2018 Humanitarian Mission visit with the Micro Credit Loan distributors.

In hopes of getting more Rotaract students to be involved with the Rotary, the Rotary club of Branchburg has started a new program called Pathways to Rotary, where Rotaract members can become members of our Rotary club. We envisioned a future where Rotaract members will work with the Rotarians to promote the ideal of peace and understanding. Pathways to Rotary is also a great way to for Rotarians to ensure the future of Rotary. Through the program, the club employs Rotary’s guiding principles to bring vocational service to life by giving members opportunities to use their professional experiences, leadership and skills as mentors to guide young people in building a successful future.

We recently inducted 5 Rotaract members to our club. Our district has waived their dues and we do not charge Rotaract members to have a breakfast with us. Ten years ago, I initiated the process to charter the Rotaract club of Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) and served as their first advisor and helped establish the club. The first Rotaract club president of the RVCC Rotaract club is now professor at the college and a member of our club as well as the RVCC Rotaract club advisor. Some of the Branchburg Rotary Club’s initial program with Rotaract involved in mentoring programs and humanitarian projects in various countries, such as sponsoring them to go on a Humanitarian Mission to Nepal in early 2017. Once the Rotaract members discovered the benefit and joy of being members of our Rotary club, they started to attend our meetings regularly.

We started with 5 members, now there are more than 10 Rotaract students who are interested in joining the Rotary club. When I explained the Pathways to Rotary concept to our club members they were very receptive to the idea.
Our Rotaract members have supported all our club projects including organizing, planning and implementing the packing of 50,000 bags of food every year since 2012. They are constantly helping our club and neighboring clubs with many programs and activities.
Rotary founder Paul Harris once said, “The story of Rotary will have to be written again and again.” Our club believes that in our new Pathways to Rotary story demonstrates how today’s youth can help to make a difference, given them an opportunity to serve along with the Rotary club members.

via LEADERSHIP PROGRAM for Rotaract members in Nepal

Would you like to participate in our LEADERSHIP PROGRAM with a Certified Leadership Speaker, Coach & Trainer at The John Maxwell Team?  The Asha Project will be conducting LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS in Kathmandu and Chitwan with Ms. Barbara Christie, a member of the Asha Project during her trip to Nepal.  Interested people contact us at trm7510@gmail.com

ASHA is the Nepali word for “HOPE.” When we think about what motivates us to serve,we are drawn to this word, which is the name of my current mission, The Asha Project. To us, hope and opportunity are really at the core of the Rotary’s mission. Providing hope and opportunities to people in Nepal who are less fortunate is what motivates us.

Hope and opportunity brought me to America 45 years ago and I always wanted to do something for those less fortunate people in Nepal. Now, my son has joined me as an E-club member in our district to assist with this project. We will be taking our 3rd humanitarian mission in early February 2017. While there we will also celebrate the Silver Jubilee of our humanitarian work in Nepal.

For over 25 years, Rotary Club of Branchburg and District 7510 has been working to provide hope and opportunities in Nepal through many international grants,scholarship funds, micro-credit loans, training programs,and collaborative partnership projects with many community organizations to create a new network of people.

We formally created The Asha Project in response to the April 2015 earthquake in Nepal. In March 2016, we traveled to Nepal with the goal to rebuild homes. When we visiting a rebuilding project, we spoke with many people in the community and they told us that they were interested in opportunities to work cooperatively with other organizations.
We realized that house building was not enough. For a country that has spent decades dealing with political turmoil and economic instability, we recognized that simply resetting life what it was like prior to the earthquake was only the beginning.

This is why the three pillars of the “ASHA” project are: building homes to help create stronger families, creating $100,000 microcredit loans for a prosperous future and to grow micro-businesses, and providing scholarships for under-represented ethnic groups through our Rays of Hope scholarships for a brighter future.
​We are furthering our collaboration by sending eight Rotaract students to volunteer in Nepal during their winter break. We also recently welcomed a student from Nepal to complete his Masters program in Health management as part of the Global scholar program. We are also working on several digital divide computer projects to connect these students with the outside world as part of the Rotary District 3292’s Total Literacy Project.

ROTARY MAKING A DIFFERENCE

With our patience and persistence, we have been able to complete many humanitarian projects in Nepal. With greater collaboration and cooperation with many other non-profit organizations we hope to build homes, provide micro credit and scholarships for the people of Nepal. With everyone’s support, hard work and dedication many children in Nepal will have opportunity to be what they wish to become. Let’s spread the message that though Rotary we can provide “HOPE AND OPPORTUNITIES” for millions of people around the world and that’s what Rotary has done through the Rotary Foundation in the past 100 years.

http://www.theashaproject.org

Sebastian’s Story

One unique highlight of the trip was when we arrived at a school about an hour outside of Pokhara to distribute forty some-odd bags of school supplies. The children looked weary as we sat in the hot sun for hours but after giving each of them supplies they seemed to perk up one by one just as did their parents as they watched. A nice ceremony was done to hand the children the supplies which made it feel like an even more special time. Each school was different in how they held these ceremonies and gave out the supplies but they were all so grateful and happy that we were there to help. These types of moments resonated within me as we made our stops to different service opportunities.

