Dare to Dream • Dhurba’s Sapana Eco-Village in Chitwan • NEPAL

For many of us, dreams are about “getting” something; they’re selfish….For Dhurba, dreaming means giving.

“My parents are farmers. I never finished school.” He came from a poor village in the jungles of Nepal and worked as a waiter to tourists who came on safari. One day at the restaurant – he had a long chat – with a couple – visiting from the Netherlands. They asked him – an unusual question: “They asked me my dream and I was surprised a little bit.”

But with NO cash, to make his dream come true, Dhruba forgot about his dream and the Dutch tourists. “Then after 5 -6 months they send me the letter. The say we have money for you and please send us your back account. and I was surprised. I couldn’t believe it. I thought they were making a joke.”

With a backpack full of cash – Dhurba bought land from a rice farmer and starting building a hotel. A hotel he named “Sapana Village”. “Sapana means dream and I work for the dream.” Sapana Village looked nothing like other hotels in the jungle. He built his lodges to look like a traditional Tharu village. “Tharu are the original people and they should get something back from the tourism but nothing they get.”

So in addition to the typical tourist activities – elephants rides and safari trips – Dhurba asked Tharu families to show his guests their traditional ways of life. “And 50% of the profit go to the local community”. Dhurba now puts his profits in local development projects.

For many of us, dreams are about “getting” something; they’re selfish….For Dhurba, dreaming means giving.

Find out more about Dhurba and the development projects his Sapana Village are spearheading at sapanalodge.com.

Music by Binod Katuwal: youtube.com/channel/UCSLPg–3m41JPZh7EgiYuiA