Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility in Nepal

By Michael Rosenkrantz[1]

"Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the community and society at large."
World Business Council for Sustainable Development

Through my work with VSO and Community Self Reliance Centre (CSRC) I’ve had the opportunity to explore and hopefully build and encourage further dialogue/implementation of strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Nepal.  I’ve visited numerous corporates in trying to get a handle on people’s understanding regarding their definition of CSR.  What I’ve found is a mixed bag, in which some people’s understanding is  that CSR is about corporate philanthropy, a photo opportunity and some positive publicity about a monetary or in-kind donation, while others are trying to incorporate sustainable CSR into their corporate objectives and making this part of their corporate culture,  as reflected in a vision or mission statement. 

In my initial meeting with corporates I explain that CSR is about building partnerships, in which all parties can mutually benefit.  CSR is about impact, value for money and positive change in society.  It is not a short term activity, but is about strategic investment and has to benefit and be integrated into core business objectives in order to be effective.  CSR is about innovation and taking advantage of opportunities.

Strategically focused businesses have specific core objectives, typically looking to grow to maximize profits for the business and shareholders.  Some businesses in Nepal are starting to realize how partnering with NGOs who are working with specific communities, can help them in furthering their core objectives. This is indicated by the types of CSR activities and investments that are being made.   Corporates are also beginning to realize how much sense a triple bottom line, i.e. people, profits and planet can make for growing their business.  As consumers become better educated, they want to know that businesses treat their employees well and how the manufacturing of specific products and/or services impacts the planet. 

CSR is about investing, which doesn’t have to be about money, but can be conducted through the use of human resources, value chains, infrastructure and other business expertise.  CSR activities do have to be well thought out as shareholders and management will want to ensure a positive Return on Investment.  This means positive impact and outcomes, in which a societal change is made in whatever thematic areas fit in with core business objectives. 

As indicated in the paper: Corporate Social Responsibility in Nepal: A Chance for Peace and Prosperity? Report based upon a Mission to Nepal in November 2006 by Caroline Welzel Butzbacherstr.  CSR is not about how a company spends its income but rather about how it generates that income.  In Nepal CSR can very much be about helping to stabilize the peace process.

Continuing well thought out, strategically focused, CSR activities time has come in Nepal.  It no longer is just about doing a good deed because somebody wants to give to those considered to be “less fortunate”, although this is as good a reason as any.  CSR is about working with those who may be outside of the mainstream and, e.g. developing livelihood opportunities, so that people don’t have to migrate, developing programs that keep children, especially females in school, so that they can obtain, at least a SLC, or providing health facilities in order for women to be protected in reproductive health issues or bringing about an inclusive society and so much more.   Business is the driver, but needs to partner in order to continue to develop new markets and  be sustainable.

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[1] Michael Rosenkrantz is a VSO volunteer working at both VSO Nepal and Community Self-Reliance Centre, a land rights and agrarian reform NGO, in the field of corporate social responsibility.  Michael is from Los Angeles, California and plays and coaches basketball in Nepal on a regular basis.  He has an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston, an MA Sociology from Boston College and a BA-Political Science from the University of California, Irvine, with 30 years of work experience in the US, India and Nepal.  

Reasonable Accommodation

Reasonable Accommodation

By Michael Rosenkrantz[1]

“A reasonable accommodation is an adjustment made in a system to "accommodate" or make fair the same system for an individual based on a proven need. Accommodations can be religious, academic, or employment related and are often mandated by law. Each country has its own system of reasonable accommodations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reasonable_accommodation

From April 2009-February 2012, I worked as a VSO volunteer for the Indian Government at the National Trust (NT), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, in the field of developmental disabilities.  NT was established by an Act of Parliament in 1999 and was led by Chairwoman Poonam Natarajan, whose only child had been born with multiple disabilities, and who is a very strong advocate for the rights of Persons with Disability as per the UN Convention.  NT took a holistic approach towards working with Persons with Disability and had a range of schemes and programmes from early intervention and education, to housing, to vocational training, etc. in establishing a more inclusive society.  Given the population of India and the fact that between 6-10%[2] of any country’s population includes  Persons with Disability, even though NT was working only with NGOs in the developmental disability field, the organisation still  had a huge mandate.   As I learned about physical disabilities, a person’s body might be impacted but typically their mind was fine.  Even a person with intellectual disability was able, up to a point and depending on the severity, to perform certain job functions, but there might not have been “reasonable accommodation” enabling gainful employment.

