Meet Ricky
Ricky was a little girl left in complete chaos with no hope for a bright future. Trapped in the remote Himalayan Mountains, Ricky had all the cards of life stacked against her. She was one of eight children in her family, but when she was just five years old her father passed away. Already living in poverty, her father’s passing removed any hope she had and her mother was unable to provide food, clothes, or shelter for her children. Ricky spent many sleepless nights shivering in the dark with a hungry belly.
A few months after her father passed, Ricky’s mother heard of a Christian children’s home nearby and set-out to take Ricky and her younger sister to the home. For the first time in her life, Ricky began to feel safe. She had warm meals to eat, and there were people who cared for her – bathing her and teaching her to read and write. However, Ricky was unable to stay at the Children’s Home and was soon transferred to a Buddhist Hostel, where she would spend the next few years. Ricky never forgot the safety she felt at the Christian Home and longed to get back to it. She began to store-up whatever money she could and with some of her friends, she crafted a plan to run away.
So, at eight years old, Ricky mustered up all her courage and set out late one night with other young girls to get back to the only place she had ever called a home. They ran through the dark alleys as dogs barked and policemen questioned where they were going. After a few days of traveling on buses and by foot, they made it to the Christian Children’s Home. As soon as the woman who used to care for Ricky laid eyes on her she was overwhelmed with joy. She embraced Ricky like a daughter and welcomed her home. Ricky would spend the rest of her young years learning about Jesus and receiving an education; these are the two things that liberate oppressed and at-risk children.
She serves faithfully alongside her husband Alok, who is one of WIN's native Directors. Ricky’s life verse is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God soon took hold of Ricky’s heart and birthed in her a passion for working with children who were much like herself when she was young. Ricky is now the director of our Blue Haven Children’s Home and School, so she is a mentor and mother to many.