Frontline Warrior: NYF’s Lila Tharu Celebrates Freedom Day by Saving Lives

Frontline warrior healthcare workers across the world have spent nearly 18 months battling COVID-19 to defend their communities. These heroes have saved countless lives during the pandemic.

For one of these warriors, Lila Tharu, age 26 (below), her status as a nurse and midwife is a source of particular satisfaction. NYF is proud to count Lila among our many accomplished alumni now to heal their communities during this crisis.

Kamlari Freedom Day

June 27^th, 2021 marks the 8^th anniversary of the legal abolition of the kamlari practice in Nepal—otherwise known as Kamlari Freedom Day.

Kamlari was a form of indentured servitude which exploited the daughters of the Tharu ethnic minority group in Western Nepal’s Terai region. After generations of predatory lending by more powerful “land-owning” groups, the practice emerged as the only way for families to pay back exorbitant generational debts.

At every Tharu New Year, parents sold their daughters—some as young as six years old—to work long hours in the homes of strangers. In return, families would receive an average of only $30 for an entire year of their child’s labor. Thousands of Tharu girls spent their entire childhoods in kitchen slavery. Some never returned home.

To people in the Western Terai, the kamlari practice had come to seem inevitable. It was a baked-in cultural truth that very few people dared to question.

Lila Tharu – Kamlari Life, Rescue & Education

Lila was born in Thakurbaba Municipality in Bardiya District. When she was 12, Lila was sent away to work as a kamlari in 2005. Her two older sisters had also worked as kamlaris.

After two years working in her master’s house and being denied an education, Lila was identified and rescued by Nepal Youth Foundation in 2007. Through the Indentured Daughters program, her family was provided with economic support to offset Lila’s lost “wage.” It also included the materials needed to allow Lila to return to school: a kerosene lamp to study by, a school uniform, notebooks, and more.

Lila was a determined student who dreamed of becoming a midwife. Soon after her rescue, she enrolled in grade 7 at a local school. She completed high school (10^th grade at the time in Nepal) in 2012, passing her country’s notorious SLC “Iron Gate” exam. Lila earned a place in the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife program at Sushma Koirala Memorial Institute in Nepalgunj. NYF provided her with a college scholarship throughout her studies.

NYF continued to provide career support as Lila began her nursing career in a private hospital in Banke District. And in November 2016, she finally landed her dream job as an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife at Bheri Hospital in Nepalgunj, the largest government hospital in the region. She has remained there ever since, continuing her education by taking Nursing Care and Skilled Birth Attendant trainings to further enhance her skills.

The salary she brings home each month is far beyond what members of the Tharu community thought possible for one of their daughters only 10 to 20 years ago. Not only is Lila serving a critical role in her community’s health system—she is proving the incredible potential within a Tharu girl.

Lila Tharu – Frontline Warrior

At the beginning of 2020, Lila was living at home with her mother while continuing her career. Lila’s father had passed away years before, and her two sisters were now married.

Things changed in Lila’s work life when the pandemic hit. She was added to a special COVID treatment team early on and assigned temporarily to nearby Sushil Koirala Cancer Hospital in Khajura. This hospital had been set aside especially for COVID patients. Lila worked there for several weeks during the pandemic’s first wave. She also served COVID patients in mandated isolation in a Kalpatri hotel during this time.

Now, during Nepal’s intense second COVID wave, Lila’s hospital in Nepalgunj is at the epicenter of the crisis. Many young people from Western Nepal cross the border into India to find work. When the virus surged in India earlier this year, they fled back north to escape the pandemic—not realizing they were bringing the virus home with them.

Bheri Hospital now has four dedicated COVID wards. Lila (below, in white at far right), who has valuable COVID Care experience from 2020, is a frontline warrior in one of them.

She is hard at work monitoring her patients’ vital signs, measuring oxygen levels, and providing intravenous therapy and medicine, as well as other critical care. COVID death rates for hospitalized patients are frighteningly high everywhere, and Lila’s ward is no different. During this second surge, they have lost an average of 3-4 patients per day. But Lila tries to remember the lives she has helped to save as well. Many of her surviving patients would not be able to return home if not for her.

In spite of rigorous safety protocols, Lila herself caught COVID in the spring, like many other frontline warriors across the world. Fortunately, her symptoms were mild. After a short isolation, she returned courageously to the COVID ward to continue her lifesaving work.

