Author: Eimi Olson
NYF’s partnership with One Day’s Wages: A successful Vocational Education project!
![NYF’s partnership with One Day’s Wages: A successful Vocational Education project!](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/88212724_2826096234104479_314770478017282048_n-e1650988271669.jpg)
In late 2019, NYF launched a matching campaign with One Day’s Wages to fund 52 students in our Vocational Education & Career Counseling program. Thanks to support from friends like you, we were able to meet our fundraising goal— and we received a generous matching grant from One Day’s Wages to complete this project in 2020.
Though the pandemic caused a delay in starting and completing this vocational education project, we are happy to finally share how successful it ended up being. We are also incredibly grateful for the One Day’s Wages team for being so patient, flexible, and encouraging while working with us on this project as we navigated COVID-19.
The Vocational Education Training Course
This project funded a 12-week training course for 52 students in our Olgapuri Vocational School training program. 31 of these students graduated from the electrical course in Barbardiya Municipality, and 21 from the plumbing course in Bhanu Municipality.
Our original plans were to invite our students from multiple regions in Nepal to Olgapuri Vocational School in Kathmandu. However, NYF had to shift the program to a satellite model due to COVID-19. In this new set-up, our incredible teachers transported their equipment to villages in Barbardiya and Bhanu Municipalities to self-isolate before teaching the twelve-week course to local young adults. These satellite trainings were successful and eagerly received by individual students and communities. As a result, we are working to identify ways to make them a part of our regular programming.
During the training, our students received hands-on instruction and practice (approximately 80% of class time) as well as theoretical material (20% of class time). Theoretical elements included relevant course reading, as well as health, first-aid, and safety training. It also included entrepreneurship development, and life skills components like goal setting and decision making, communication, basic computer use, and job search skills.
In July 2021, our 52 students graduated.
![Alt=””](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Electrical-Bardiya-graduation-2021-scaled.jpeg)
As we come up on one year since the vocational education courses began, we’re thrilled to share the positive impact this project had on its students, their families, and their communities.
Community Impact
Much to the benefit of their communities, the majority of our electrical program graduates have decided to work in their hometowns.
Before this program, electricians and their labor were very expensive. That made electricity unreliable at best (and thus more of a luxury than a real utility), and dangerous at worst (in the event someone decided to attempt repairs on their own, without training). NYF’s electrical graduates discovered quickly that there was plentiful work available for them close to home.
Local construction businesses can now take on new projects with greater confidence, since now they know there are skilled, trusted technicians nearby to accomplish this work. This, plus the affordability of services, has increased the demand for construction projects in the community. This is already resulting in an economy where local money continues to support local businesses. Even as the COVID crisis drags on, the standard of living is on the rise in the areas that have received these training courses.
Community members, too, soon learned that they can now receive prompt, affordable, high-quality electrical services from local young people who share their dialect.
Some of the plumbers and electricians in these two courses have already established their own small businesses. They’ve taken on apprentices from among the local young adults — creating new jobs and new experts.
We’re also proud that local governments and construction companies in nearby areas are requesting more opportunities for vocational education trainings. Even with this increase of new skilled workers, there is still enormous demand for exactly these kinds of experts. Nepal’s infrastructure is developing rapidly, and empowering local young people with the skills they need to provide these services will do tremendous good across the country.
One House, One Tap: Bhanu Municipality
“One House, One Tap” is a country-wide government project that provides municipalities in Nepal with the funds to install running water in each household. This project had been of interest to local officials of Bhanu Municipality for a long time. However, there were not enough skilled plumbers in their region to provide the required labor. Thanks to this campaign, the region now has plenty of new plumbers. This has allowed Bhanu Municipality to finally take advantage of the One House, One Tap project!
We’re thrilled to share that our plumbing graduates are involved in installing running water to 55 households in Yansing Village and 32 households in Chokot. By February 2022, 12 graduates had installed and fitted the main underground pipeline to one of the villages. They also built two entire water reservoirs nearly to completion.
Until this time, Yansing Village in Bhanu Municipality only contained 7 taps total, which had been connected to a small natural spring at the top of a nearby hill (rather than to larger-scale infrastructure, as the new ones are). Individuals—most of whom live about 15 minutes from the nearest tap on foot—fetched water from these public taps on a rotating basis. Since it is so difficult to bring this water home, most families reserved it mostly for cooking and drinking purposes only, with hygiene being neglected.
The arrival of plumbers in this region is having a near-immediate, widespread public health impact. With tap water available in each household, families will be better able to maintain far better personal hygiene. This will help slow the spread of disease and increase their available time and energy for other tasks.
![Alt=””](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/manisha-gurung-and-hema-gurung-installing-overhead-tank-scaled.jpeg)
Individual Impact
Upendra G.