● Did you meet anyone who intrigued you or left a strong impression on you, and why?
Each part of the trip had its own flavor yet there was one thing we could always count on: an overwhelming kindness and helpfulness orchestrated by SujanRegmi. Without his continued support and his attention to detail I do not believe that this trip would have been possible. From orchestrating where we ate to getting someone to help me get to the Catholic church on Sunday afternoon, Sujan did everything with joy. I am extremely grateful to call him, and all the Rotaractors that I met over the course of the trip, my friends.

● What was the most memorable portion of the trip to you and why? 
The most memorable portion of our trip was our time in Pokhara. They were extremely welcoming and very organized in helping us get where we needed to go. Throughout or time there we went to different schools, conferences and sightseeing which were all amazing.

● Anecdotes of my trip
Another moment that has impacted me happened just after we ate at a wonderful resort a generous Rotary member hosted. After we ate we had to go outside the resort to wait for a bus. So close to what seemed like paradise yet the area we stepped into was nothing less than the slums. We sat down and began waiting for the bus and occasionally snapped some pictures of the people around us. Two young girls began to fill around 20 empty liters full of water. After a few moments I joined in and began helping them. The one aspect of this act of kindness was that there was no formal thank you’s, no picture taking, no formal ceremony ( which were all good and healthy); just a human helping another human. This moment was why I went on the trip; I have found that on this trip the informal acts of kindness not recognized by all seemed to be the most impactful moments in my own life.

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON; take a different approach.
Provide a goat to a family in need FOR ONLY $50.
Families who receive your gift become donors as they pass on the gift to other families in their community. This allows them to help others as you have helped them. http://www.theashaproject.org

PAYPAL DONATION

This is a campaign to promote the reading culture among children by providing books through an easily accessible library system in Schools in Nepal as well as provide books to students to read.  Every school going child will have easy access to read their favorite books- inspiring stories with beautiful illustrations and pictures. Everyone has a dream to read a favorite book in their childhood which helps them to recognize their own strength to do something in life.

But in many parts of the developing countries books are not part of a child’s early experiences.  For parents who cannot read or struggle daily to care for their families, books are not a priority.  With this project we hope to bring story books and literature to children and to classrooms is something we Rotarians can to improve access to basic education and literacy.

If you like to support this project with a small donation, we will provide books for schools and students during our visit to Nepal in early February 2018.  LITERACY FOR NEPAL

For Father and Son, Rotary is about much more than belonging to a humanitarian organization. It’s about making a difference in the world. “When you’re a part of Rotary, you’re really making a difference, both locally and internationally,” Dr. Maharjan said. “When you think about all the wonderful things Rotary has accomplished, who wouldn’t want […]

via Father and Son Team up to make a difference. — The Asha Project

For Father and Son, Rotary is about much more than belonging to a humanitarian organization. It’s about making a difference in the world.

“When you’re a part of Rotary, you’re really making a difference, both locally and internationally,” Dr. Maharjan said. “When you think about all the wonderful things Rotary has accomplished, who wouldn’t want to be part of one of the most successful humanitarian organizations in history?”

Dr. Maharjan recently took the helm as president of the Branchburg Rotary for the 5^th time. Dr. Maharjan is a charter member of the club, which started in 1988. It’s the first time a father and son have served as Rotary members in Somerset County, Dr. Maharjan said.

“It was fun to be able to do those things together, and it’s nice now because we can bounce ideas off of one another,” Anil Maharjan said. They have already completed three humanitarian missions to Nepal. They are planning their 4^th Humanitarian mission in early February 2018.

Anil Maharjan joined the E-club last year and this year he decided to join his father’s club. Anil is a CPA and graduate of the Babson College and works for the MarketSmith as a director of the Innovation. He believes in the Rotary’s service projects and all the impact they are making around the world with various Rotary Foundation’s matching grants.  Branchburg Rotary has just received $95,000 grant to implement a micro credit project in Nepal.

Father and Son team has been working on the Asha Project in Nepal to provide scholarships, micro credit and home building for the earthquake victims since the major earthquake in 2015.

Anil said Rotary sparked his interest after listening to his father always talking about various local and international projects his club has been involved for the past 29 years.

“We’re pretty good at raising money and giving money away to different organizations,” Anil said. “But I really like the hands-on service projects, where you can see you’re making a difference.”