She will continue this work until her expertise is no longer required in the COVID ward. She (below, preparing medicines for a patient) is proud to be doing this important work in her community—and grateful to the NYF Community for making her journey possible.

Just One Story of Thousands

Lila says she was afraid when the virus first arrived in Nepal. But now, she is extremely dedicated to the community she serves. Her courage is nothing new to NYF.

Like the other Freed Kamlari women, Lila had already experienced intense hardship and taken many daring steps before COVID arrived. Together, while most of them were still children, these girls dared to challenge their communities, abandon their masters, question their culture, and declare their own worth. Many of them returned home to families who resented them for taking such bold steps. Others were injured while marching for kamlari freedom, as police objected to the girls’ protests against the government.

Lila is one of thousands of Freed Kamlari who refused to stop simply at being rescued from an exploitative practice.

She and so many others have claimed their personal power by seizing educational opportunities and chasing their dreams – and working to lift their sisters and daughters in the process. Some are becoming lawyers, determined to defend human rights. Others have become small business owners or specialized farmers, gradually building personal and generational wealth in ways their parents could not.

And some, like Lila Tharu, dreamed of helping others in the healthcare field. They’ve grown up to be frontline warriors in a global crisis they never imagined.

Happy Kamlari Freedom Day, Lila!

Happy Freedom Day to ALL of the Freed Kamlaris
and to the young girls and women who will never be bonded away!

And Happy Freedom Day to the NYF Community—to everyone who helped support this incredible program. Lila’s story, and so many others like it, are proof of the amazing way your #LoveWorks.

Celebrate with NYF today.

To help celebrate this joyous occasion and support the education of brave young women like Lila, please make a thoughtful gift for NYF Scholarships or our Vocational Education program on our donation page. Additionally, join the NYF Community by signing up to receive emails here.

Nepal’s Second COVID Surge Continues – New Updates from Som

Nepal’s second surge of COVID-19 seems to have calmed, but the danger has not passed. This week, NYF president Som Paneru has given the US team an update from his vantage point on the ground in Nepal. (Below, Nutritional Rehabilitation Center staff members arrange precious oxygen cylinders for use in the COVID Isolation Center.)

For details about the impact this most recent crisis has had on our work providing Health, Shelter, Freedom, and Education, please click here. Thanks to the dedicated and compassionate team in Nepal, the children in NYF’s care remain safe and healthy!

COVID in Nepal – the Second Surge

Som’s description of Nepal’s lockdown is intense: essential food outlets are only open for a couple of hours each morning, with the remaining businesses completely closed down to slow the spread. Transportation, both public and private, is halted. Only vehicles for essential services are allowed in the street.

Domestic flights are completely grounded, and only four airlines are allowed to operate international flights. Even these occur only once a week. The passengers are very carefully selected and are either Nepalese citizens returning home or aid workers. Chartered flights arrive periodically, bringing relief materials.

The infection rate is beginning to drop, as is the reported death toll. Som reports that the hospitals are less overwhelmed, and for the moment, there seem to be enough hospital beds for the current patients. (Above, Som and the Nutritional Rehabilitation Home team meet outside to receive up-to-date information.)

However, different from last year, the virus has now reached into very rural areas. Here, people do not have access to COVID tests, and they often do not go to hospitals, making accurate tracking and reporting impossible. Some hospitals in Western Nepal, the epicenter of the current surge, report that they are seeing fewer people arrive – but those who do are arriving from very rural areas, and in critical condition.

These new developments will impact NYF’s planning and programming as we proceed into the coming months.

And of course, the halting of economic activities during this extended lockdown is once again worsening human suffering. Families are struggling to make ends meet, hunger is on the rise, and individuals with chronic medical conditions are unable to access care.

But the vaccine situation in Nepal is dire. At the beginning of 2021, vaccine donations arrived from China and India – but future vaccines promised by India never arrived, leaving many people throughout Nepal only partially vaccinated with the first dose of AstraZeneca. Another one million doses have arrived from China, with more donations pending from the UK, Denmark, and the United States, but distribution will be challenging in the midst of this surge. Rural populations will be especially difficult to reach. (When vaccines first arrived in Nepal, front line workers were prioritized, so NYF staff members working with COVID patients have received their vaccines.)

