Category: NYF News
Our U.S. Office is Moving!
Our U.S. team is excited to announce that we’re moving from our Sausalito office to a beautiful space in San Francisco! Here’s our new address, effective immediately:
Nepal Youth Foundation
1016 Lincoln Blvd, Suite 222
San Francisco, CA 94129
Please update your records and discard any old donation envelopes with our old address attached to ensure any mail reaches us successfully! Our phone number will remain the same at 415-331-8585.
The new office, at the Tides Converge, is part of a collaborative workspace owned by a nonprofit and reserved especially for nonprofits. A major perk is lower rent, which will allow us to stretch each thoughtful gift further than ever to support Health, Shelter, Freedom, and Education for the children we serve!
NYF’s U.S. team is looking forward to the day when we leave COVID behind. We’re so excited to welcome partners, donors, friends, and other members of the NYF Family to our new home!
Please email us at info@nepalyouthfoundation.org if you have any questions about our new space.
The Tides Converge is in The Presidio of San Francisco. Click here to see it on Google Maps!
CASHE Presents “Women of Nepal”
“Women of Nepal,” a short film produced through a partnership between multimedia journalist Rajneesh Bhandari, CASHE, and NYF, was released on International Women’s Day—March 8th, 2021. The film showcases the intersection of livelihood and motherhood for two profound women: one woman proudly supported by NYF’s foundational efforts and another working in manufacturing to produce CASHE cashmere.
We are so proud to share “Women of Nepal” with you now!
Cashmere Crafting
Sunita Maharjan, a craftswoman and mother of twins, has an undying passion for textiles and the cultural value Nepali garments carry across borders. This love for her trade is driven by more than skill; her children’s pride in her craft make it something to be done with dignity.
“Many people have the concept that women should do only household chores, but I don’t feel that way,” Sunita noted. “I feel very happy to know that the products we make are exported. Sometimes when I watch fashion shows on television I see people wearing dresses similar to what we make. It makes me very happy as I also make similar dresses.”
We at NYF are so grateful for partners like CASHE, who are truly devoted to elevating the remarkable craftspeople behind the luxury cashmere they bring to the international market. CASHE donates 10% of every purchase to NYF, and wherever possible, they use their press coverage to highlight the valuable work NYF does for Nepalese children.
CASHE was briefly featured in Sage & Sound recently, as well as on the Bri Books Podcast (CASHE/NYF are talked about at the 3:25 minute mark). CASHE is even featured in the April 2021 Issue of British Vogue!
Nutritional Rehabilitation Homes
Sangita Bhusa, a mother of two who has overcome tuberculosis, is forever grateful for the care she received from the Nepal Youth Foundation’s Nutritional Rehabilitation Home. Working since the age of seven, Sangita has overcome many difficulties supporting herself and her children. She returned to work a mere fifteen days after the birth of her first child.
“My mother suggested that it is better to work than to die of hunger. That is how I started working from an early age,” Sangita shared.
Sangita is just one of hundreds who benefit every year from the intensive nutritional care offered at NYF’s Nutritional Rehabilitation Homes (NRHs).
According to UNICEF, malnutrition contributes to over half of all child deaths in Nepal. NYF is working to combat that grim statistic with Nutritional Rehabilitation Homes built to accommodate malnourished patients discharged from nearby hospitals.
Before the development of NRHs, the Nepalese hospital system was not equipped to provide the long-term, holistic care needed to address chronic malnutrition in patients. Malnourished children were treated for acute illness and then discharged—often to continue suffering the long-term complications of malnutrition.
At NRHs, children are provided with holistic medical and nutritional care until they have reached a healthy weight. Meanwhile, their caregivers are trained in preparing delicious, nutrient-rich meals using locally-available, affordable ingredients tailored to their own home regions.
NYF has built a total of 17 Nutritional Rehabilitation Homes, including our flagship in Kathmandu Valley, which will remain under NYF control. The remaining 16 were designed to gradually transition into the government-run health system itself. So far, 15 have successfully made this transition, with the last, on track to transition in 2022. Training for NRH staff members takes place at the Kathmandu Valley flagship, which is well-known in the region as a valuable educational asset for anyone specializing in childhood nutrition.