Upendra is a village social worker in Bhanu Municipality. He was enthusiastically involved in bringing the NYF training to the area. During the training period, he provided snacks for the trainees.
Upendra was one of the first people to hire the training graduates. He asked four of them to construct a full bathroom at his home. This included a sink, a toilet, a shower, drainage, and tiles, plus a tap for washing muddy feet.
Upendra’s bathroom is in a standalone building near his fields. It is also attached to a 1,000-liter water tank. His is now one of the best restrooms in the entire village. Soon after completing the construction, Upendra invited the local mayor to view this restroom.
“The mayor was surprised to see such a good toilet in the village,” Upendra said happily. “I shared how thorough and excellent the NYF training is, and how it has helped transform the youth with strong skills. NYF’s training has really been transformative for the entire village.”
Girija G.
Girija is a young NYF plumbing course graduate from Vanu Municipality. He lives with his family of lifelong subsistence farmers. When he married last year, he started searching for an additional livelihood to ensure the growing family could improve their self-sufficiency. He worried he might have to leave the village, or even the country, to find work.
Following the NYF plumbing course, Girija has good-paying work here in his own village and in villages nearby. This means that his family has the benefit of both his income and his presence. He is currently balancing plumbing work with farming to maximize the effectiveness on his family’s farm. This is an enormous gift to his parents, who are aging, and to his wife and their future children. Even working part-time, Girija is bringing in about 20,000 Nepalese rupees per month ($172), which is over 50% more than minimum wage for a full-time job in Nepal.
![Alt=””](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Girija-Gurung-and-Somil-Gurung-earning-1000-rupees-per-day-scaled.jpeg)
Girija’s parents are bursting with pride at their son’s accomplishments. He has become a huge credit to the village and is providing for the family in ways they only dreamed possible—everything a parent in Nepal dreams of. Meanwhile, Girija’s wife is happy about the family’s increased stability, even in this time of uncertainty with the COVID pandemic.
With this money, Girija and his family are excited about future possibilities. A potential full bathroom of their own, for example, which would immediately improve their family’s health. They may use some funds to purchase meat, dairy, or other staples to supplement their home-grown diets. They may upgrade some farming equipment, invest in other housing upgrades, or begin saving for schooling for their future children. This vocational education course has opened future possibilities for them all.
From all of us at NYF, thank you and dhanyabad!
We cannot overstate the continuing economic impacts of this pandemic in Nepal. Now more than ever, the youth of Nepal need viable job readiness training and career investment to allow the country to recover. Your loving support makes such a difference for these young adults and their communities!
Presidential Medal of Freedom: Help Nominate Olga!
![Presidential Medal of Freedom: Help Nominate Olga!](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2014-Olga-marching-with-the-Kamlari-on-Kamlari-Freedom-Day-scaled.jpg)
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor in the United States. It is bestowed by the President on individuals who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
![A smiling Olga Murray is seated as Medal of Freedom recipient Isabel Allende stands behind her, lovingly embracing Olga's shoulders.](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Isabel-and-Olga-10-13-20-254x338.jpg)
Recipients of the award include artists, scientists, inventors, activists, writers, diplomats, pioneering figures, politicians, athletes, journalists, philanthropists, and more – including beloved friend of NYF Isabel Allende!
In early March, Isabel reached out to Congress to tell them about Olga’s incredible work in Nepal and to recommend her for this special honor.
Isabel thinks Olga deserves the Medal as well – and so do we!
National Recognition
Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom are honored as individuals, but the celebration also shines a national spotlight on the work they have done and continue to do.
NYF’s work is unique in so many ways—and our long-term, committed approach could inspire many more organizations doing similar work in other countries. We hope that by bestowing this much-deserved honor on Olga and her work, President Biden will also draw valuable attention to NYF. This will not only allow us to expand our own work more effectively, but will also allow other child-focused organizations around the world to borrow ideas from our transformative community-centered programs.
What You Can Do
There is no official nomination procedure for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and each White House administration handles the process differently. Recipients are selected by the President of the United States, either on the President’s own initiative or based on recommendations.
We are taking a broad approach by letting our senators know about Olga’s incredible story and requesting that they recommend her name to President Joe Biden as a candidate for the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
If you are a US citizen or resident and agree that Olga deserves this prestigious award, please write to your senators to tell them so! If you choose to participate in our campaign to nominate Olga, please let us know so we can notify you of any response we receive.
Instructions to Nominate Olga
We have prepared this template letter to make the process as simple as possible. If you use this letter, submitting this request to your senator should only take a few moments.
If you have more time and would like to craft your own letter, we encourage this as well! Letters from the heart can have a tremendous impact. Please feel free to adjust our template as much or as little as you wish.
Find your senator’s contact information.
