan village for the commemoration of a school for 1,500 children he had paid for the cost of building. He did not know at the time that this was only the second time people in that village had seen a helicopter. The first had been when Sir Edmund Hillary had visited there many years ago.
John was met on his arrival by a crowd of over five thousand villagers, many of whom had walked for miles to celebrate the opening of their new school. They gave him a huge welcome, applauding him continuously as he greeted each of those in the long reception line and as he sought to accept the literally hundreds of traditional flower garlands that were one by one draped over his shoulders.
This was a moment that will be remembered. The school will transform the lives of thousands of these Himalayan children and their villages where their average family income is $3.50 per week. Even with the donation of this new school building, a year’s tuition for one student is $60, equal to one third of the average family income in those villages. This forces families to chose which one of their children will gain an education. Many are not able to do that. Thus this is just one critical step in ensuring every child a quality basic education.
John worked for years as an accountant and then grew his company into a multi-million dollar financial services firm for large retail chains. Since his retirement a few years ago he has lived a good part of each year in Nepal and Thailand, has built several schools in both countries and has provided full scholarships to many students from that part of the world for study in the United States. He is an inspiration for all who know him about how one person can help so many others improve their lives.
Reflecting on his visit this morning, John simply said, “What a wonderful way this is to spend one’s time and money during retirement.”
