Olga reflects on Kamlari Freedom Day

Dear Friends,

The day of the Maghe Sankranti festival this year, January 15, 2014, was a very special one for the daughters of the Tharu community of Western Nepal. Unlike past festivals, they didn’t have to worry that their parents would sell them off as “Kamlari,’ or indentured servants.

“Kamlari Freedom Day” — celebrated with a march, and many speeches by government “thulo manchhes” (big shots) — was also special for me. It was a once-in-a-lifetime-I-never-thought-I’d-see-the-day event!

NYF ignited a movement
Since 2000, NYF has been working to eradicate this pernicious custom by liberating over 12,000 girls from bondage and bringing them home to live with their families, providing their parents with a piglet or a goat to make up for the girls’ wages, placing the liberated girls in school, and carrying out an energetic awareness campaign to turn the Tharu mothers and fathers against the practice. This, along with lawsuits against employers who persisted in enslaving their little girl servants and heavy lobbying with the government, has brought freedom not only to the present generation of child servants, but to their daughters and their daughters’ daughters as well.

As I sat on the stage for what seemed hours, I harkened back to the time of my first visit to Dang thirteen years ago, almost to the day. That time, the context was entirely different. I thought of the little orphan girl I saw that day sobbing relentlessly by her uncle’s side, begging not to be sent back to work for her callous employer — while her uncle told us, without shame, that he had sold her and her sister to pay for the cost of his son’s wedding.

Freedom for future generations
I was similarly clueless about what was being said by the many speakers on Kamlari Freedom Day, but I knew with certainty that that little girl did not spend the rest of her childhood as a kitchen slave, and that this was true of other Tharu girls of her generation and generations to come. The proof was before my eyes, as I looked down at a sea of faces of freed, assertive former Kamlari, including 30 who had just passed their college entrance examinations and were headed for higher education.

When it came my turn to speak, I wish I could have just shouted the Tharu equivalent of “You go girls!”

Thank you everyone, for supporting NYF through the years and helping to make this amazing new freedom possible.

With appreciation,

Olga Murray
Founder & Honorary President

Learn more

Watch the CNN Freedom Project video about NYF’s work to free girls from slavery.

Read the Time Magazine article about NYF’s work to rescue the last Kamlari slaves.

NYF news: Victory! Kamlari Child Slavery System Ends

Thanks for your vote of confidence!

Thanks to glowing reviews by our supporters and the children we serve, NYF has earned a GreatNonprofits 2013 Top-Rated Award.

We are proud of this ranking because it assures you that we are efficiently doing the work of educating, nourishing and caring for Nepal’s neediest children.

GreatNonprofits is the leading provider of reviews and ratings of nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. Top-Rated Award winners are selected entirely by people who have had direct experience with the nonprofit. Only 1,400 nonprofits received this award out of an estimated 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the United States.

Here is a sampling of some of the things people had to say about us:

“I met Olga Murray some years ago and was immensely impressed with her and her charity. That one woman should change the lives for the better of all these children is truly remarkable. I shall very happily continue to donate.”

“Olga, Som, Chori and the rest of NYF team are a great inspiration! Our foundation is proud to support NYF and the project “counselling services for freed indentured girls” since 2011 (especially the activities related to the psychological counselling center in Western Nepal). Our field visit and meetings with the girls last year will always remain in our memory!”

“I am one of the students who survived and did something good by the unforgettable help of Nepal Youth Foundation. I have been taken care from the grass root level until now and my achievement up to now is all attributed to NYF. I would like to thank from my heart inside and would like to help at any point of my life if I am given a chance.

To the point, NYF is one of the former row social organizations working for welfare of needy and helpless citizen in Nepal and should be honored for such a great contribution.”

Thank you for your support! Namaste.

Slavery in Nepal – A New Film highlights Nepal Youth Foundation

#standwithme

Slavery in Nepal impacts the people and communities of Nepal in horrific, but there is hope.  Nine-year old Vivienne Harr and her Make a Stand Lemon-aid have already inspired millions of people to join the movement to end child slavery and slavery in Nepal. Now the message will reach millions more around the world through a hauntingly beautiful and compelling feature documentary, #standwithme.

In addition to Vivienne’s story, the film also educates viewers about child slavery through the work of acclaimed photographer, Lisa Kristine, and two organizations with a global reach: Free the Slaves and Fair Trade USA.

#standwithme opens in February 2014 with a 30-city tour of North America, and there’s no doubt that this powerful film will earn broader distribution and reach a worldwide audience.