Time to Prepare

Public health officials are predicting a third wave in the fall, with children likely to be impacted more than in the past two surges. The Nepalese government has already warned hospitals, urging them to prepare pediatric ICUs. Ideally, hospitals will prepare at least 25% of their existing ICU beds to suit children.

NYF is taking this warning seriously, planning ahead using lessons learned during this second surge.

Especially in Nepal’s urban areas, family homes are often quite cramped, with multiple family members sharing a single bed, and multiple family branches sharing a single residence. In late April, COVID-19 had already reached Nepal from India before the country locked down. This trapped many families in very close quarters with at least one person who was already infected with the virus – and with not enough room for social distancing.

Our COVID Isolation Center (split between our flagship Nutritional Rehabilitation Home, at left in the photo above, and the New Life Center, right) played an important role in slowing the spread in Lalitpur, just outside Kathmandu. But we hope to be prepared to do more during the predicted third surge. Som is working in close contact with local health officials to identify ways we can help lower the risks to families in lockdown and save as many lives as possible.

Emergency Nutritional Care

In response to the devastating economic effects of the virus and the extended lockdowns, NYF has expanded our emergency food distribution efforts. We are continuing to run Lito for Life, and we have added food staples like potatoes and other vegetables to our deliveries.

COVID Isolation Center

As COVID-19 tore through Nepal’s cities in April and May, hospitals were quickly overwhelmed. Individuals testing positive for the virus were encouraged to isolate at home unless their symptoms became life-threatening.

This approach posed two problems: first, those living in cramped quarters were unable to truly isolate away from their families, and two, many individuals with COVID-19 are unaware of what “life-threatening” symptoms look like. As a result, many people in self-isolation arrived at the hospital too late, and many others unwittingly spread the virus to their loved ones.

Our COVID Isolation Center (in the empty Kathmandu Nutritional Rehabilitation Home and New Life Center) provides a 50-bed space for individuals with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic, or are experiencing mild to moderate symptoms. If symptoms become dangerous, our trained nurses recognize the warning signs right away, and NYF provides a free ambulance ride to the hospital.

In a video made in May, Sajani Amatya shares NYF’s gratitude for all those who helped make this swift response possible:

A four-bed High Dependency Unit (HDU) was added as well, providing semi-ICU care to any patients needing to be transferred to a hospital, but for whom a hospital bed had not yet been found. This has been a great life saving addition. Since opening at the end of May, nine patients have received HDU care before being transferred to the hospital.

Most of our patients are under age 18. So far, we have admitted a total of 151 patients, and 115 of them have been discharged after recovering safely. Nineteen individuals have been referred to the hospital, and 17 patients are currently at the center.

The COVID Isolation Center has also received praise from the National Human Rights Commission, the Women’s Right Commission, the District Administration Office of Lalitpur, and even the WHO.

Unrestricted Support

In times like these, even if COVID has provided the inspiration for your gift, the most effective way to give is to provide unrestricted funding. Unrestricted funding allows us to aim each dollar with the maximum flexibility, allowing the needs on the ground to drive our responses as the situation evolves. Unrestricted funding also allows us to continue keeping our promises to the children in our care by ensuring that each of our programs is fully funded and can continue as best as possible throughout the pandemic – and beyond.

To make your generous gift, please click here. Thank you so much for ensuring your #LoveWorks for the children of Nepal!

Founder’s Day 2021 – Thank You for Sharing the Joy!

Founder’s Day 2021 – held over Zoom on Thursday, June 3rd, 2021 – was a resounding success!

Thank you to everyone who attended! This heartfelt, joyful reunion of old and new friends, supporters, alumni, and team members was an inspiration and a delight to so many. Our team deeply appreciates the many messages of congratulations and support we have received; Olga is touched by the outpouring of well-wishes in honor of her 96th birthday; and Som is so encouraged by the many words of support and love in honor of his 25th anniversary of serving the children of Nepal at NYF.

Links to the beautiful videos provided by filmmakers Roy Cox and Robin Mortarotti are available on our YouTube channel. Click here to enjoy and share Som’s incredible story. Click here for the video on our efforts to reduce the rate of child marriage in Nepal.

If you missed the event or would like to enjoy it again, a full recording is available here.