Growing up in the US I was aware of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) through a plethora of curb cuts for wheelchairs, accessible buildings and reasonable accommodation in the workplace.  This was all integrated and part of the culture.  The ADA Title II provides that “no qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity, or be subject to discrimination by any such entity.”  The US Department of Justice defines a reasonable accommodation as "any modification or adjustment to a job or the work environment that will enable a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the application process or to perform essential job functions. Reasonable accommodation also includes adjustments to assure that a qualified individual with a disability has rights and privileges in employment equal to those of employees without disabilities."

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability states: “Reasonable accommodation” means necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

During December 2012 the first “Career Expo for Persons with Disability” was held in Nepal.  As I noted the many people lining up to provide their CVs, I saw a great interest in finding work.  The overall question though was how many employers in Nepal provide “reasonable accommodation”?

As noted in the sidebar to this article, the National Centre for the Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (http://www.ncpedp.org/), whose Director Javed Abidi, an Ashoka Fellow, is a major advocate in India, there are numerous ways for a company  to become disabled friendly.  It does however take commitment from management to incorporate reasonable accommodation into the culture and to make it a  priority to recruit, hire and train Persons with Disability. 

I do my best to be an optimist. But in no way would I consider myself to be so Polyanna to think that reasonable accommodation will happen quickly in the workplace, especially given the huge issues that Nepal is facing.  I do however feel that given the number of Persons with Disability in Nepal, who most likely are not working up to their potential, that this is wasted human resources.  I was recently reminded of this as I was talking to a 25 year old FB friend who is a Person with Disability, with a BA degree,  who told me that he doesn’t get out of the house much.  This only begs the question, as to why a person with a BA degree is not in the workplace, making things better for the nation.  Most likely this is about “reasonable accommodation”.    

Are you a disability-friendly company] ?

You can become a disabled-friendly company by following these simple rules:

1.     Inculcating a positive attitude towards people with disabilities and following non-discriminatory employment practices.

2.     Reserving a percentage of jobs at all appropriate levels for disabled persons.

3.     Including disability in the Mission Statement of the company. Different departments (HRD, Finance, R&D, Administration, etc) should have clear cut objectives to support people with disabilities.

4.     Formalising a policy to retain employment without reduction of rank of people who may become disabled.

5.     Being accessible not only to people with mobility problems but also those with visual and hearing impairments, for example barrier-free buildings, ramps, adapted toilets, Braille symbols and auditory signals in lifts, signage, etc.

6.     Providing appropriate aids/technology/attendants to support disabled employees in the workplace.

7.     Extending certain extra benefits like providing transport to work, rights to special leave, additional medical allowance, etc, to people with disabilities/ partners of disabled persons/or parents of disabled children.

8.     Not denying promotion to people with disabilities on grounds of disability.

9.     Creating a safe working environment to prevent health hazards and accidents.

10. Conducting regular orientation programmes for all the staff members/workers to encourage positive relations between disabled and non-disabled employees.

11. Stocking the latest information in the library pertaining to disability.

12. Providing opportunity for training in skill development for disabled persons.

13. Furnishing credit and support to persons with disabilities and promoting self-employment.

14. Being a marketing outlet for the products made by disabled persons/disability NGOs.

15. Sub-contracting/outsourcing activities to people with disabilities.

16. Participating in awareness-raising campaigns to sensitise the public.

17. Acting as a role model to educate and motivate other employers to follow suit.

18. Providing consultancy services to NGOs working in the area of production, management, marketing, entrepreneurial skills, etc.

19. Funding/sponsoring/donating to NGOs which are working for the cause of disability.

20. Supporting the government to establish and maintain support systems for disabled persons.

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[1] Michael Rosenkrantz is a VSO volunteer working in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).  He also tries to advocate for Persons with Disability by raising awareness through wheelchair sports in Nepal. 

[2] The 2011 India census trained enumerators to capture data on a very detailed question regarding Persons with Disability. 

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Kirtipur Cup Basketball Tournament 2069-Nepal Basketball

I’ve had a love affair with basketball for 50 years.  I just can’t get enough of the sport and participate wherever I live.  In Nepal I’ve found basketball through coaching an Army Wheelchair Basketball team, playing in a number of locations and conducting a three hour session for school age children called “Life Lessons from Basketball”.  But I’ve also found the real Nepal Basketball through my friend and coach of the  Men’s National Team,  Dinesh Nakarmi. 