Dhanyabad, CASHE!
We are so grateful to CASHE for highlighting our valuable nutrition programming in “Women of Nepal”! To learn more about our partnership with CASHE, please read our partnership announcement here and our spotlight on Nepalese cashmere here.
You may also visit CASHE’s online shop here.
To support the cautious reopening of NYF’s important nutritional programming, including our Nutritional Rehabilitation Home in Kathmandu Valley, please consider making a thoughtful gift today! Make sure your #LoveWorks for the women of Nepal… and their children, too!
Female Lawyers – A New Milestone for the Freed Kamlari Community
Female lawyers hold a special place in my heart—especially those embarking on this challenging career in a time and place in which women are not always welcome.
For those who do not know me, welcome! I am Olga Murray, the founder of Nepal Youth Foundation. Since the mid-1980s, I have dedicated my life to helping the children of Nepal to achieve their dreams. The work is an incomparable joy! Many of these kids’ successes have absolutely astonished me.
I have recently learned from Som that Bishnu Chaudhary has passed the bar exam in Nepal. This makes her the first Freed Kamlari to become a lawyer.
Kitchen Slavery
Bishnu’s father sold her into kamlari bondage when she was ten years old. Initially, he needed her wages to pay off a debt of under $40 (at the current rate of exchange), and later to assure that he could continue to work as a farmer for her employer. If she had stopped working, her family would have been left with no land to farm—and no way to feed themselves.
As a kamlari servant, Bishnu was denied an education and was instead forced to spend her childhood working long hours doing laundry, dishes, housework, and other tasks assigned by her family’s landlord. It was hard, demeaning work in an unforgiving environment. This was no place for a child.
(You can learn more about the kamlari practice, and NYF’s response, here.)
Rescue & Education
NYF rescued Bishnu from kamlari bondage in 2004, as our Indentured Daughters program (later the Empowering Freed Kamlari program) began to take root in the impacted Tharu communities.
She wanted desperately to go to school, and though her father at first refused, the teachers at the local school convinced him to allow her to enroll. Bishnu proved to be an outstanding student throughout her school years, taking as many opportunities for growth and development as she could. NYF has proudly supported her education from the beginning. Bishnu was admitted to law school in Kathmandu and graduated last year (pictured above).
Social Activism
During her student years, Bishnu was an outspoken and passionate leader in opposing the practice of kamlari, leading rescue operations of indentured children and convincing parents not to send their daughters away. She even risked being expelled from school because she insisted on liberating kamlari who were working for her own headmaster and teachers. Now that’s courage!
At Maghe Sankranti 2020, before the pandemic, Bishnu’s local government presented her with an award for the work she has done for her community (pictured left). I am gratified to see the ways these women, once mistreated and made to feel worthless, are being recognized and honored for their remarkable achievements.
Bishnu has continued in her activism, providing counseling and advice for former kamlari. Her aim is to advocate for girls and women in all aspects of the law – a tall order in Nepal, where paternalism reigns supreme.
A New Milestone
Female lawyers are a new phenomenon for Bishnu’s ethnic minority community, the Tharu. But Bishnu is just the first in the pipeline.
Up next is Urmila (left), the leader and heroine of the anti-kamlari movement, who was indentured at the age of six and did not begin school until she was 18, against the advice of almost everybody. Urmila is in her second year of law school and intends to work in the area of human rights, particularly women’s rights, after graduation.
How exciting to know Tharu women will have powerful female lawyers representing them in Nepal, and showing young girls what women can accomplish!
International Women’s Day 2021
I identify with these young women because, although I have never been sold into indentured servitude, I know the difficulty of embarking on a career in which women were not always welcome. I graduated from law school 66 years ago (gulp!), becoming a female lawyer at a time when there were few women in the profession, and the prospect of looking for a job was terrifying.