(1) Visit https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm to find the contact information for your senators. Once you have selected your state, mailing addresses are available for each senator.
- Senators often prefer to receive correspondence over the web (and receive it more quickly this way). You can find your senators’ preferences by clicking on their photo, which will take you to their official webpage. Clicking “Contact” will bring up details about reaching your senator.
Use our template!
(2) Download our template letter by clicking here.
- If you are planning to mail your letter in hard copy:
- Add your address to the top right corner so your senators know you are one of their constituents. Add the date and your senator’s address. Include your senator’s name to the salutation.
- If desired, make any personal adjustments to the letter.
- Type your name at the bottom of the letter, then print, sign, and send.
- If you will send your letter as an email:
- If your senator’s contact page prompts you to fill out a form, please follow the instructions on the form. You can copy/paste from the letter where appropriate. This form may indicate a word or character limit. If it does, please click here to download a condensed version of our letter.
- If you are prompted to send an email from your personal email account, be sure to add a sentence to the letter indicating that you live in the state that senator represents.
- Type your name at the bottom of the letter, then print, sign, and send.
- Don’t forget to add your name to the bottom of the letter.
We want to thank you!
(3) If you nominate Olga, please let us know once you have sent your letter(s). You may let us know below, or email us at info@nepalyouthfoundation.org or call us at 415-331-8585.
Next Steps
If you would like to write directly to President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris with a recommendation to nominate Olga, you may certainly do so!
Contact information for the White House is available here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/write-or-call/
The White House’s online form has a character limit, so please use our condensed letter as a guide.
If you happen to personally know someone who works in the White House or in a similarly-connected position, they may also be able to provide a recommendation. Please let us know if there is anything our team can do to help you share Olga’s remarkable work with these connections.
NYF’s partnership with Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest
![NYF’s partnership with Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/274223596_1860958104088866_2353508855060171286_n.jpg)
We are so excited to announce that NYF is a nonprofit partner of the documentary film PASANG: IN THE SHADOW OF EVEREST! The film, which is featured in an article on The Wrap, first premiered at the 2022 Santa Barbara International Film Festival on March 3rd, 4th, and 5th.
![](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Vertical-Pasang-Release-Post-w_-all-screenings-NYF-1-270x338.png)
Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest brings to life the untold and inspiring story of Pasang Lhamu Sherpa. She is the first Nepali woman to summit Mt. Everest. In her quest, Pasang awakened her country to the entrenched inequalities confronted and endured by women and in Nepal.
As an uneducated, indigenous woman and a Buddhist in a Hindu kingdom, Pasang’s dream to scale the legendary mountain pit her against family, foreign climbers, her own government, and nature itself. The film follows Pasang as she works tirelessly to pull together the financial and structural support to try for Everest. It additionally reveals the ensuing obstacles and disappointments she had to face and overcome along the way.
As told by the Nepalis who knew her, by some of the world’s most notable alpinists, and by Pasang herself, the film reveals the intransigence of the forces who opposed her, and the great burdens and personal costs she endured to gain her rightful chance to try for Everest.
Many congratulations to director Nancy Svendsen and her film crew for bringing this historic story to life. NYF is so proud be a nonprofit partner! You can view the trailer of this documentary film here.
You can also follow @pasangmovie on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Learn more about NYF’s other partnerships.
Maximize the impact of your 2021 gift!
![Maximize the impact of your 2021 gift!](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Valentines-Day-Amazon.png)
With so many ways to give this holiday season, we at the Nepal Youth Foundation (NYF) are excited to share some of our best tips to make the most out of your generous 2021 gift. Maximize the impact of your support and ensure your #LoveWorks in 2022!
1. Give loved ones the gift of impact.
This holiday season, share the joy of giving with your loved ones by making a donation in their name. Your loved one will receive a special holiday eCard notifying them of this remarkable gift. You can choose between three beautiful eCard designs and include a personal note.
What a meaningful way to share the warmth and love of the season with anyone on your list. Visit https://nyf.news/holiday-ecard to make a holiday gift to NYF today!
![](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Holiday-Cards-2021-Instagram-Post-Twitter-Post-1.png)
2. Extended CARES Act Benefit
In 2021, an individual U.S. taxpayer can deduct up to $300 of charitable giving without itemizing! Similarly, married couples may deduct up to $600. This includes donations made by cash, check, credit card or debit card. However, it does not include securities, household items, or other property.
Click here to learn more..
3. Shop through AmazonSmile!
If you shop on Amazon.com, you’ve likely heard of AmazonSmile — a separate portal from Amazon’s main site. AmazonSmile mostly offers the same prices and items, but the benefit is that when you use AmazonSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of your purchase to a charity of your choice — at no cost to you.