Dinesh is someone who also has a deep love for the game but especially for growing the sport in Nepal.  Given Dinesh’s experience he has the potential for opportunities in other countries but he only wants to make basketball successful in Nepal.  I very much admire that in him, given all of the politics that I’ve found in the sporting world.

Towards growing the game Dinesh is the General Secretary of the National Sports Council program to further develop school basketball.  (The President is Yuvraj Sharma, Chief Executive and Director of Whitehouse College)  This is truly great and will hopefully help to develop young Nepali boys and girls and provide them with a means to stay emotionally and physically healthy throughout their entire lives by playing sports, eating well and continuing their education. 

Recently Dinesh and the Naya Bazar Club (NBC) an NGO Community Based Organization (CBO) dedicated to helping society through mobilization of youth, organised the Kirtipur Cup Basketball Tournament 2069.  Since its inception NBC has been involved in many sports activities, including basketball, football, table tennis and volleyball.  

The purpose of the league, which includes six teams, i.e. Naya Bazar Club, NASA Club, Goldengate Club, Gurukul National Foundation, Whitehouse and Tribhuvan Army Club, is to:       

·         Improve the standard of national basketball;

·         Increase the popularity of this game;

·         Encourage and to provide opportunity for young people to participate in sports;

·         Improve players, coaches and referees;

·         Arouse  the public interest which will generate the necessary investments.

I attended the first series of matches, two games with another  being rained out, on February 16 and was not disappointed.  Some of the players I had seen before as they are on the Men’s National Team, however they were divided among the six teams.  One of the teams didn’t have a coach and I helped them during the second half, although they ultimately lost. 

My feeling is that it is vital for this type of tournament and school basketball programs to occur, if the sport is to become more popular.  But there is much more to it, as basketball  lessons abound for life, including teamwork, commitment, leadership, discipline, opportunities, as well as many others.

 There also is the question of proper infrastructure, which at this point is difficult to find.  Although the court that I saw on February 16 was very well maintained, most of the courts, including those that I play on are sub-par, very slippery, dangerous, without proper baskets.   Additionally the majority of courts are outside, so that when there is inclement weather there is no playing. 

As I found from coaching in India for three years, basketball  can be an equalizer.  It is very important that girls and women are given the same opportunities as boys and men to participate in basketball, i.e. whenever there is tournament, it should include competitions for everyone.   It is also important to treat all fans the same and allow everyone to sit together to cheer for their favorite players and teams.   This will also help to grow the game.

I’m very encouraged by what I’ve seen during my eight months in Nepal.  My hope is that the love of basketball will continue to grow among the general populous and that more people will play, no matter what level of expertise they have.  But further I hope that everyone, young and old will participate in any sport which they enjoy in order to keep themselves healthy throughout their lives. 

For further information about the Tournament, please go to:  http://nbc.org.np/kbl/index.htm

Basketball Nepal and Life’s Lessons

While living in New Delhi from March 2009-February 2012, every Saturday night from 6-7:30 PM, I coached basketball at the YMCA. I made this connection before I came to India, as I knew that I had to have basketball in my life in order to be happy, no matter where I was living.  The group would be between 15-30 people from 8-35 years of age.  It was always fun and I thoroughly enjoyed spending my Saturday evenings with whomever had signed up for coaching. 

Since being in Nepal in June 2012, I’ve met a number of basketball players and coaches, have played, coached a Gay Basketball team, that didn’t score a point no matter how much I encouraged them, as part of the first South Asian Gay Sports Tournament, become part of a new school basketball programme, am coaching an Army wheelchair basketball team and for the first time conducted a clinic for 40 children ranging in age from 9-17 at Mt. Kailash Boarding School in Kopan. 

As I approached the basketball court I saw a number of children milling around and five fat puppies and their mother.  The basketball court, like most that I’ve seen and played on wasn’t great.  The cement was chipped away in a number of places and one of the backboards and hoops was not attached to the pole as it was being repaired.  But we were able to locate a few brooms, swept the court and off we went for a three hour session.

As I found in India, the children were very enthusiastic as we talked and ran through some exercises and drills.  One of the puppies attempted to join in as we were warming up, trying to jog with the children in his fat little black body with stubby legs, and the mother decided to lay on the court as we were conducting a passing drill.  We were able to practice the “triple threat” dribbling, shooting and passing and exercise our bodies and think about how basketball is more than a game, i.e. a chosen lifestyle. 

