Reflecting on My Special Trip to Nepal

Going Back Home to Celebrate a Milestone

This past month, I had the great privilege of going back to Nepal after a couple of years away. The reason for my visit was extremely special as my family was celebrating the 100th birthday of my grandfather. This is the same grandfather who is the only surviving child of my great grandmother, Rukmini, the namesake of our organization. This birthday is obviously momentous for me and my family, but it is also a celebration for the local community where I am from because he was a pioneer in education and his impact as an educator (guru) has been felt by many in the community. 

His birthday and the resulting celebration was really a celebration of the power and impact of education. While I was certainly eager to see my 100 year young grandfather and meet many family members, I was equally excited to visit with the foundation team that has been working so hard to empower girls through education. I had a few meetings with the team and we also got to visit a few schools where we observed programs, met with teachers, and got to interact with some of the students as well. In this post, I wanted to share a few of the highlights of my visit as well as a few observations for anyone who may be reading this.

Highlights

Migration and earthquake recovery: I learned that migration is increasing the need for us to support even more scholars than we planned for in schools like Setidevi and Sokhhel, where families impacted by the 2015 earthquake have moved to. These schools have welcomed the new students and are doing all they can to support the students and their families, but the schools have asked for our help to provide them with scholarships, uniforms, and supplies to ensure these kids have a chance at an education. Our team is willing and ready to support these families.

The need for mental health support: Children who have migrated to the area seem to be burdened with stress and trauma that is above and beyond what other children in the area are experiencing, and we are seeing a greater need for counseling and mental health support. A caring elder sister is one thing, but our team is starting to see the need for more professional support for these issues, and we will be exploring ways to provide that.

Food security and the lunch program: At another school I visited, Setidevi – Talku, which is in one of the more impoverished areas where we work, the Principal talked about how food security is a key issue and requested our support for a meal program. The teachers have been doing things on their own to help the kids, but it is not a sustainable approach. Sadly, the local government’s funding for this type of program has also been cut back, so the kids are going hungry while trying to get an education. Having seen the positive impact that the lunch program has had at other schools, I am confident that a similar program here would help increase attendance, enrollment, and even academic outcomes. My hope is that our team can find a way to start this program for the upcoming school year, which begins after the Nepali New Year in mid-April.

Team transition and leadership: Team transition has been both a challenge and a resounding success as the new team has gelled into an amazing group of leaders. Usha deserves all the praise (and support) for being able to handle these transitions so well. She has been mentoring the new staff, managing the programs, and building relationships with the schools and the community. She is a true asset to our organization and I am grateful for her dedication and passion.

Office space and environment: The current office that the team has is not sufficient for the number of staff, and we need to look at providing a better office environment for them to do their work. The office is cramped, noisy, and lacks proper ventilation and sanitation. We are exploring options with local leaders to find a suitable space that can accommodate the team and provide them with the facilities they need.

Culture and impact: Seeing the way the students interact with our Nepal Team is nothing short of amazing. They act just like younger sisters speaking with older sisters they respect and admire. The culture we have created is remarkable. The students are confident, curious, and eager to learn. They are also grateful for the opportunities we have given them and they express their appreciation in various ways. I received many letters, drawings, and gifts from the students, and I was moved by their sincerity and warmth.

Recommendations

Based on my recent visit, I came back both motivated and determined. Motivated because the work being done on the ground is so important and the team doing the work is doing an absolutely fantastic job. The team of women leading the work are diligent, thoughtful, and are genuinely like older sisters to the girls they support and empower. I also came back determined to do a better job in areas like fundraising because I felt like the recent budget cuts have hamstrung the team a bit. They have been making such great strides in terms of our core programming, but also expanding to digital literacy, continuing to do great work with the day meal program, and much more. However, because of the poor fundraising over the last couple of years, we had to cut back in some areas, and the momentum that the team has generated may stall out. I am hoping that we can prevent that from happening. To that effect, I will work with our Board to:

• Seek additional funds to support a meal program at Setidevi – Talku School.
• Ensure that we can provide our scholarship support to the new girls who have migrated to the area recently.
• Determine a plan of action to deal with the growing mental health challenges in the community.
• Increase our fundraising efforts to meet the growing needs and challenges of our programs and scholars.

Reflections

My visit to Nepal was beyond rewarding both from a personal and also from an organizational perspective. No matter how many times I visit a school or with our team, it is always an eye-opening and inspiring experience for me. Witnessing the impact of the programs that we are running and seeing the changes in the girls is an experience that I wish for anyone who cares about this foundation. On the flipside, seeing the challenges for our team, our girls, the teacher, the families, and the community is also important. While certainly proud of what we have achieved over the years, I know that there is still so much to do, and I have every confidence that our team is equipped to make even more magic happen. Now it is just up to our board and I personally to ensure that they have every resource at their disposal to continue to empower girls through education.