To select Nepal Youth Foundation as your designated charity on AmazonSmile, click here. You should then be able to search and select Nepal Youth Foundation as your choice of charity. After that, your holiday purchases through AmazonSmile can benefit NYF!
You may want to bookmark AmazonSmile on your browser because only items purchased through AmazonSmile are eligible for donations.
![](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Valentines-Day-Amazon-1.png)
4. Qualified Charitable Distribution
If you are over 70.5 years old and have an IRA, Required Minimum Distributions are back this year. Making a Qualified Charitable Distribution directly from your IRA to the nonprofit of your choice is one way to satisfy this legal requirement.
Click here to learn more and be sure to speak with your financial advisor to see if this option is a good fit for you!
5. Get your donations matched by your company!
Many workplaces have corporate giving programs through which they will “double” or “triple” the charitable contributions made by their employees. As a result of these programs, you can easily maximize the impact of your support.
78% of match-eligible donors are unaware that their company offers a matching gift program. If this sounds like you, we recommend asking your employer. Most times, all you have to do is submit a request after you’ve made your gift. Check out this list of the Top 20 Matching Gift Companies to see if your 2021 gift can be matched! Or, see below for companies that already make matching gifts to NYF!
![](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Valentines-Day-Amazon-4.png)
6. Gifts of stock, IRA distributions, and Donor-Advised Fund grants
Gifts of stock, IRA distributions, and Donor Advised Fund grants are most definitely high-impact options for charitable giving. Ask your financial advisor about these tax-savvy options!
Click here for NYF’s stock donation form.
7. Federal employees may give through the Combined Federal Campaign.
If you are a state or government employee and would like to support NYF, please find us using our nonprofit code #84267. Your workplace donation will help make a transformational difference for children in Nepal!
![](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Valentines-Day-Amazon-2.png)
8. Join NYF’s Legacy Circle by including a gift as part of your estate plan.
NYF’s Legacy Circle is a group of donors who planned gifts ensuring secure, long-term funding and loving support for children in Nepal for many years to come. Click here to learn more about how to join, or to expand your membership.
If you have any questions about how to make your 2021 gift, please contact our U.S. Executive Director, Eric, at 415-331-8585. You can also email eric@nepalyouthfoundation.org. NYF’s Federal Tax ID Number is 68-0224596
A letter of gratitude from Olga
![A letter of gratitude from Olga](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/MFW6VrQg-2-scaled.jpeg)
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.
![Six children, all from Olgapuri Children's Village, smile at the camera. They are hugging each other to show care, love, and gratitude.](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/DSC_2249-2-scaled.jpg)
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
AIDS Awareness Month & NYF’s New Life Center
![AIDS Awareness Month & NYF’s New Life Center](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/IMG_9444-e1662047229294.jpg)
AIDS Awareness Month
AIDS Awareness Month occurs each October. This is an opportunity to share science-based, factual, and clear information about the disease—as well as ways members of the public can help those impacted.
Today, over 37 million people live with HIV worldwide. An estimated 50,200 of these people live in Nepal. Some of those infected are children.
The first diagnosis of HIV in Nepal was in 1988. Within that same year, the Nepali government launched its first response—the National AIDS Prevention and Control Program, led by committees based in both the national and local governments and health services.
But since the beginning, community-based organizations have been the strongest groups addressing HIV in the country. These groups work hard to ensure government resources reach the individuals who need them.
Please note: Due to the extreme level of stigma associated with HIV in Nepal, we take special care to preserve the privacy of our New Life Center children and families. We have blurred the faces of individuals throughout this article. The stories shared below are true, though we have changed all names and some identifying details. Children pictured are not the children from these stories.
![](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2.IMG_9451_scrubbed-2-411x338.png)
The New Life Center
NYF first joined the fight against HIV in 2006. We stepped into the network of community organizations to serve a vital role delivering special care to children living with this formidable virus.
NYF established the New Life Center (NLC) to provide specialized, supportive care to Nepali children living with HIV. We restore their bodies to health and make their lives not just longer, but more joyful. The NLC also educates caregivers of these children, teaching hygienic practices, nutrition, and the effective management of HIV. Counselors from Ankur Counseling center provide group and individual therapeutic interventions. After discharge, families unable to access the free medicine provided by the Nepali government benefit from delivery services by NLC staff.
New Life Center staff members include cooks, nurses, a nutritionist, a driver, and more, with hospital-based pediatricians visiting at least once a month during non-pandemic times. (We shared stories about our remarkable New Life Center nurses in 2020. Read more here!)