I was honored to spend my career in the company of those working to advance the rights of minorities in the United States. Below, I stand with my colleagues as a research attorney for California Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk.
International Women’s Day, now held on March 8th, has been celebrated since 1911, when it was organized in Europe. Women then were campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, hold public office, and end discrimination. Other early causes involved labor legislation about safety standards and child labor, combatting violence against women, and agitation for peace.
Now, this day is an opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about women’s equality, and lobby for change.
The International Women’s Day theme in 2021 is “Choose to Challenge”—something the NYF Family has been doing for over 30 years, and something the Freed Kamlaris have done with gusto.
The work isn’t finished—but change is coming, one milestone at a time.
Today, for the Freed Kamlari communities, Bishnu, Urmila, and other daring women are choosing to challenge the status quo in their countries. I have full confidence that both Bishnu and Urmila will succeed in their goal to improve the status of women in Nepal because of their determination, their smarts, and the lessons they learned in their struggles to overcome injustice.
Mayama: CASHE’s Valentine’s Day Collection Shows #LoveWorks
Mayama is Nepali for “In Love.” CASHE’s founders, couple Giulia Giancola and Vlad Litinetsky, have built their luxury cashmere brand on love, empathy, and appreciation. CASHE introduced their partnership with NYF here, and their brand’s commitment to Fair Trade, gender equality, ethical working environments, empowered entrepreneurship for traditional Nepalese craftspeople, and cultural respect make them a joy to work with.
CASHE donates 10% of all their proceeds to NYF, and they’re generously using their brand’s media attention to boost NYF’s visibility. CASHE thoughtfully spotlighted NYF in this recent appearance in British Vogue, as well as in People’s Valentine’s list.
Mayama: the Collection
Now CASHE is offering a beautiful new Valentine’s Day collection called “Mayama”. These lovingly-designed His&Hers robes capture the timeless spirit of romance. Each purchase supports Nepalese farmers and artisans whose families have worked with cashmere for generations.
Explore Mayama here, and check out CASHE’s other luxurious collections. On the CASHE website, you can also learn about the ways philanthropy inspires and guides their brand.
Mayama indeed! We’re definitely feeling the love at NYF. Giulia and Vlad’s love for Nepal’s people and traditions fills us with joy.
Tradition
In a recent Forbes spot, CASHE briefly highlighted the intricate process behind cashmere’s unmatched comfort.
Giulia and Vlad fell in love with Nepal and its craftspeople on an adventure trip in December 2019, when they discovered the deep well of culture behind Kathmandu’s rich cashmere industry. They marveled at the quality of the handcrafted products available, examining scarves, blankets, and more to admire the differing techniques used by each vender.
Their tour guide and friend, Bipin, was delighted to share stories of cashmere’s history as they traveled between attractions.
Many people are surprised to learn that even now, 100% cashmere is crafted by hand. From the beginning, as Himalayan farmers hand-brush their cashmere goats to collect the precious raw fibers in the springtime, the process is so delicate and precise that no machine can do it. (And inventors have tried!)
The fibers are hand-sorted to isolate the special, soft, warm undercoat from the goats’ coarser outer hairs. Each goat only produces a small amount of this wool each year—not even enough for a single scarf. Nepalese families who have worked with cashmere for generations then wash, dye, and dry the wool before spinning it into thread or yarn—again, by hand.
Machines can’t accomplish the spinning because individual raw cashmere fibers are so short. Only well-practiced human fingers can ensure the spinning produces long, smooth, consistent, unbroken threads. This work is painstaking, and there are no shortcuts. The Nepalese artisans behind this work have devoted years of their lives to developing this skill.
Smoother than silk, finer than lambswool, warmer than alpaca; simultaneously durable, biodegradable, renewable, and sustainable—cashmere has been a global fixture of luxury fashion and comfort for centuries.
But so often, the history of cashmere as a textile erases the role of the traditional Himalayan artisans and craftspeople who developed this remarkable product in the first place.
CASHE wants to highlight and elevate these remarkable artists—and to ensure that Nepalese craftspeople are treated fairly in the global market.
