From conflict-hit Manipur village to Italy: How a retired Colonel and his wife changed one student’s future

Imphal: He studied in a conflict-hit village in Manipur. Today, he’s in Italy. Behind that journey are Col Christopher Rego (Retd) and his wife Myrna, who began by supporting a few students in Northeast India — and stayed on to do much more.

In Manipur’s remote villages, where conflict and distance often cut children off from education, the Regos’ work has helped students access schooling, reach colleges, and build careers. What started as help for a handful of children has grown into support that is quietly changing what’s possible for families across the region.

The couple focused on children who had the will to study but lacked means: fees, transport, books, or simply a path forward. By connecting students to schools and colleges and standing with them through the process, they opened doors that once seemed closed.

One of those students is now pursuing higher studies in Italy — a route that once felt unimaginable from his village classroom. For parents in the area, that outcome reshapes expectations for their own children.

Col Rego and Myrna have kept a low profile, working directly with families and local schools. Their approach is personal: staying involved long after the first school admission, through college applications and career choices.

In a region where getting to class can mean crossing rough terrain and learning under makeshift roofs, their sustained support has helped turn “going to school” into “going further.”For many families in Manipur’s remote villages, the impact is simple: children are not just attending school. They are seeing futures beyond it.