![AIDS Awareness Month New Life Center Nepal Youth Foundation](https://i1.wp.com/nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DSCN0147.jpg?resize=314%2C338&ssl=1)
(Ragav*, 10, was diagnosed with HIV soon after his mother passed away due to AIDS six years ago. His father brought him to a Kathmandu Hospital for treatment after a series of regular childhood scrapes refused to heal – and was dismayed to discover how sick his son truly was. The two were referred to the New Life Center by the hospital once Ragav’s treatment plan was in place, and during his stay, Ragav regained his strength and energy, lowered his viral load, made friends with other children, and began catching up on his schoolwork.
Treatment at the NLC
Capable of treating up to 18 child-mother pairs on-site at a time, the NLC strives to provide holistic residential care to between 50 and 60 children living with HIV each year (often alongside their mothers, who are often also living with HIV). A few children who have lost their parents and have no other options for guardianship remain in NYF care on a permanent basis. One-week residential services are provided to an additional 20 children during their routine follow-up visits to Kathmandu. Besides medical care at the NLC, patients also receive psychological support provided in partnership with NYF’s Ankur Counseling Center. For discharged patients unable to access antiretroviral medication refills, NLC staff members deliver government-provided medication to remote villages throughout Nepal. In 2019, our team took took 180 such trips via motorbike.
AIDS Awareness Means Knowing the Challenges
People living with HIV/AIDS in Nepal face social isolation, medical neglect, and physical and emotional abandonment. Though the Nepali government offers HIV medication and other treatment programs free of charge, these services are difficult to access for patients in remote villages. Some hospitals still refuse care to affected people. Many children only receive a diagnosis after their fathers, and sometimes both parents, have died of the disease. Tragically, low diagnosis rates have resulted in some mothers unknowingly passing the virus to multiple children.
These children are at extremely high risk. HIV/AIDS is one of the most stigmatized illnesses in Nepal. Schools shut their doors. Non-infected children won’t play with them. And they’re banned from many village activities. As kids living with HIV/AIDS become desperately sick with opportunistic diseases and feel brutally ostracized, their quality of life plummets.
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Problems related specifically to HIV/AIDS in Nepal—in particular where children are concerned—include:
(1) Scarce specialized programs for people living with HIV/AIDS, (2) limited access to available programs and resources, particularly for families in geographically remote villages, (3) cultural stigma and superstition around HIV/AIDS status, (4) low and late diagnosis rates, especially for rural communities, (5) parental death leaving behind orphan children unable to access care, (6) large families prioritizing uninfected children, (7) necessarily-long hospital stays for children receiving care, and (8) endemic malnutrition throughout the country. Pediatric malnutrition, the focus of many of NYF’s programs, is a systemic issue impacting children throughout Nepal. But it poses a special threat to immunocompromised children like those living with HIV/AIDS.
NYF works closely with many other local organizations serving communities living with HIV to respond to these problems as effectively as possible.
AIDS Awareness in a Developing Nation
In developing nations like Nepal, there is often a sharp divide between urban areas (which are beginning to access and enjoy the technological and economic advances available in industrialized nations) and the rural areas (where infrastructure—like roads, running water, electrical connectivity, and internet access—does not yet exist to allow those advances to spread equitably).
Parents and caregivers for children living with HIV/AIDS in remote Nepal face heartbreaking dilemmas. True subsistence farming—an economic model nearly forgotten in the developed world—is still the reality for many throughout Nepal. Subsistence farmers grow food crops not to sell in marketplaces, but to feed themselves and their families throughout the year with little, if any, surplus. Many of Nepal’s subsistence farmers struggle to produce enough food throughout the year.
A family’s level of wealth or poverty is measured in part on how many months of the year they can achieve self-sufficiency.
![AIDS Awareness Month Nepal Youth Foundation New Life Center](https://i0.wp.com/nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DSCN0347.jpg?resize=451%2C338&ssl=1)
All family members must participate in farming as much as possible. Ideally, they would manage to produce more in crop yields than they consume. Failing to do so may result in months of hunger for the entire family. In families wherein a father has passed away, and in which a mother of young children has learned (having become extremely sick herself) that she is now living with HIV/AIDS, the illness itself is only a piece of the greater extended family’s dilemma. This is especially if accurate information about HIV is not available in the community. And if children at infected, the situation is worse.
For many, the choice of whether an adult should travel hundreds of miles to Kathmandu to find hospital care for one of their children—even care that is provided free of charge—is the impossible choice between healthcare for one family member versus food for them all.
Once the trip is made and the diagnosis of HIV/AIDS is confirmed, often not only for the child but for the parent as well, these caregivers must weigh the prognosis as they understand it culturally. They must bear in mind the stigma to come, the impact it will have on the entire family, and the seeming impossibility of stable, long-term medical care for a family living many rugged miles from the nearest provider.
Families who try to manage their child’s illness often struggle, and many fail, in a system without a safety net. This is no one’s fault. The challenge of pediatric HIV, within already-demanding circumstances, is devastating.