“We want our standards as customers to translate into the manufacturing of CASHE,” Giulia says.
“There’s something so special about knowing how and where your clothes are made, and the cross-generational value that cashmere has in Nepal.”
Vlad adds, “There is a great deal of pride in the local craftsmen and women that ensures genuine quality. CASHE is more than ready-to-wear; it’s a tool for us to educate our consumers on the craft and its connection to Nepal.”
#LoveWorks
Vlad and Giulia’s love for Nepal extends far beyond cashmere.
“After spending time in Nepal and getting to know the beautiful culture, its people and their stories, we were motivated to give back and honor the values that brought our ideas to life. Now more than ever, it’s crucial that philanthropy is part of our brand DNA,” Vlad says.
That’s why 10% of all CASHE proceeds are donated to NYF—helping ensure Freedom, Shelter, Health, and Education for Nepalese children and young adults.
As CASHE and NYF take on 2021 together, we can expect extraordinary momentum around philanthropy, sustainability, and most importantly, education. Giulia is looking to disrupt philanthropic entrepreneurship and female leadership, bringing new meaning to worldly fashion. The Mayama Valentine’s Day collection is only a small a piece of that process—but one CASHE is proud to share, spreading love and kindness across the globe.
CASHE is making sure their #LoveWorks by keeping philanthropy and ethical entrepreneurship front and center as their brand grows. And NYF is so proud of the partnership we’re building!
As CASHE prepares to launch a new collection in March (promising striking new styles inspired by the natural wonders of Nepal!), we at NYF want to encourage attention to CASHE and brands like them. There are so many ways to ensure your #LoveWorks!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Luxury Cashmere Brand CASHE Announces Partnership with NYF!
Luxury cashmere is a point of national pride in Nepal. Each artisan’s traditional craftsmanship is unique—the result of generations of dedication. This strikingly beautiful textile—thinner, warmer, and softer than traditional sheep’s wool—has captivated the world for centuries.
Namasté, NYF friends! We’re Giulia Giancola and Vlad Litinetsky, co-founders of CASHE. Designed in Los Angeles and handcrafted in Nepal, CASHE is an ode to the spiritual and skilled craftsmen and women we met on a trip to Nepal’s Durbar Square in December 2019. The moment we began sifting through handmade cashmere sweaters, blankets, and scarves, we decided to bring the high-end knitwear home to launch a mindful brand of our own. Our mission is to connect citizens of the world to fine Nepali cashmere.
We’re so proud to be announcing our partnership with NYF! Philanthropy is tightly woven into CASHE’s direct-to-consumer business model, introducing a unique and natural connection between Nepal and consumers worldwide. 10% of all our proceeds are donated to NYF.
When we launched CASHE in early 2020, we chose to build on the foundations of sustainability, philanthropy, and craftsmanship. We aspire to create an impactful connection between ourselves, our customers, and Nepal by sourcing and partnering with local craftspeople across Kathmandu who devote their lives to the art of bringing forth the world’s finest cashmere. You can read more about our story and our ideals here.
Luxury cashmere is much more than a product—it’s a cultural tradition guided by generations of human ingenuity. We’re still collaborating with our tour guide and friend, Bipin, who noticed our fascination with authentically-crafted cashmere and guided us deeper into this timeless world.
As we explored Nepal, from the Kathmandu shops where cashmere crafts are sold, to the Dhulikhel highlands where cashmere goats live out their lives, our adventure trip evolved into a brand.
The views in Dhulikhel are unlike any in the world. Cashmere goats and their human caretakers have enjoyed these views for generations, warmed in the cold winter by the unique wool prized across the world.
Each story Bipin told, and each vender we met, deepened our connection to the people driving the cashmere industry in Nepal. CASHE takes pride in ethical sourcing and offering cruelty-free collections of undeniably premier, sustainable and delicate luxury cashmere styles. We are committed to Fair Trade: fair wages and equal pay for equal work to women and men, safe and empowering work conditions, environmental stewardship, and respecting cultural identity.