“I would say one of the best things I ever did in my life was join the Rotary Club of Branchburg, because they’re just one of the most generous members I’ve ever known,” Dr. Maharjan said.

Seven Raritan Valley Community College students recently had a 

life-changing experience when they traveled to Nepal to distribute donated school supplies and engage in community projects.
The students, Amanda Greene (Lebanon), Daniel Hogan (Martinsville), Sebastian Gallic (Warren), Jenna Douglas (Bridgewater), Marcel Gorka (Lebanon), Ryan Galdamez (Bound Brook) and Manuel Ramirez (Bound Brook), are all members of the RVCC Rotaract Club. They traveled to the South Asian country January 4-17, 2017 carrying 250 pounds of school supplies, which they donated to four different schools in the region.
The supplies had been collected through fundraising efforts at the College in conjunction with the Hunterdon County YMCA aftercare program that’s located at the Whitehouse School.
While in Nepal, the students participated in Rotary community projects that included painting benches and walls. In conjunction with the ASHA (Nepali word for “Hope”) project, the students also helped rebuild homes for people who had lost their residences during the devastating 2015 earthquake.

Pokhara New Road Rotaract members

ROTARY MAKING A DIFFERENCE

As part of the trip, the students attended a Rotaract District Conference attended by 70 Rotaract groups from across Nepal. They also met with representatives of Rotary Nepal and other community groups; toured temples, caves and other areas; and hiked the region.
Club member Sebastian Gallic recalled an especially memorable experience meeting two young girls in an impoverished area of Nepal. The young girls, who did not speak much English, were filling approximately 20 bottles with fresh water from an outside tap. Watching their efforts, the RVCC students offered to help them with their task. Despite the language barriers, Gallic said assisting the girls was “one of the most impactful experiences, just being able to communicate human to human.”
As members of the College’s Rotaract Club, students are given the opportunity to serve the community and learn about leadership, civic engagement and responsible citizenship. For additional information about Rotaract at RVCC, contact club advisor Nemanja (Nik) Nikitovic, Nemanja.Nikitovic@raritanval.edu.

If you are interested in traveling contact trm7510@gmail.com or visit http://www.theashaproject.com.

The Asha Project changes lives. Helping to rebuild homes and delivering school supplies impacts the people of Nepal immediately for the better. The Nepal Earthquake that struck Nepal in May, 2015 killed over nine thousand people, injured more than twenty-two thousand, and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Whole villages were leveled. The Asha Project works to help these people still struggling to rebuild. ASHA means “Hope” in Nepali language.

More than reconstructing buildings, the project enriches lives by making connections between volunteers and those helped. The Friends of Nepal-NJ organizes trips for people to participate in the Asha Project. While it sounds like a major endeavor, Americans traveling half-way around the globe to help people they never met, it is also something elegantly simple, one person easing the suffering of another.

Sebastian is one such person. He recently travelled to Nepal to serve. While there Sebastian helped deliver school supplies. Many children now have a better chance of getting the quality education needed for them to succeed in life. Sebastian sowed the seeds for the future of Nepal. One of the highlights of his trip took place about an hour outside of Pokhara. The children waited hours in the hot sun waiting for over forty bags of school supplies. After waiting for hours the children looked weary. It was almost a test of endurance for them to sit there.

Then the time came. A ceremony surrounded the gifting of each package to the children. As the ceremony started the fatigue dropped away and both children and parents perked up with renewed energy. The happiness and gratitude beamed from their faces. The ceremony varied from school to school but each reflected the joy and humble thanks for the aid. These moments resonated within Sebastian, enriching his life.

The connections made between Sebastian and the people he helped, in many ways, are more important than the supplies given out or the construction. The overwhelming kindness shown by people like Sujan Regmi, who helped organize the trip in Nepal, made the trip possible. Sujan performed every act with joy, from orchestrating where volunteers would eat to making sure they could attend church services. The warm welcomes made the service no work at all, but acts of love.

As Sebastian put it,“We sat down and began waiting for the bus and occasionally snapped some pictures of the people around us. Two young girls began to fill around 20 empty liters full of water. After a few moments I joined in and began helping them. The one aspect of this act of kindness was that there was no formal thank you’s, no picture taking, no formal ceremony ( which were all good and healthy); just a human helping another human. This moment was why I went on the trip; I have found that on this trip the informal acts of kindness not recognized by all seemed to be the most impactful moments in my own life.”

The Asha Project brings people together to change lives. The help that volunteers give improve the lives of children in Nepal, and it imparts deep connections to those who give their time and energy. Please reach out to the Friends of Nepal – NJ or The Asha Project to see how you can participate. The Asha Project is putting together a English illustrated book entitled “I CAN DO IT” Ma Garna Sakchu” to distribute to Nepalese students to learn English. If you like to support this project, please contact us or you can donate here.