“It was always my dream to see the Himalayas,” says the 61-year-old Finnish about his purpose for visiting Nepal.[break]
But Lahteenkorva, who has dedicated the last 45 years of his life to judo, couldn´t be untouched by the pitiable condition of the children who are learning judo at orphanages in Kathmandu without proper mats and dress.
The good samaritan, who arrived in the capital earlier this week with his wife, has already visited a couple of children´s homes in Kathmandu and on Saturday donated 25 pairs of judo-gis (dress) worth around 1000 euros to the children.
“The children do not have tatamis (mat) here and they can get injured. I could send the tatamis but transportation is major problem. I will see if some social organizations can help us,” said Lahteenkorva, who is also the president of Finland Judo Support Association.
“Perhaps, the judo-gis can help them to some extent,” he said, adding, “I´d like to help the kids in the future too.”
The fifth dan black belt holder also gave lessons to the children at Dasharath Stadium on Saturday. “I want to share my experience and I want to see the kids smile,” he said.
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