In 2019 Kathmandu, the past and present intermingle. Hidden within each shop are treasures generations in the making.)
CASHE is grateful for the opportunity to support the communities who fight so hard for their traditions and trades.
And we want to do more.
CASHE and NYF are currently collaborating on a variety of creative and educational projects in support of Nepalese women and children. In partnership with NYF, CASHE is producing a short, powerful docu-film capturing the life stories of two Nepali women and their experiences balancing motherhood and work. These stories—of one woman proudly supporting NYF’s foundational efforts and another working in manufacturing producing CASHE cashmere—weave together to illuminate the beauty of Nepal’s culture, traditions, and the undeniable strength of Nepalese women.
This project is slated to roll out on International Women’s Day 2021. CASHE is in talks with a variety of digital distribution partners for media exposure.
CASHE has been featured in a variety of publications in the last few months, including a coveted highlight in the latest British Vogue!
Luxury cashmere from CASHE was also included in holiday gift features in People, PopSugar, W Magazine, Town & Country, Byrdie, and Brit + Co. Giulia’s work at CASHE was featured on Guest of a Guest.
Wherever possible, we highlight our partnership with NYF.
Luxury cashmere is only the beginning—and CASHE has been an incredible, gratifying journey so far. Check back soon for more information on our Valentine’s Day celebrations!
Thank you for being on this journey with us!
-Giulia & Vlad
Vaccines for COVID-19 Arrive in Nepal!
Nepal has successfully secured COVID vaccines through donations from neighboring countries! We’re excited to share that they have started administering the vaccines to high-risk groups and essential service providers.
All NYF staff members at the Nutritional Rehabilitation Home and the New Life center have received the vaccine, and the staff at Olgapuri Children’s Village are in the process of receiving it.
In early February 2021, our Nutritional Rehabilitation Home staff members display their newCOVID vaccine cards.
We will continue the Lito for Life program until this nutritional support is no longer needed in hard-hit communities. But except for Olgapuri Vocational School (which will require extra safety measures), all of our programs have cautiously resumed operations!
Thank you to the NYF community for making all of this possible, and for supporting our work during these difficult times. Dhanyabad!
Maghe Sankranti, NYF and Freed Kamlaris Celebrate 20-Year Journey
Maghe Sankranti 2021
(Above, Jamuna Tharu, a Freed Kamlari and social motivator, prepares to celebrate Maghe Sankranti in 2009.)
Maghe Sankranti – The Tharu people in Nepal’s Terai region celebrate their New Year on Maghe Sankranti, which falls in mid-January. In 2021, that day was January 14th. Happy New Year!
For generations, this auspicious day had a grim meaning for young Tharu girls. Maghe Sankranti was the day the year’s debts came due. On this day, many families settled their debts in the only way available to them: by bonding their young daughters for a year of indentured servitude in the homes of strangers in Nepal’s urban areas. For these girls, some as young as five or six years old, “Happy New Year” meant goodbye to the safety of home—and a frightening journey to a life of kitchen slavery, dehumanization, and abuse. Bonded girls were known as kamlari.
But now, the girls freed from this practice are grown up and ensuring freedom and justice for their sisters. As the Freed Kamlari celebrate Maghe Sankranti this year, they are celebrating hard-won victories built over the past 20 years—including the certainty that the daughters of their minority ethnic group will never again be bonded away.
NYF began fighting the kamlari practice in 2000, with Som Paneru, Olga Murray, and Man Bahadur Chettri leading the way in developing long-term, targeted programming designed to free, heal, educate, and empower the individual girls and to challenge Nepal’s government to eradicate the practice once and for all.
Nepal’s government made the kamlari practice illegal in 2013.
In 2020, we published a three-part series celebrating the Empowering Freed Kamlari program’s transition to Tharu control, the rising leaders of the Kamlari Movement, and the ways the Freed Kamlari Development Forum is providing community support during COVID-19.