Special thanks go to co-hosts Dr. Jagadamba Pandit and Angela Pal, PhD; videographers Roy Cox and Robin Mortarotti; and guest speakers Dr. Kamal Lamichhane and Ajeeta Rana for helping shape the inspiring presentations; author and philanthropist Isabel Allende for her beautiful message; to our host committee: Tanya Bodde, Chris Heffelfinger, Andrea McTamaney, Ron Rosano, and Greg & Barbara Rosston; to the volunteers, board members, advisory board members, and staff working behind the scenes; and of course, to Olga Murray and Som Paneru for giving us so much to celebrate!

Olga’s Founder’s Day 2021 Birthday Wish

Thank you to each of our wonderful supporters who donated in honor of Founder’s Day 2021. Our goal this year was $96,000 in honor of Olga’s 96th birthday. Ahead of the event, thoughtful early donations had brought us approximately halfway to meeting our goal.

By the time pledging (public and private) had ended during the event, we were only $1,150 short. And before the end of the evening, a few additional pledges had tipped us over our goal amount, with auction bids pushing us over $100,000!

Our global team is overwhelmed by the generosity of the NYF Community. Thoughtful Founder’s Day gifts are still arriving – including some increased pledges. At this time, our incredible, thoughtful supporters have contributed over $105,000 in support of our NYF’s mission.

Your love is providing Health, Freedom, Shelter, and Education to Nepal’s newest generation – and graduates from our programs are proving that your #LoveWorks. Dhanyabad!

If you have not yet fulfilled your Founder’s Day pledge, or if you would like to make another thoughtful gift, please do so here.

Lucky Winners

Our U.S. team is contacting auction winners, pledge raffle winners, and Olga’s Promise recipients. If you have any questions about this process, please reach out to us by emailing info@nepalyouthfoundation.org.

More to Come in 2021

As we step into the coming months, our global team is braced for more pandemic uncertainty – but the NYF Community’s encouraging love and enthusiasm inspires us with confidence. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your trust and dedication to making sure your #LoveWorks!

We look forward to sharing updates with you right here on our blog as the year continues.

Dhanyabad!

Keeping our Promises – An Overview of NYF Programming During a COVID Surge

Keeping our promises to the children already in our care is of the utmost importance to NYF in ordinary times. But in these extraordinary times, we’re proving our commitment in ways that build trust, enhance lives, and ensure that the NYF community’s #LoveWorks.

As a follow up to Som’s interviews with the BBC on May 6th and May 24th, our US Team spoke to Som, NYF’s president, on Monday evening (May 24th, 2021), to get a broad update on our programs during Nepal’s unprecedented second COVID wave.

Here’s what we learned:

Regular Programs

When the pandemic first hit in March 2020, NYF pivoted quickly – but those first few months in lockdown weren’t easy! (Click here for our COVID timeline.) Like people throughout the world, our staff members and the children we serve had to think creatively to find necessary equipment, develop safety systems, and share information.

Fortunately, after a year of COVID safety measures, this new lockdown in Nepal is easier for our regular programs to navigate. Som says it was very simple for staff members to “switch gears” back into lockdown-mode.

Olgapuri Children’s Village – After a brief safe window of returning to school outside of Olgapuri campus, the village is now in strict lockdown again. Olgapuri (below) continues to be one of the safest places in Nepal during the pandemic. You may read more about Olgapuri in lockdown by clicking here.

Ankur Counseling Center – Our counselors at Ankur are continuing to work hard from their home offices, providing regular mental health care to the children in our care, staff members, and others within the community. They have been providing extra support during the second wave to individuals in our COVID Isolation Center as well. (Click here for more Ankur stories!)

Olgapuri Vocational School – Most of the courses planned for this time period have had to be postponed for the safety of staff and students, but one vocational course is actually ongoing!

This group of 20 Freed Kamlaris at Olgapuri Vocational School was nearly through their mandatory quarantine period when the government shutdown began. Since Olgapuri is a completely locked down campus, the young women and NYF staff all agreed that they were safer here than they would be if they travelled home to the Western Terai. Their vocational training program is proceeding almost as normal.

A second program was recently completed in a very remote, isolated village in northwest Kathmandu Valley. The program was well underway when this second surge began, and because the trainer was already in the village with all of the necessary equipment, and because the village is so remote that locking it down was simple, students and NYF staff agreed that this, too, was a safe option for continuing as usual. The new program graduates will be able to put their vocational skills to work once the economy reopens.

As the situation evolves in Nepal, programs like these will be decided on a case-by-case basis, with special care taken to protect staff members and students alike.