Film highlights NYF’s work to end slavery in Nepal

Midway through #standwithme is a poignant scene showing a meeting between Vivienne and our very own Olga Murray, NYF’s Founder and Honorary President. Nepal Youth Foundation is one of six organizations selected to receive a portion of Make a Stand’s gross revenue. It’s heartwarming to see 9-year old Vivienne and 88-year old Olga talk about their shared passion for ending child slavery.

A simple call to action: Do something
“Central to the theme of our movie is the moment each of our main characters learned that slavery still exists in the world, and the action they took once they knew,” explains Co-Director Patrick Moreau of Still Motion, the innovative production company that created #standwithme. “Until we met Vivienne, we didn’t know the degree to which slavery exists in our modern world — but the moment we were made aware, we had to do something. This movie is our something.”

We’re honored that Nepal Youth Foundation is included in the film helping to shed light on slavery in Nepal, and we congratulate Still Motion on their remarkable accomplishment.

Learn more about Nepal Youth Foundation
We’ve rescued over 12,000 girls from indentured servitude and ended the system of Kamlari in Nepal. Now we’re working to empower the newly freed young women through vocational training, leadership development and economic opportunities.

Read why Make a Stand Lemon-aid is supporting NYF.

Watch the CNN Freedom Project video about NYF’s work to free girls from slavery.

Read the Time Magazine article about NYF’s work to rescue the last Kamlari slaves.

NYF news: Victory! Kamlari Child Slavery System Ends

Whole Foods Tea sections in Colorado now carry Nepali Tea Traders tea

Whole Foods Market tea sections across Colorado will now carry Nepali Tea Traders organic tea! Their Kalo Chia Black Tea just won a top ranking at the North American Tea Championship, an independent professional competition that distinguishes the highest quality and best tasting teas commercially available.

And a selection of six of their special organic teas from small farms in Nepal is now available in Whole Foods Market locations across Colorado.

Benefits for farmers
Launched in the fall of 2012 by a group of Colorado social entrepreneurs, Nepali Tea Traders is committed to fair prices for farmers and reinvestment in the tea industry in Nepal. The company’s teas are cultivated on small farms by growers who rely on natural, chemical-free farming methods.

“We’re working to ensure fair wages, sustainable environmental practices and responsible working conditions for our farmers and tea workers,” said founder and CEO Maggie Le Beau. “We’ve selected our business partners because they are investing in their people and operations — and we share their progressive vision of the potential of the tea industry to transform Nepal.”

Benefits for Nepal Youth Foundation
Building a thriving and sustainable tea industry in Nepal is just one part of the mission of Nepali Tea Traders. They’re also using the company to generate support for NYF.  Pick up their delicious tea at Whole Foods Market acrross Colorado.

“Nepal is one the poorest countries in Asia, and there are many serious needs that we’ve seen firsthand in Kathmandu and the rural areas,” Maggie explained. “We’ve chosen to focus our philanthropic efforts on Nepal Youth Foundation, which has done incredible work over the past 24 years. So every purchase from Nepali Tea Traders will help support this outstanding organization.”

Many thanks to Maggie and the team at Nepali Tea Traders!
Visit the Nepali Tea Traders website to see their full line of tea, teaware and gifts or pop by your local Whole Foods Market tea section in Colorado today.

Time reports on NYF’s efforts to end Kamlari

Time explores the concerted efforts NYF and the freed slave girls are making to rescue the remaining Kamlari and examines the challenges these girls face after spending their childhoods as household servants. Click here to read more…

http://world.time.com/2013/12/12/nepals-last-remaining-slave-girls-wait-for-their-freedom/

Visiting Nepal with a Playful Purpose, Brings Children Back to Health

Visiting Nepal, the children at our flagship Nutritional Rehabilitation Home (NRH) and training center in Kathmandu are swinging, running and jumping their way back to health thanks to a dedicated group of NYF supporters who erected a new play structure at the clinic last fall.

The new playground was dedicated in December with a plaque commemorating Fran North, a Colorado woman who loved Nepal — especially the children. After Fran died of breast cancer in 2006, her friends and family contributed $7,000 to a memorial fund at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church in Denver.

Friends helping friends
The story behind the plaque reveals a deep, layered network of friendship and philanthropy, spanning the globe from the Colorado Rockies to the Himalayas. One of its key characters is Lynn Hetterich, also from Colorado and a member of Montview Church. Lynn is a longtime supporter of NYF and a close friend of Olga and Som, meeting them through NYF volunteer Sajani Amatya for the first time in 2000.