Pediatric AIDS Awareness
The children who visit the New Life Center are referred to NYF either through Nepal’s hospital system (when a child arrives terribly sick and their HIV status is discovered) or through local HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations for adults (who are approached by caregivers searching for resources). Because pediatric HIV/AIDS requires specialized care, these groups know to send these children to us. Nepal Youth Foundation is highly trusted within the network of HIV resources in Nepal.
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An average initial stay at the New Life Center lasts for three months. Families served here return fairly regularly for support. Because children’s immune systems are not fully developed, children living with HIV get much sicker than adults. And they do so more often as well.
These children are exposed to all the same illnesses as other children, but even when their HIV is well-managed, their weakened immune systems struggle to fight effectively against common ailments like the flu, the common cold, urinary tract infections, and more.
Tuberculosis and pneumonia are special dangers for Nepalese children living with HIV.
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Getting a child living with HIV safely across the age-15 threshold is a tremendous undertaking. But it is also extremely worthwhile to see these children regain their health, engage with their educational opportunities, and chase their dreams.
For many families, the New Life Center is an absolutely crucial piece of their journey with HIV, and our role in their lives lasts for years.
When each of these children reaches the milestone of their 15th birthday, they are considered adults in HIV-treatment terms. NYF facilitates connections with their local organizations for adults, ensuring seamless, continued support for the duration of their lifetime. These young people are full of promise and opportunity, having learned important skills for maintaining their health. In spite of intense cultural stigma, they also find found confidence in their own worth as human beings
Through extensive awareness campaigns and other interventions, Nepal’s government has made remarkable progress in lowering the rates of mother-to-child HIV transmission. Doctors are diagnosing far fewer cases of pediatric HIV in recent years. Resources for these individuals are easier to access.
Unfortunately, many families are still unable to reach the care available in Nepal. This includes the significant time investment required to visit the New Life Center. This reality has been a challenge the New Life Center has grappled with in recent years, in the hopes of expanding our reach into more remote regions of Nepal. Since early 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, our focus on this challenge has sharpened.
AIDS Awareness During COVID-19
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, we realized that the New Life Center patients would be safer in rural isolation than they would be in Kathmandu, and we sent them to their home villages. Only a few children remained at the NLC—those living completely under NYF’s care.
We focused our efforts on maintaining contact with families over the telephone. Our staff often scheduled times when caregivers could visit a location with a stable phone connection. Caregivers would share information on their child’s health status, and our staff members would provide them with advice and encouragement. This included advice to visit the nearest hospital when necessary, and the financial assistance necessary to do so.
In early 2021, the New Life Center staff organized a massive nutritional relief delivery trip. Our staff used as much care as possible and coordinated with four community-based NGOs working on HIV. We made deliveries in seven different districts across Nepal. Altogether, 167 families of children living with HIV received nutrition relief packages containing rice, legumes, oil, eggs, and other essential food items, plus a special hygiene kit to protect against COVID-19.
As we coordinated this care, our NLC team began to see new solutions to old problems.
Expanding Access with Home-Based Care
In 2021, the New Life Center is beginning a new phase of development, incorporating lessons learned during the pandemic into an expanded program beyond the walls of our dedicated facility.
Residential treatment will remain a valuable piece of the New Life Center’s work. However, using our connections to other grassroots organizations, we are expanding our outreach capabilities.
New elements for the program will include more regular nutritional delivery visits, wrapped into our existing medication deliveries. These visits will now involve check-ups for the children. Our hope is that this will allow NLC staff members to catch warning signs early, making return trips to the New Life Center unnecessary. Home visits will also allow our staff members to make more personalized recommendations to families. These may include advice ranging from thoughts on hygiene best-practices to reasonably-simple garden additions. All should vastly improve family nutritional health.
Mothers in need of income generation help will also become eligible for some of our programs aimed at small business start-ups.
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Ankur Counseling Center’s role in this work will grow.
Previously, counseling services have focused on those currently staying in the New Life Center. Now, counseling will be available to children and caregivers over the telephone. This allows for a stable, sustained counseling experience which will help families cope with day-to-day challenges.
In coordination with our hospital friends and grassroots partners, NYF will expand our AIDS Awareness campaign efforts. Our team will share accurate information about the illness—including information about preventing the spread of HIV—in the hopes of alleviating cultural stigma. We will provide a telephone helpline for those hoping to keep their status private. And we will produce and distribute Nepali-language educational resources for caregivers.
Our hope is that by expanding our reach in this way, we can save and enrich many more lives—and help Nepal continue its progress in addressing this global challenge.
Spread Awareness!
To help us commemorate AIDS Awareness Month at Nepal Youth Foundation, please share our message on your social media, including the hashtags #AIDSAwarenessMonth and #LoveWorks.