Scholarships & Kinship Care – NYF’s team has stayed in regular touch with scholarship recipients and families receiving Kinship Care stipends to ensure they are safe, well-fed, and continuing their education as best they can.

Schools around Kathmandu Valley are now able to provide online learning. The main disruption being experienced by our students is exam scheduling, which has been out of sync for over a year. Final exams across the country will be postponed until it is safe for groups to gather again. This may extend the length of some students’ studies.

Nutrition – NYF’s regular Nutrition staff – those who run the Nutritional Rehabilitation Home in Kathmandu – are currently working completely on COVID response, including Lito for Life and the COVID Isolation Center.

At NYF, we are so grateful for the hard work and dedication that allows these critical programs to continue. Thank you for helping us keep our promises to the children already in our care!

Emergency Programs

Lito for Life – Lito for Life is ongoing. (Click here to learn about this program.) Due to the current surge, no “super flour” is currently being produced, but our stock of already-prepared and packaged Lito is still being distributed, along with other staples like rice and potatoes. To ensure safety, our team members are not making deliveries door-to-door, but we are providing packages to orphanages, children’s hospitals, long-term care facilities, food banks, and other locations where individuals can access this critical resource.

COVID Isolation Center – Our Kathmandu Valley Nutritional Rehabilitation Home and the adjacent New Life Center are being used as a COVID Isolation Center for individuals who have tested positive for the virus and are asymptomatic or experiencing mild to moderate symptoms. The resource is designed to allow individuals to isolate away from their families, to slow the spread. Our patients are coming mainly from orphanages, college dormitories and hostels, boarding schools, and housing shared by multiple generations and families within a tight space.

Most of our patients are children and youth, but we serve adults as well. Our youngest patient so far was an 8-year-old girl from a local orphanage, who was isolating with us to protect her 50 friends at home. Our oldest patient so far was a 73-year-old man. He has recovered and returned home to his family.

Many individuals who are isolating at home do not recognize when their symptoms have become too dangerous – and by the time they reach the hospital, it is too late to save them. At our COVID Isolation Center, patients are under the observation of trained medical professionals who know when an individual needs care in a hospital setting. The ambulance ride to the hospital is provided free of charge.

This week, our staff members received special training from a local doctor and his team to ensure that these patients stand the best chance possible as they wait for an available hospital bed to be located. Four beds at the COVID Isolation Center are being set aside for a “High-Dependency Unit” or HDU (above). Patients in need of hospital intervention will be moved to this area and held here, under stabilizing, high-level care and using special equipment, until NYF is certain a hospital ICU bed has been found for them.

We are looking forward to sharing more about this work soon!

What Comes Next?

The situation in Nepal is evolving quickly, and NYF is working to develop solutions as part of the broader Nepalese community. Som is working with government health officials in Kathmandu Valley on ways to support families who are isolating at home. We hope to share more about this soon!

Here is some good news: Som tells us that, thanks to awareness of the oxygen shortage in India, hospitals in Nepal have received a generous outpouring of oxygen resources from around the world. More vaccines are on the way. And aid is arriving from multiple governments, as well as from the UN.

Experts are warning that a third COVID wave may be coming for Nepal in October and November – just in time for the beloved family-centered festivals of Dashain and Tihar. With younger people being impacted by this second wave (most COVID deaths in Nepal are between ages 20 and 50), the concern is that children may be next. NYF’s global team is preparing for this, continuing to develop plans and expertise to meet this moment (and the next) with strength and agility. We are so proud of our team members who are continuing to learn new skills as this crisis continues to unfold.

And we are also proud of our team members in Nepal – house parents, nurses, tutors, instructors, cooks, drivers, counselors, administrators, and more – who are working so hard to continue keeping our promises to the children in our care.

Donations

We at NYF are so grateful for every single thoughtful gift we receive, whether for a specific program, a sponsored student, a piece of equipment, or “our greatest need.” Dhanyabad to everyone who has given! Your generosity is a true inspiration.

In times like these, even if COVID has provided the inspiration for your gift, the most effective way to give is to provide unrestricted funding. Unrestricted funding allows us to aim each dollar with the maximum flexibility, allowing the needs on the ground to drive our responses as the situation evolves. Unrestricted funding also allows us to continue keeping our promises to the children in our care by ensuring that each of our programs is fully funded and can continue as best as possible throughout the pandemic – and beyond.

