Staff Spotlight: Reeta Mahat, Social Worker
Reeta Mahat joined the NYF Nepal team 20 years ago, in 2001—first as a receptionist, and later, beginning in 2010, as a social worker. Since then, she has touched the lives of hundreds of NYF scholarship recipients, many of them calling her Reeta Didi. She is the longest serving social worker on NYF’s staff, and she brings an incredible amount of heart to the work she does each day.
“I currently have an 18 year old girl, Vamil*, in my program who is studying in grade 12,” says Reeta, when asked about her favorite part of working at NYF. “We started supporting her when she was six years old in 2008.”
Vamil’s family had experienced a series of tragedies one after the other—her father died of cancer, and all the money and property had been spent on his treatment; her brother passed away in a tragic accident; and Vamil’s mother developed severe depression.
“Although I was a receptionist at NYF when Vamil came to NYF, I used to meet her often and talk to her. During the Dashain holidays I used to take her with me to her village and drop her off at her home, which was on the way to my own village. I still remember the whole day-long bus rides we had together to go home for Dashain. It is now so heartwarming to see that little child grow into a confident girl. She is doing very well in her studies. After graduating, Vamil wants to study nursing.”
“Vamil’s mother is also doing much better now,” Reeta adds warmly. “Seeing her children doing well in life is helping her cope with her own health conditions.”
Learning about NYF
Shockingly, Reeta Mahat’s work with NYF began almost by chance! Raised in a very traditional Nepali home, Reeta never expected to work after marriage, and she focused her education on learning to be a good mother. But circumstances were different than Reeta had imagined, and in 2001, she was desperate for a decent job that could pay the bills for her family—including three small children. A family friend told her there was an opening at NYF, and Reeta applied.
“The job at NYF was literally a savior for me and my family,” Reeta recalls. “The income allowed me to give a good education to my children and raise my family. And the supportive, family-friendly office environment also helped me to continue despite the difficulties I faced as a working mother. But over the 20 years I have been with NYF, I have grown a lot as a person. Now I want to be able to help people who are going through the most difficult circumstances, like what I went through myself in my earlier years. Support from NYF is changing the lives of thousands of children and their families and I am so happy to be part of this change.”