Today, NYF is proud to share another resource with the NYF Family: an in-depth study on the impact of our 20-year efforts to empower young women impacted by the kamlari practice.
Click here to download the full independent study!
This study was conducted by an independent group of field researchers in 2019. They interviewed a sample of the women freed from the kamlari practice through NYF’s efforts, focusing their questions on topics linked to NYF’s mission: health, shelter, education, and freedom/empowerment.
During the 20-year Empowering Freed Kamlari program, NYF rescued 12,932 girls from domestic bondage. At NYF, we try to focus on individual stories as much as possible. But what about the other thousands of individuals served? If you’re interested in statistics about the broader impacts of our work, please read on!
We’re proud to report that the findings were incredibly positive! In almost all cases, the Freed Kamlaris and their families were not only doing better than they had before NYF intervened—they were doing better than national averages!
Here are just a few highlights:
Health
Other than offering mental health services through Ankur Counseling Center, the Empowering Freed Kamlaris program was not focused on health or health services. But researchers were surprised to discover the ripple effects of NYF’s focus on education.
Women impacted by the Empowering Freed Kamlaris program report much higher than average access to health education and resources for themselves and their families. For example…
Freed Kamlaris are having fewer children than their mothers did—an average of 1.5, which is lower than the national average. They report using family planning methods to ensure their families don’t grow larger than they can support.
Of the Freed Kamlaris with children, 88.7% delivered their last child in a healthcare facility, 97.2% had at least one prenatal checkup, and 82.4% had four or more prenatal checkups. A whopping 93.4% had had all of their children fully immunized as recommended for their age. All of them had had their children at least partially immunized.
(Above, a 20-year-old married Freed Kamlari shows off her one-year-old son during her interview.)
Shelter
Extreme poverty was the main reason families reported for bonding their girls into the kamlari practice. NYF worked to ensure better economic resources for the girls we served, but home-building was not part of our programming.
Yet now, over 80% of Freed Kamlaris and their families live in homes constructed at least in part with “improved” materials. This includes at least one (and often a combination) of materials like galvanized sheet roofing (instead of thatch), cement or stone flooring (instead of earth), and brick or cement walls (instead of mud or bamboo).
Additionally, 90% of these families have access to sanitation facilities (plumbing) within their homes. Of the 9.5% using outhouses instead, many reported that this was intentional. Such facilities inside the home can be considered “polluting” for religious and cultural reasons, and many of the Freed Kamlaris rescued in early years reported that being forced to clean modern toilets was among their most demeaning experiences as kamlari.
When asked about their household’s main source of energy for lighting, 91.3% used electricity—a high proportion, indicating relative affluence. But 6.5% of the Freed Kamlaris surprised the researchers by reporting their use of solar panels! Off-the-grid energy sources were so unexpected, they had to be added to the list of options on field researcher questionnaires.
Improved housing is one of many ways these empowered women have leveraged their education and economic power to better their own lives.
Education
Education was a primary focus of NYF’s Empowering Freed Kamlari efforts from the very beginning. The earliest girls rescued returned home because NYF promised their families a piglet or goat in exchange for their daughters’ freedom to live at home and attend school.
The response was so strong that classrooms in the Terai region of Nepal were soon overwhelmed with too many students. Some in local government complained that NYF was causing problems for the school system! NYF responded by building 61 additional classrooms between 2004 and 2014 as well as ensuring schools had access to sufficient trained teachers, toilets, drinking water tanks, and furniture.
(Above, a group of newly-freed Tharu girls prepare to enter school in 2003.)
NYF also established and ran “catch up” classes to help young girls deprived of early education during their kamlari years. These courses ensured students could succeed alongside classmates close to their own age, instead of forcing teenagers to attend school with kindergarteners.
Now, Nepal’s national literacy rate stands at 67%. Among Freed Kamlaris, literacy is at 97%.
The average Nepalese adult today has completed 4.9 years of education. Among Freed Kamlaris, the average is 8 years—and rising, as 22.4% of Freed Kamlaris are still in school! About 30% of these women have completed grade 10 (the rough equivalent of finishing high school in the US).