To make your generous gift, please click here. Thank you so much for ensuring your #LoveWorks for the children of Nepal!

Nepal’s COVID “Humanitarian Crisis is Rising Very Fast” – Som Speaks to the BBC

Nepal’s COVID humanitarian crisis is accelerating, with cases surging faster than anywhere in the world. The country has been in lockdown for a month now, and with many individuals passing away at home, the true death toll is difficult to confirm. Comparing the number of confirmed COVID deaths to the number of funeral services highlights this grim disparity.

Today, on May 24^th, 2021, NYF’s President Som Paneru appeared on BBC World News (link below) to describe the situation – and the urgent needs in his country.

Many thanks to BBC World News for helping to share this message. Other news sources, like The Global Herald, are already sharing the story.

NYF is currently using our Kathmandu Nutritional Rehabilitation Home as a COVID Isolation Center for children and adults with COVID-19 who are not sick enough for the hospital. This resource (pictured below), which includes mental health care and dietician-designed meals, allows them to isolate away from their families, helping to protect their loved ones from the virus.

To see what else NYF has been doing in response to Nepal’s COVID humanitarian crisis, click here to view our ongoing timeline.

Please donate now to support our efforts to continue providing Health, Freedom, Shelter, and Education to Nepal’s children during this unprecedented crisis.

You may watch Som’s full interview with BBC World News on the BBC YouTube Channel:

Purposeful Living & Olga Murray: A Celebration and an Invitation

Purposeful living is the focus of a new Washington Post article about our very own founder, Olga Murray (click the link to open the article in a new tab – it is a beautiful tribute by Pulitzer-Prize winner Katherine Ellison!). Our beloved Olga, on the cusp of her 96th birthday, has been an inspiration during the past year of lockdowns and uncertainty.

‘ “I’m not a doctor,” ‘ the article quotes Olga during a recent interview, ‘ “but I do know that when I get out of bed every morning and think that I might help a little kid in Nepal, I’m not focused on my body… My main focus is on the kids.”

In her interview, Olga is characteristically modest. So much of Olga’s work is driven by her belief in others. She believes in those she partners with at NYF, like President Som Paneru. She believes in her friends, her connections – all those generous donors who make her work possible. Most of all, she believes in the children of Nepal, and in the incredible things they can accomplish if given the proper opportunities. (Bishnu Chaudhary, the young woman freed from domestic slavery who recently passed the Nepalese bar exam, is just one example!)

Even with purposeful living fueling her longevity, “I’m not going to be around forever,” Olga says pragmatically. “And the thing I want most in the world is for this program to go on.”

The NYF community is determined to make that wish come true.

If you’d like to learn more (and to see Olga Murray live over Zoom!), click here to register for our upcoming virtual Founder’s Day celebration! Join NYF’s email list here.

To support NYF’s mission during this challenging time – bringing Education, Health, Shelter, and Freedom to Nepali children – please donate here. For more powerful impact, consider making yours a monthly donation!

COVID Isolation Centers Provide a Lifeline as Nepal Battles a Surge

COVID isolation centers are becoming a life-saving necessity for families in Nepal as the pandemic surges through South Asia. Kathmandu is in lockdown once again, with schools closed and hospitals filled beyond capacity.

Nepal Youth Foundation opened our first COVID Isolation Center in our Kathmandu Nutritional Rehabilitation Home on Tuesday, May 4th, and it is already full, mostly with people under the age of 18. Isolation centers provide safe care for individuals who have been infected with COVID-19 and must be isolated from their families, but who are not sick enough to be hospitalized. Our vaccinated staff members are doing all they can to provide high-quality care to these children, working to ensure their safe recovery.

To help us respond to this growing crisis, please make a donation now.

Som Speaks to BBC News

NYF President Som Paneru recently spoke with BBC News about the situation in Nepal. You may listen to the 2-minute interview here, or read the transcription below.

Som: The second wave is causing a great level of distress among the population here. The cases are rising at an alarming rate since the last couple of weeks. People are desperate to find life-saving services like oxygen, hospital beds, ICU, ventilators, etc. So a severe lack of safe isolation places is one of the root causes right now for spreading the virus. Families are living in very congested living conditions, and one family member gets infected and infects the rest. So that’s how it has reached every family and eventually the community. So the situation is very desperate, getting very desperate right now.