Thirty-two years after her first trip to Nepal — with 14 visits as a Montview liaison since then — Lynn returned this past fall with 22 friends from Montview Church and the Denver community. The group spent a dusty day at the NRH, sanding and priming the new play equipment. Lynn and Fran were good friends. “Fran loved children,” said Lynn. “This memorial couldn’t be more fitting.”

The NRH restores children to good health
The purpose of the NRH is to nurse severely malnourished children back to health. Staff also teach the parents of the children, usually the mothers, how to prepare nutritious meals using local food. NYF has built sixteen nutritional homes throughout the country, one in each zonal hospital. NYF manages the homes for five years, at which time the government assumes management responsibility — except NRH Kathmandu, which remains under NYF’s leadership as its flagship and training center. To date, eight of the sixteen nutritional homes have been handed over to the Nepali government.

Montview has a long history with the NRH in Kathmandu. In 2006, Montview members raised $30,000 towards the purchase of the land for the new facility and three years later, contributed another $100,000 towards its construction. NYF opened its permanent NRH — a beautiful, clean, airy, spacious new building just outside of Kathmandu — in February of 2012.

Speaking on behalf of Montview, Lynn acknowledged the relationship she and others have nurtured. “Montview has a long history with the nutritional homes. The NYF story sparked a fire in me. Our (Montview) group is committed to our work in Nepal.”

Learn more

Watch a video about NYF’s Nutritional Rehabilitation Homes.

Learn more about Nutritional Rehabilitation Homes.

Victory! “Kamlari” Child Slavery System Ends

This year we achieved a victory for the girls of Nepal and for girls everywhere — a victory that all of you who support the Nepal Youth Foundation have helped to win.

On June 27, the government of Nepal declared the abolition of the Kamlari system, an amazing development in our 13-year campaign to end child slavery. This means the government is finally committed to enforcing existing laws that have long been ignored, a move prompted by the growing power of the freed Kamlari girls and a shift in the attitudes of people throughout Nepal.

Thanks to your support, NYF has freed and educated more than 12,000 formerly bonded girls, offering a roadmap for everyone fighting to end modern-day slavery and oppression.

Yet our work is not over. We must rescue the approximately 300 girls still held in Kamlari servitude. And we must empower the newly freed girls through vocational training, leadership development and economic opportunities. Our strategies include:

Education and Vocational Training – This is the key to helping freed girls build a new life. We provide training for hundreds of former Kamlari girls who are taking courses in engineering, computer technology, health care, dress making, cosmetology, cooking, poultry farming and more.

Cooperatives – NYF is helping the freed girls establish income-generating business cooperatives, launching 32 co-ops with over 1,800 members to date. The co-ops offer low interest loans to help members start their own businesses.

Action and Advocacy – With training and support from NYF, the girls have established their own advocacy action group — the Freed Kamlari Development Forum (FKDF). More than 1,300 girls are now affiliated with FKDF and participate in leadership training, peer counseling, and community organizing to raise public awareness about children’s and women’s rights.

As the Kamlari system comes to an end, we thank our community partners in Nepal, our global nonprofit partners, our allies in the government, and especially you — the friends who have supported NYF through the years. With your continued support for the next phase of our work, we will help to build a world that ensures freedom and wellbeing for all of Nepal’s children.

Learn more:

Read about our Empowering Freed Kamlari Program.

Watch the CNN Freedom Project video about NYF’s work to free girls from slavery.

A Video Message from the Girls of Nepal

Krishna Chaudhary, a girl who was freed from child slavery by the Nepal Youth Foundation, sends a message to the world on International Day of the Girl.

It’s about the end of child slavery and the beginning of freedom and education.

Help spread the good news — please share this video with your friends and family.

Honorary Doctorate earned by NYF Founder for her outstanding contribution in educating children of Nepal

On 16 May 2013 , Olga Murray Founder of Nepal Youth Foundation Earns Honorary Doctorate from the Bank Street Graduate School of Education in honor of her outstanding contribution in educating children of Nepal. The honorary doctorate award was presented amid an extraordinary commencement ceremony in New York.

Bank Street offers online master’s degree and advanced certificate programs in teaching and learning, leadership, and child life that provide educators across the country

Click here to watch the video

Congratulations to our HERO, Dr. Olga Murray for her effort in earning her honorary doctorate!!!

Learn more about Olga Murray and the Nepal Youth Foundation.  E-mail info@nepalyouthfoundation.org or call us at 415-331-8585.