Nearly two-thirds of the parents of Freed Kamlaris—61%!—had begun sending their sons to school once they saw their daughters going.
About one in three Freed Kamlaris have completed a vocational training course or received technical education in a field like engineering, computer technology, health care, dressmaking, poultry farming, or screen printing.
Around 4,000 Freed Kamlaris have received additional training through NYF in community leadership, cooperative management, organizational development, and entrepreneurship.
Just under 90% of Freed Kamlaris named educational opportunity as a way their rescue had improved their lives.
(Above, a Freed Kamlari, in pink, tells a field researcher about life since her rescue. All of the field researchers were women fluent in the Tharu language.)
Freedom
In many cases, freedom comes from education and economic empowerment.
Family members of the Freed Kamlaris reported that 92.3% of these women are currently contributing to household expenses (and remember, this includes the 22.4% who are attending school!). A similar number—91.1%—said that their family’s economic condition had improved in the last 10 years.
These families say the economic improvement came from their newfound ability to buy their own farmland or rent a larger area of sharecropped land, from the ability to start small businesses, or because of the employment of a family member.
About 29% of Freed Kamlaris are either employed or own a nontraditional business, including nontraditional crops like henna and mushrooms. This may seem like a low number, but the Tharu people are primarily a culture of farmers—so 29% is an enormous uptick!
Those Freed Kamlaris who have chosen to continue following the agricultural path are reporting huge advances as well. A full 75.1% of their families grow enough food to make their families entirely or almost entirely self-sufficient year-round through farming alone—an enormous blessing in tough economic times like the world is experiencing now.
(Above, a young Tharu girl grins at the camera. Taken during the early years of NYF’s involvement with the Tharu people, this photo captures a moment very soon after this child’s return from her time as a kamlari.)
But freedom is also an internal experience—confidence in oneself and the ability to make decisions.
Researchers asked Freed Kamlaris whether they were allowed to make decisions in important areas of their lives: what age to marry, who to marry, whether or not to attend school, subjects to study in school, what career or job to pursue, and how to spend one’s earnings.
The area of least empowerment was what age to marry—90% of Freed Kamlaris were empowered to choose when to marry. (A main focus for the Freed Kamlari Development Forum is combatting early marriage in the region.)
When asked about subjects to study in school, 100% of these remarkable women reported they were empowered to make their own choices.
Freed Kamlaris were also found to have a high level of self-confidence that surprised the Nepalese researchers. These women were much more confident in themselves and their futures than the average Nepalese adult! The researchers also noted that this high confidence went hand-in-hand with grounded, realistic thinking.
A full 84.5% of Freed Kamlaris believed that their lives would improve over the next 5 years—and none believed they would be worse off.
Over 2/3 believed they would be able to take better care of their families in 5 years, and 54.7% saw themselves becoming more self-confident during the same time.
Ten percent of Freed Kamlaris hold leadership positions in community groups, and 21.5% are involved in social activism focused on the kamlari movement, ending violence against women, and ending early child marriage.
At NYF, we have so much to celebrate this Maghe Sankranti!
Thank you to every NYF donor for each thoughtful gift you have invested into these women and girls over the past 20 years. Your love—offered in the form of piglets, scholarships, start-up funds, vocational training, word-of-mouth, and so much more—have built opportunities and strength for a generation of young women. Dhanyabad! We are so grateful for your belief in these girls.
Now, 20 years after Som and Olga learned of the kamlari practice in Western Nepal, the journey continues for these incredible women as they step forward with new independence. The program’s valuable work is being carried forward with strength by the Freed Kamlari Development Forum—a Terai-based nonprofit led by the Freed Kamlaris themselves.
At NYF, we’re excited to step forward as well, putting 20 years of expertise to good use helping empower women and girls through new and continuing programming! We’re using the lessons learned over 20 years to continue serving communities of children throughout Nepal, ensuring their access to Health, Freedom, Shelter, and Education.