Do you know anyone interested in supporting causes like global health or pediatric HIV healthcare? Take a moment this month to reach out and share our story. We would love to connect!
Updates from NYF President Som Paneru
![Updates from NYF President Som Paneru](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/F_JJtKlQ-1-scaled-1.jpeg)
Dear NYF Community,
I hope you are all continuing to stay safe and healthy. Earlier this month, the Nepal government made an announcement to ease COVID-19 restrictions. Among other things, this included the physical re-opening of schools and public spaces. This decision has several impacts on our programs at NYF, and I am delighted to share these new updates with all of you.
COVID-19 Updates & Response Programs
NYF’s COVID Isolation Center at our flagship Nutrition Rehabilitation Home (NRH) ran until September 16, 2021. Since its opening, we’ve admitted and treated more than 240 COVID-positive patients at our facilities. Following this recent government decision to re-open public spaces, NYF suspended isolation center services on September 17th to fully resume our regular NRH programming. We are continuing to produce Lito, our homemade “super” flour, at the NRH and are still distributing them to communities in need via the Lito for Life program. For more updates and information about our COVID-19 response, visit NYF’s COVID Timeline.
Education
Until now, schools and colleges nationwide have been closed. Out of the 643 scholarship students NYF currently supports, 70% have been attending online classes run by their schools and colleges. After this most recent decision, most NYF children will likely be able to return to in-person classes later this fall. Additionally, after a massive COVID-related delay, the long-awaited examinations for grade 12 students finally took place on September 15, 2021. About 40 NYF students took the exam.
Vocational Education & Career Counseling
As you may recall, most of our vocational training programs were put on hold earlier this year. We are happy to announce that NYF has safely resumed some training programs in the electrical, welding, carpentry and plumbing trades. Effective last week, we have 4 vocational training satellite courses currently running. NYF is also preparing to complete 2 more Sustainable Agriculture and Entrepreneurship Trainings (SAAET) by the end of the year.
Nutrition Rehabilitation Homes (NRH) & Nutrition Camps
There are currently 8 children being treated at the NRH for malnourishment. We are expecting an increase in the number of admissions as we resume our regular services and programming. Our NYF nutrition staff is also busy strategizing how to safely conduct our regular nutrition camps this year.
New Life Center (NLC)
Due to travel restrictions brought about by COVID-19, patients had a difficult time traveling to the New Life Center in Kathmandu Valley to receive treatment. In order to increase access to supportive care for children living with HIV/AIDS in rural communities, NYF has redesigned the NLC program.
The aim of this redesign is to bring New Life Center resources to a larger population of children. To do so, we’ve moved beyond the “residential-treatment only” approach to an expanded “outreach and community-based” approach. According to the new plan, the NLC will cater residential services to approximately 20 children, while all the other services will be completed in rural communities via community outreach. These community outreach programs include awareness and advocacy, food and essentials delivery, financial support for caretakers, and tele-counseling services.
While this program will still be run from the NLC office in Kathmandu, we are excited to partner with a number of grassroots organizations — all doing incredible work in the communities we plan to serve.
Olgapuri Children’s Village
First and foremost, all 71 children (and house parents!) at Olgapuri remain safe and healthy. This year, nine students will soon be moving out after graduating high school. We are so proud of each graduate, and look forward to seeing them go on to do incredible things!
Thank you for your support.
Friends, we are deeply grateful for your continued love and support for the children, young adults, and families in our care. Thank you, also, to our staff on the ground in Nepal and for their incredible work. As always, if you have any questions about these updates or would like more information about our programs in general, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@nepalyouthfoundation.org.
With gratitude,
![](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Som-signature-blue-5-17-19.png)
Som Paneru
NYF President
Volunteer Spotlight: Avipsa
![Volunteer Spotlight: Avipsa](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-link-in-bio.png)
In continued celebration of #NationalVolunteerWeek, NYF is excited to share another spotlight to honor one more wonderful volunteer! Today, we’re sharing our Q&A session with Avipsa, a Nepali-American high school student who has been volunteering remotely with the U.S. Office since the beginning of this year.
Let’s start with why you wanted to start volunteering for NYF. What was your calling?
I wanted to start volunteering with NYF because its purpose and values really resonated with me. Even as a Nepali person myself, I never really knew much about specific issues facing Nepali youth. Seeing that NYF dealt with many of these issues and how much it had accomplished, I knew that this was a place where I could truly make a difference and help Nepali youth receive the opportunities they deserved. It was also a way for me to connect to my own heritage and experience volunteering in the nonprofit sector.
Can you share what you are currently doing for NYF?
Currently, I am volunteering to help with social media and website design. I have been helping with the Editorial Calendar, which focuses on social media posts every month. I am also helping to create and build tests for UserTesting to ensure that our website is appealing and accessible. I have done a little bit of outreach as well.
