Karma Tenzing Bhotia and his wife, Kumari Jyamu Bhotia, were born in a remote farming community in the Mount Makalu region of Nepal which borders Tibet. Many of the people who live in that area find it difficult to achieve a comfortable existence. They are mostly subsistence farmers, struggling week to week under very harsh conditions to provide the basic provisions for themselves, their family and often, their extended families.

Through a very rare set of circumstances Karma and his family were given the opportunity as children to attend school and advance to the level that allowed them to graduate from high school. Karma was the fourth person to achieve this academic status in his region in his generation. His wife Jyamu was the first woman to graduate high school from that region and became a Teacher.

They knew from their own personal experiences that if they were going to provide the best future and opportunities for their children they would need to immigrate to another country. It was a difficult decision for them to make initially since, Karma could only afford for them to venture out of Nepal to create this new life. They were separated from their children for many years while they worked in several countries seeking the best environment and opportunities to raise their children. Later they decided it was the United States.