BBC News: And what are the hospitals saying in terms of, as you say, the beds. How have they been? Because we’ve been hearing what’s happening in neighboring India. How have people been managing if they haven’t had the oxygen supplies? Has it been the same where they’ve been buying their own cylinders, looking for them to be filled, or has it not yet got to that stage?

Som: We are pretty much going towards the same trail like in India. The families are desperate to secure a cylinder to keep at home. Because there are no places to go in hospitals. Hospitals are turning down new admissions in most of the places. Unless it is a really critical situation. So people are losing lives in the ambulance, traveling from one hospital to another.

BBC News: Can you tell us, please, Som, what your organization has been doing to try and help? What have you been seeing?

Som: Nepal Youth Foundation has recently started an isolation center. A safe isolation place for those people who are infected but are not able to go to hospital, and they cannot stay in the family either. So the isolation center is the first step towards breaking this chain of spreading the virus. So we’ve started one center in Kathmandu, and now there’s a huge demand for opening more centers like this across the country.

Slowing the spread of this virus is critical, and safe isolation centers are an important part of this process in crowded cities like Kathmandu. To learn about NYF’s other COVID responses, please visit our timeline here. And if you are able to donate, please do so by clicking the button below.

You’re invited: Founder’s Day 2021

On June 3rd, Nepal Youth Foundation (NYF) will be hosting another “Virtual Founder’s Day” – a free event open to old and new friends alike.

Day: June 3, 2021
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m. PDT
Location: Zoom!

At this event, we will be honoring Founder Olga Murray’s 96th birthday and President Som Paneru’s 25th year of service and leadership. 

We’ll kick off the event by discussing recent COVID-19 developments in Nepal and talk about how NYF has responded to, and is continuing to respond to, the ongoing global pandemic.  We’ll celebrate how we created educational opportunities for hundreds of village children whose schooling would have otherwise come to a halt.  We’ll also learn, for the first time, more about NYF’s role combating and protecting young girls from child marriage. 

Since our successful virtual Founder’s Day last year, we have learned a thing or two about helping to make online events more enjoyable for more members of our community. For example, we will be working with a live captioner during this year’s event! If you or one of your guests would benefit from an accommodation during our virtual Founder’s Day, please let us know right away by emailing info@nepalyouthfoundation.org or by calling 415-331-8585. We are eager to do what we can to present an accessible, joyous event to as many guests as possible!

Guest Speakers

NYF scholarship alumni Ajeeta Rana and Dr. Kamal Lamicchane will be this year’s guest speakers at Founder’s Day. We are so grateful to have them join us, and hope you’ll tune in too!

Ajeeta Rana is an NYF Scholarship alumna who received a nursing degree from one of the most renowned universities in Nepal. Since then, she has moved to London and has earned three more degrees (B.Sc in health and social care, M.Sc in healthcare leadership, and an MBA in hospital management). She currently lives in London with her husband as she pursues her fourth degree (MSc in Nursing) while she works as a nurse.

Dr. Kamal Lamichhane is currently an associate professor at Tsukuba University in Japan, and he is a NYF Scholarship alumnus and the first person with a visual impairment from Nepal to receive a doctorate degree. His fields of research include disability studies, economics of education, inclusive education, and education policy.

Hosts

We are so honored to have Dr. Jagadamba Pandit and Angela Pal be our hosts at this year’s event! Join us live on June 3rd at 6:30 p.m. PDT to hear Dr. Pandit and Angela speak to Olga, Som, and our guest speakers.

Angela Pal Angela has been in healthcare for over 23 years as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner. She is an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and director of the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program.

Angela was introduced to Nepal Youth Foundation, Olgapuri and the Nutritional Rehabilitation Hospital on her first trip to Nepal in 2018 for a medical mission. Her immediate thoughts were about how happy the children were, and how it seemed like a large family. She was immediately drawn to the openness and empathy of the Nepali children with each other and visitors. She observed firsthand the impact of the foundation on the children of Nepal, and the power of OlgaDidi’s vision and perseverance.

Dr. Jagadamba Pandit currently works at a community mental health center in the United States. After graduating from medical school in Nepal and finishing her residency in psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University, she completed a fellowship in addiction psychiatry. She has spent lots of time raising awareness about mental health issues both in the U.S. and in Nepal through radio programs and videos. She enjoys mentoring medical students and telling stories to children at Olgapuri.

