Month: November 2021
A letter of gratitude from Olga
Happy Holidays from NYF’s founder Olga Murray!
A Letter of Gratitude
Dear Friends,
As I enter my 97th year, I am more and more aware of the kind of legacy I will leave behind. One of the greatest joys of my long life has been the satisfaction of working with the children in Nepal and witnessing, for over 35 years, the tremendous changes NYF has been able to make in the lives of our children.
I have been particularly close over the years to the children of Olgapuri Children’s Village (formerly J and K House), watching them transform from frightened, sometimes traumatized, little kids when they come to live with us to boisterous, funny, smart, and ambitious teenagers, to what they are now – healthy, well-adjusted, educated, gainfully employed parents of young children, and good citizens of Nepal.
Every year, when I am in Nepal, I invite dozens of former Olgapuri girls over for dinner – they range from kids who have just left Olgapuri to attend college and are a bit frightened about leaving the only home they remember – to girls who left 15 or more years ago, are pursuing careers, and are married with children. It is touching to watch them interact – the older ones providing wisdom, advice, sympathy, and support to their younger sisters, and all of them expressing so much affection and gratitude for each other, and appreciation for their upbringing.
One of the important satisfactions of parenthood, I believe, is raising children who love and support each other after they have left the nest.
On this score, Olgapuri kids get an A plus. They stay in close touch, reminisce often about their times growing up, celebrate their birthdays together, and if any of them is in trouble, their Olgapuri sisters gather around like the most caring of families. Whether it is a personal or medical issue, they are there for each other. Recently, one of them contracted Covid – it was a serious case and required a long hospitalization. She could not afford the medical cost, so the former K House sisters took up a collection and helped with the payment. Another former K House girl needed extensive financial help for chemotherapy treatments, and again – her K House sisters stepped in to help.
So I have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.
And so have a lot of children in Nepal – the hundreds NYF has trained for work in the construction trades who are now gainfully employed, the thousands of children and families we helped during the pandemic with food, education, and counseling, and the many thousands of malnourished children who have been restored to blooming good health at our Nutritional Rehabilitation Homes.
None of this would have been possible without your help. It is hard for me to put into words the gratitude I feel to all of you, our loyal and generous donors, whose generosity throughout the years has made such a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of Nepali children.
With love and gratitude,
Olga
Staff Spotlight: Reeta Mahat, Social Worker
Reeta Mahat joined the NYF Nepal team 20 years ago, in 2001—first as a receptionist, and later, beginning in 2010, as a social worker. Since then, she has touched the lives of hundreds of NYF scholarship recipients, many of them calling her Reeta Didi. She is the longest serving social worker on NYF’s staff, and she brings an incredible amount of heart to the work she does each day.
“I currently have an 18 year old girl, Vamil*, in my program who is studying in grade 12,” says Reeta, when asked about her favorite part of working at NYF. “We started supporting her when she was six years old in 2008.”
Vamil’s family had experienced a series of tragedies one after the other—her father died of cancer, and all the money and property had been spent on his treatment; her brother passed away in a tragic accident; and Vamil’s mother developed severe depression.
“Although I was a receptionist at NYF when Vamil came to NYF, I used to meet her often and talk to her. During the Dashain holidays I used to take her with me to her village and drop her off at her home, which was on the way to my own village. I still remember the whole day-long bus rides we had together to go home for Dashain. It is now so heartwarming to see that little child grow into a confident girl. She is doing very well in her studies. After graduating, Vamil wants to study nursing.”
“Vamil’s mother is also doing much better now,” Reeta adds warmly. “Seeing her children doing well in life is helping her cope with her own health conditions.”
Learning about NYF
Shockingly, Reeta Mahat’s work with NYF began almost by chance! Raised in a very traditional Nepali home, Reeta never expected to work after marriage, and she focused her education on learning to be a good mother. But circumstances were different than Reeta had imagined, and in 2001, she was desperate for a decent job that could pay the bills for her family—including three small children. A family friend told her there was an opening at NYF, and Reeta applied.
“The job at NYF was literally a savior for me and my family,” Reeta recalls. “The income allowed me to give a good education to my children and raise my family. And the supportive, family-friendly office environment also helped me to continue despite the difficulties I faced as a working mother. But over the 20 years I have been with NYF, I have grown a lot as a person. Now I want to be able to help people who are going through the most difficult circumstances, like what I went through myself in my earlier years. Support from NYF is changing the lives of thousands of children and their families and I am so happy to be part of this change.”