A freed girl grins in a bright moment during a 2009 celebration of the Freed Kamlari movement’s progress. Nepal would not make the practice illegal until 2013, but this girl knew the future was bright and change was on the horizon.
#GivingFeelsGood: Tips for Holiday Giving
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.
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%!
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!
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.
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.
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.
Nepali Tea Traders is Partnering with NYF for the 2020 Holidays!
Namasté, NYF Friends!
By Nepali Tea Traders (NTT), co-owners Sunita and Rabin Joshi
Nepali Tea Traders, a Boston Massachusetts based and woman-led business was the first company in the United States to offer premium teas exclusively from small farms Nepal’s Ilam region. Our natural, organic teas grow at ideal altitudes between 4,000 and 8,000 feet—and it shows. Four of our teas have earned North American Tea Championship honors. In 2015, our Himalayan Golden was named the world’s best black tea.
At Nepali Tea Traders, our mission is to help build a sustainable tea economy in Nepal, providing Nepal’s tea farmers fair prices and their fair share of the profit. You can learn more about our story and Nepal’s fascinating tea industry in this spotlight from the New York Times.
Our company focuses on addressing the root cause of Nepal’s need for aid. In the meantime, we’re proud to also support intentional, loving nonprofits like NYF.
That’s why this December, Nepali Tea Traders is donating funds to Nepal Youth Foundation to provide children with better access to shelter, healthcare, and education.
NTT has supported NYF for years. Now, we’re renewing our commitment, knowing that support can be particularly meaningful given the challenges of COVID-19. Along with offering a $1 donation for each purchase of tea made this month, NTT is offering a gift of tea that also includes a $25 donation to NYF (A Gift of Tea Plus Donation to Nepal Youth Foundation). What a great way to give a generous gift to Nepal while providing a unique and healthy present to a family member, friend, or work colleague.
NTT Operates on a Principle of “Trade, Not Aid”
Companies and nonprofits work hard—and with great intentions—to alleviate the challenges Nepal faces. For the longer term, NTT works to ensure sustainable income for the farmers producing the world’s finest teas. Building a sustainable tea economy improves lives in Nepal.
After the 2015 earthquakes, we wanted to help build long-term solutions for the thousands of Nepalis impacted. Both of us are originally from Nepal, so we wanted to do something for our beloved country as it reeled from the devastation. But Nepal needed more than charity to rebuild and make long-lasting change to systemic problems.
It became clear that we needed to use our business experience to give back to our homeland.
We found the perfect way to do just that when we discovered Nepali Tea Traders.
By sourcing premium teas directly from small farms in the mountains of Nepal, we ensure that all farmers receive a fair price for their teas and get their fair share of the profits, which they can reinvest back into their farms.
NTT also helps educate farmers about sustainable farming practices. This ensures that their farms and crops continue to thrive, providing a livable income for years to come. (Fun fact: tea bushes can live up to 2,000 years, making it a perfect sustainable crop!)
We knew that NTT was the perfect place to blend our entrepreneurial spirit and our vision of giving back to Nepal—so, in 2017, we became the first Nepali co-owners of Nepali Tea Traders.
Steeped in a Shared Mission
NTT’s focus on “trade, not aid” and the associated benefits complements NYF’s mission of providing healthcare, education, and shelter to the country’s youth.
Like NYF, Nepali Tea Traders believes in family compensation that enables children to attend school rather than work in the fields. This is especially relevant to women, since only 15% of Nepali girls complete secondary education.
We believe in the power of economic empowerment for families and communities. The best solutions are those that allow individuals to build their own futures and chase their own dreams.
It’s no wonder that our organizations have partnered, working to empower girls and provide opportunities for lifelong betterment. In fact, NTT just recently invested a portion of its profits to send Nepali girls to school.
Support both NYF and NTT – 2 Gifts in One
For the month of December 2020, Nepali Tea Traders is donating $1 to NYF from each purchase. If you’d like to give a gift of tea, while directly supporting NYF, you can click here: A Gift of Tea Plus Donation to Nepal Youth Foundation