Dr. Pandit came to know of NYF in 2004 through her husband, who was an NYF scholarship recipient in medical school. She then met Olga for the first time on Olga’s 80th birthday, and was extremely impressed with NYF’s mission and work. Since then, Dr. Pandit has been a devoted donor and supporter of NYF!

2021 Host Committee

Special thanks to our 2021 Host Committee members:  Tanya Bodde, Chris Heffelfinger, Andrea McTamaney, Ron Rosano, and Greg and Barbara Rosston.

If you’d like to be on the Founder’s Day 2021 Host Committee, please contact Eric@NepalYouthFoundation.org for more information.

Donor Spotlight: Eric Welty

How Eric, a retired carpenter, continues to generously support NYF

Eric Welty and his wife, Shelley, are long-time NYF supporters. They’ve been giving to NYF annually since 2009.

A couple years ago, we noticed the frequency of his gifts increasing throughout the year. His gifts also started to include notes at the bottom that perplexed us: “built-in desk”, “shelves,” or simply, “work.”

That’s when we learned that Eric, who had recently retired as a carpenter, had started donating his time and payment for labor to support NYF.

We were so touched to hear this, and reached out to Eric to see if we could learn more.

Eric was kind enough to chat with us for a quick interview in February 2021 to talk about how and why he supports NYF in this creative and generous way. Now, in honor of #NationalVolunteerWeek, we’re excited to share this with all of you a part of our wonderful conversation with Eric Welty.

Thank you again for agreeing to chat with us! Let’s start with your NYF story. How long have you known and/or supported NYF, and how did you come to know of us?

I allowed my higher self to guide me to Nepal, first. Nepal had a calling to me – and after reading about Nepal and learning more about Nepal’s needs, I was then led to NYF.

It was quite a few years ago, actually, back when NYF went by a different name.

Oh! That was back when we were named Nepalese Youth Opportunity Fund. Wow, you’ve been with us since the old days.

Right! And I feel so very fortunate to have found NYF.

Could you please elaborate on how you are currently supporting NYF?

My wife and I are both retired. We’re not wealthy, but we have enough. And as a retired carpenter, I’m still very healthy, and I actually still like working. But I wanted to volunteer now. And so I get projects from friends and friends of acquaintances, and then donate all the money that I make.

That’s wonderful. Thank you so much. What’s motivates you to continue these projects?

I’ve learned over the years that to be self-serving and feeding my desires to accumulate more stuff in my life is not very satisfying. I find that it’s far more satisfying to feed my inner peace by giving service to those who need it.

I can also make a fair amount of money here, but that money goes so much further in Nepal.

You’re absolutely right. What has been some of your favorite moments while doing this work?

I don’t know if I have a specific moment – but just knowing that the financial support is going to people who are most vulnerable.

Also, by donating, I know that the love and care that is extended by the staff in Nepal towards the children should help to promote a healthy and more adjusted adult. And in turn, that’ll perpetuate a better cycle going forward.

On a side note, another thing that’s interesting is that when I made a decision to begin this project, it seemed like the universe was helping in a way. The work comes in a timely manner; not all at once [laughter]. That also reassures me that I’m doing something worthwhile.

[Laughter]. Definitely! What a lovely thing to say though, about helping to perpetuate better cycles. That brings us to our next question: Do you have a favorite NYF program?

What struck me originally was the work you were doing to rescue and free girls sold into Kamlari indentured servitude. I found that inspiring. I realized what little money was needed save these girls. How could I not?

And when I would write a check at the end of the year, I would really feel like something was being done.

Our Empowering Freed Kamlari program is a really great one. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but it’s actually coming to an end on our side. The freed girls have started their own nonprofit!

I heard! That’s great.

It really is.

You know, I’ve been watching NYF evolve as time has gone by, and I’m even more encouraged now than I was years ago.

That means a lot, Eric, thank you. Our last question is if you had any advice for other kindhearted folks who want to help out like you.

Run with whatever you find that resonates with you, like it did for me. Trust your inner guide!

Love it! Thank you so much!

We’re so grateful to Eric Welty for this special chat, and of course, for all that he’s doing to support our work. If you are fundraising for NYF or supporting our work in a creative way, and would like to be interviewed for a donor spotlight, let us know! E-mail us at: info@nepalyouthfoundation.org.