What are you enjoying the most as a volunteer?
As a volunteer, I enjoy the creative freedom I have, as well as, access to multiple opportunities the most. I’ve been given a lot of freedom with themes for social media posts such as #FunFactFriday, which I came up with to educate the online audience more about Nepali culture. Before volunteering with NYF, I never heard about UserTesting and I didn’t know if I would be interested in doing it. NYF allowed me to try something new and it was actually a very informative experience.
What’s something you learned through volunteering for NYF?
By volunteering for NYF, I have learned about the importance of social media in raising awareness and social issues that Nepali youth face. As NYF focuses on social issues such as child servitude, lack of education, nutrition rehabilitation, and more, I learned that just one post can educate so many. Social media is a great way to raise awareness and bring attention to serious topics. It provides an environment to advocate and make a difference in peoples’ lives.
What are some of your goals for the future?
For my future in NYF, I hope to connect with more staff and hopefully, the youth! I also hope to recruit more volunteers as well. Personally, I would like to venture out into researching social issues facing Nepali youth and raising awareness about them. As someone who is very interested in psychology and mental health, my goal is to advocate for destigmatizing mental health and connecting with the Ankur Counseling Center for future research. As I grow further into my career, I hope to work in the field of psychology, psychiatry, or public health.
Any advice for other high school students who want to help make a difference?
My advice for other high school students that want to help make a difference is simple: start somewhere. Whether it is your passion, your niche, or something you recently discovered, the only way to make a difference is through action. The day that I found NYF was the same day I reached out to volunteer. Even though I didn’t know everything about the nonprofit, I knew it was advocating for a cause that I was also passionate about. Starting somewhere can push you to find new opportunities and eventually, reach your goals.
And lastly, can you share something fun about yourself?
When I visited Nepal in 2016, I went to multiple cities and locations. One of my favorite tourist attractions was Devi’s Falls in Pokhara. The waterfall was really extraordinary and mysterious as well. I found it really interesting that also goes through an underground tunnel. When I go back, I definitely want to visit there again!
We’re so deeply grateful to Avipsa for all the hard work she is doing to support our work! Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!
#GivingFeelsGood: Tips for Holiday Giving
![#GivingFeelsGood: Tips for Holiday Giving](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Twitter-GivingFeelsGood-6.png)
Holiday giving feels good! With so many ways to give this holiday season, we at the Nepal Youth Foundation (NYF) are excited to share some of our best tips and tricks to make the most out of your giving. We’ve included shareable graphics and links to more information with each holiday giving tip — so that when you’re ready to donate, giving feels good for you too.
1. The CARES Act
The CARES Act, passed earlier this year in response to COVID-19, allows individual taxpayers to deduct $300 of charitable giving from their taxes without itemizing. This includes donations made by cash, check, credit card or debit card, but does not include securities, household items, or other property. Read more from the IRS here.
![Tips for Holiday Giving - #GivingFeelsGood - staging.nepalyouthfoundation-old.flywheelsites.com](https://nepalyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Twitter-GivingFeelsGood-1.png)
2. Gifts of Stock
Donating long-term and appreciated assets — like gifts of stock, bonds, or mutual funds — is perhaps the most effective way to increase your gift and tax deduction. This is because when you donate these appreciated assets, you’ll receive a tax deduction for the full fair market value of the gift, while avoiding any capital gains taxes. We’ve seen donors increase their tax deduction up to 20%!
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3. Workplace Matching Gifts
Many workplaces have corporate giving programs through which they will “match” the charitable contributions made by their employees. Through these programs, you can easily double or triple the impact of your support.
78% of match-eligible donors are unaware that their company offers a matching gift program. If this sounds like you, we recommend asking your employer — most times, all you have to do is submit a request after you’ve made your gift. Check out this list of the Top 20 Matching Gift Companies!
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4. IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions
If you are over the age of 70.5, you can make a tax-free charitable gift of up to $100,000 per year from your individual retirement account (IRA) —without paying income tax on the transaction!
The CARES Act also relaxed the income-based deduction limit on charitable gifts. Previously, the deduction was limited to 60% of AGI (adjustable gross income). This year, however, the deduction limit is 100% of AGI, which may be particularly beneficial if use your IRA to make larger charitable donations.
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5. Year-End Gift
And lastly, one of the most important tips of this holiday season: To qualify for 2020 tax deductions, gifts have to be made on or before December 31, 2020. Check gifts can arrive after the 31st and still be counted for 2020 deductions as long as they are dated on or before Dec. 31st.
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All of us at NYF wish you a happy holidays and joyful giving!
If you have any questions about any of these, we’ll be happy to help you. Please e-mail info@nepalyouthfoundation.org or call us at 415-331-8585.