The Asha Project

Nepal 2018 – Humanitarian Mission & Cultural Exchange – Rotary club of Branchburg, RVCC Rotaract club and the Asha Project.

Ryan Galdamez

First of all I want to say Thank you to everyone who hosted us. You guys did an amazing job of making us feel at home. I truly enjoyed my time in Nepal and I will absolutely take my family there one day.
The Rotaract Club of New Road Pokhara members were awesome they did a great job of showing us the beautiful city of Pokhara. I was able to get very close to them because they were so loving and caring. One thing I learned from them was that they are very willing to help no matter in what way. For example they all were very aware of us and took care of us in whichever way they could. In Pokhara we did a lot; for example, the first two days we went to the 9th Rotaract Conference which was full of very talented young adults who are very willing to help the community. The next few days we went sightseeing, painting and delivered school supplies to a few schools. I remember giving the students the school supplies and the smile that came to their face really made me happy in the inside. I remember a quote I heard in Parbat by Antim Gurung and it stated, “You could go to a movie and have 3 hours of joy, but helping others is a happiness that will last a lifetime” and I truly believed those words. I also remember Hiking to the top of hill and seeing a big Buddha statue and then going up the stairs and seeing the whole city of Pokhara and my breath being taken away by the beauty of what I was seeing. Pokhara had so much to offer from a Five Star hotel to camping. The people that hosted us really did a great job of showing us what the city Pokhara really has to offer.

The last two days we stayed In Kathmandu with the Rotaract club of Rudramati. They also hosted us very good. I remember when we got there they took us to eat at a place where they order MoMo’s for us and they tasted very good and also sausage which was very good as well. They also took us to the Asha Project of the constructions of apartments and the painting of a park where many people go to hangout and have fun. I also remember eating where the construction site was and just seeing all the people there helping and doing a small part to help a city devastated by an earthquake two years ago. I also remember going to two schools and giving them schools supplies and they both received them with open arms. Kathmandu really showed me how close people get when there is devastation and no matter how bad the situation is life still goes on.

I learned a lot about myself in this trip because I was able to step out of my comfort zone and really engage with people I have never met before. But this trip really helped me come out of my shell and now I feel like I can take on any task put in front of me. Our friends from Kathmandu and Pokhara did such a great job of showing us Nepal that I feel like if I would have gone a lone and had done everything by myself I would have not experienced Nepal as I did with everyone that hosted us. This trip really made me appreciate what I have in my Country and because of this trip I was able to open my eyes to see what is really happening around the world. Now I have more motivation to help out our community and communities around the world because I know there is a lot of work to be done in order to get this world into shape.

ROTARY MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Building Peace and Understanding one youth at a time.
Five RVCC Rotaract students took part in 2018 Humanitarian Mission to Nepal. This program gave our participants a great opportunity to discover new culture and to be a  true global citizen in this global village.  Thanks to all  Rotaract clubs in Nepal who helped with this project. These Goodwill Ambassadors were sponsored by the Rotary Club of Branchburg and The Asha Project, USA-Nepal. http://www.theashaproject.org. Thank you everyone for your support.

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via The Global Village: Life Learning Experience

By: Abby Fabiano, RVCC Rotaract club.

My experience in Nepal so far has definitely been one I will never forget. I am glad that I have decided to take part in this humanitarian mission in order to gain personal growth regarding my knowledge about the lives and cultures of others.

Visiting various schools and giving out school supplies to children has been something I am grateful to have taken part in. While at an orphanage a few days ago, we decided to give the children some of the snacks we had brought with us from America. We did not have much, but we watched them split up all the snacks amongst themselves and the smiles on their faces were unforgettable.

One of the highlights of the trip so far was one night when we were out, and I started talking to some Nepalese children. I was petting their dog and they started asking where I was from and were amazed when they heard I was from America. They were asking what America is like and were so eager to take a picture with me. Seeing how much the Nepalese value Americans and other cultures just as much as their own was very cool to experience.

One last moment of the trip that has also stood out to me so far was during the end of one of our long bus rides. We were all very tired from travelling to Kathmandu from Chitwan in a small van, and towards the end of the ride we all started singing random songs that our group knew. We were quickly surprised when we noticed a few of the Nepalese on our bus had joined in. A sing-along on the bus had then started and we were all enjoying ourselves and felt a nice bond form between us and the others on the bus. We all hope to continue to help and give back to others in the future, especially after seeing how different life is halfway around the world.

for more information about the US-Nepal Humanitarian Project, please visit http://www.theashaproject.org.

My experience in Nepal has been far more amazing than I could have imagined. My first few days here was spent with the Rotaract member of Newroad Pokhara. In Pokhara I had a really great time seeing the beauty of the Himalayan mountains as we went boating and had a picnic on the top of a hill where the view was unlike anything I have ever seen. I really enjoyed learning about the culture of Nepal at the picnic with the Rotoract members in Pokhara. At the picnic we learned how to dance in Nepal as well as played games that were a lot of fun that we have never played in our country .

I have really enjoyed the impact that the service projects we do have on the people here in Nepal. For example, we joined with the Rotaract club of Ratnanagar to paint the walls of an orphanage and to distribute blankets to the children. We could see the children as well as the Rotaract members of Ratnanagr were very thankful for our time dedication towards the project. The children at the orphanage seemed sad that we were leaving so us 5 Rotaract students from America dug through our backpacks and gave the children at the orphanage all the food we had. Although it wasn’t enough food for all the children, the children counted the food and split it among each other and were all very happy. Aside from  the orphanage we have also distributed blankets and school supplies we gathered through donations in America to various schools in Nepal. When we went to the school in Chitwan it came to a surprise to me how the students have to get to school everyday. Getting to the school can be an hour trek everyday, and we found the trek to be very difficult and exhausting. I could never imagine getting to school the way the students in Chitwan do everyday.

Overall, my experience has been unforgettable in Nepal. I am very grateful for how welcoming everyone in Nepal has been for me and the four other Rotaract members from the RVCC Rotaract club.  The Rotaract members in Nepal have been great hosts for us and I have made so many new friends!    Emily Fabiano

So far, my trip to Nepal has been filled with long bus rides through the Himalayas and many Rotarian service projects and programs. One of these programs stands out the most to me however. Today, myself and the RVCC Rotaract Club along with the Rotaract Club of Ratnanagar visited a local Orphanage in Chitwan. We painted there recreation room with quotes and inspirational messages and then distributed blankets to every child there. As myself and the 4 other members of RVCC Rotaract were leaving, we all decided to put together all of our food we could find in our backpacks- granola bars, cheez-its, Goldfish, fruitsnacks, and other various food items. We all ran back up to the kids holding the food we had gathered together and told them to all split it and share. As we now walked out and said goodbye, we passed by a window where we saw all of the kids dividing each granola bar into peices and each goldfish for someone and it was truly amazing. These are children who have an unfortunate situation and could have kept more food for themselves but they instead chose to share it as we had asked. It was truly heart warming and is something I will never forget for the rest of my life.

As a whole, Nepal trip has been great so far. It has been full of the most welcoming and wholesome people I have met. It has been a great experience and I definitely plan to come back in the future to continue with Rotary work.

5 RVCC Rotaract students are having a great time discovering new culture and having opportunity to be a true global citizen as part of the International Youth Exchange program with the Rotaract clubs in Nepal. These Goodwill Ambassadors were sponsored by the Rotary Club of Branchburg and The Asha Project, USA-Nepal. http://www.theashaproject.org. Thank you everyone for your support.

You probably wonder how can $500 loan change lives in Nepal?

Our past programs have proven that one small loan can change a family.  Several loans can strengthen a community and Thousands of small loans can transform an entire Village.

With the Rotary International’s $95,000 matching grant, Rotary club of Branchburg and Rotary club of Mahabouddha hopes to change many peoples lives in Nepal.  With a small $500 loan can buy a new tool, a machine, or a shop in the marketplace—millions of the world’s poor and low-income people have taken advantage of small loans to improve their lives. Over the past three decades, people have used these loans, known as Micro Credit, to launch new enterprises, create jobs and help economies to flourish. Poor people have proved time and again that they are able to repay these loans on time.
What is it?
The Asha Project’s Micro Credit program is founded on a novel idea that education and financial support, not charity, provides the surest way out of poverty for poor families, Rotary Districts 7510 USA and 3292 Nepal in collaboration with the Friends of Nepal- NJ established the “Legacy of Hope Micro Credit Project” to provide Nepal earthquake victims with $100,000 worth of micro credit loans. As a result, these people will gain knowledge and a source of income for themselves and their families.

This project will empower and provide hope for hundreds of people in Nepal to take control of their lives, improve their family’s standard of living and provide what every family wants for their children — hope for a brighter future through better nutrition, health care and most importantly education.

Our project hopes to provide one loan . . . one person . . . one family at a time.  The Branchburg Rotary is providing real hope and opportunity for a better future for the people of Nepal.  If you like to learn more about the project, please contact PDG Tulsi Maharjan at trmaharjan@gmail.com

A group of five RVCC Rotaract club members volunteers will be travelling to Nepal on a Rotaract humanitarian mission.

The volunteers, who are travelling at their own expense, will be working to help many Rotary projects being conducted after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

The group plans to build toilets, help at the youth center. They will also paint schools and distribute school supplies to poor children in Nepal.

Tax deductible donations are also encouraged to support the Asha Projects’ various projects being run in Nepal and checks can be made to the Branchburg Rotary Foundation, P.O. Box 5135, Somerville, NJ 08876.

You can visit http://www.theashaproject.org for more information about the mission and projects.