In my blogs in India these are some of the statements that I wrote: “ Is it possible to "love" something other than a person so much, that one just cannot wait to be doing it? It is and it has happened for me with basketball in every aspect of the game. It just so happens that this "love affair" with basketball has blossomed, in of all places, New Delhi, India. It started with a connection to the American Embassy School and the YMCA, both in New Delhi, and has grown by leaps and bounds into a full-fledged "love affair". The feeling that I get from b-ball is pure joy, at all times, nothing less, total focus on the beauty of the game, and therefore there is nothing else, when I'm involved with it.”

“Basketball is more than a game as it requires, as does life, being part of a team, sharing experiences, joy, sorrow, anger, tears with others, communication, tolerance, discipline and being in good health and eating right. Basketball is a chosen life-style by those who proactively choose to truly take part. Like life, basketball has its ups and downs. I’ve gone through many ups and downs in life, the things that we all go through, because we are human beings. We have all been gifted with different skills and as in basketball it is about what we do with those skills and talents that makes life worth living.”

“I’m not sure which sport I would truly love if there was no basketball.  I do like baseball and American football, but somehow they just don’t measure up to the excitement of life brought about by basketball.  One day, as my body ages, I may have to retire from playing.  I will continue though, to live life as being part of basketball, eating well, exercising, living in community, coaching, etc.  Maybe, I’ll turn to that sport that many people retire to, golf, but I cannot imagine playing golf after a life of basketball.  Most likely, however, I will continue to live basketball until I take my last breath, until I’m again on the court in a younger person’s body.  My love for the game will never cease.”

Bill Bradley a former New York Knicks player and US Senator from New Jersey wrote a book called, The Values of the Game in which he discusses the following values: Passion, Discipline, Selflessness, Respect, Perspective, Courage, Leadership, Responsibility, Resilience, and Imagination. All of these values can be taken to heart in how one plays basketball and lives the game of life.

John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period—seven in a row—as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat.  Having grown up in Los Angeles during the Wooden era I was a huge UCLA fan and still follow the Bruins.

Coach Wooden developed a pyramid of success which includes 15 building blocks-industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation, enthusiasm, self-control, alertness, initiative, intentness, condition, skill, team, poise, confidence, competitive greatness.  Coach Wooden also includes 12 lessons in leadership. 

This is it for me, whether from Bill Bradley or John Wooden or my experiences.  Basketball has taught me so much about life.  As I coached the children at Mount Kailash, these pearls of wisdom were integrated into running up and down the court and learning how to be a good teammate.  Basketball is about life’s lessons.

On Death in Nepal

I recently experienced the festival of Maghe Sankranti as the only westerner in attendance in a village near Ghorahi, Dang District.  The last time that I was at the festival site was during Tihar, in 2012, and things were very quiet in this beautifully wooded area, where I had previously visited the home of a Sadhu, with a man-made lake in the center.  At that time I noticed some old boats sitting idle in the lake.  I was also shown a small temple with an area that I was told was used for animal sacrifice.  I tried to imagine what that was like but really had little idea.

As we made our way to the festival site for Maghe Sankranti, I noticed the number of people that were also arriving, the colors of the multiple orange and peanut sellers, the variety of balloons and foods, a make shift movie house and sugar cane.  It was really a lot of “eye-candy” for someone who loves to take photos. 

We made our way to the lake and the sacrifice site and I saw many people paying for a boat ride, while other people were bathing.  Behind the temple was the sacrifice site and I started to see a number of people roasting headless carcasses over open fires and other people cleaning what had been a sheep.  Crossing a small bridge we came to a line of sheep waiting to be sacrificed, being held from both ends over a bloody log.  A man brought what looked to be a sword, i.e. a  Khukuri,  up and then down and the head went one way with the carcass being thrown another.  This happened a number of times in very machine like fashion.  In experiencing the quiet of this particular area during Tihar I had imagined what the “screams” might be like.  But in watching the actual sacrifice I heard nothing but the sound of the Khukuri as it went up and came down.

Back in Kathmandu I thoroughly enjoy making the walk from Thamel to Sanepa Chowk, where I live.  But on this particular night around Chikamungal I came upon a group of people watching the start of a funeral procession.  I heard and saw a woman crying and walking around a body, although it was difficult to tell, as it was tightly wrapped in a mat with a pitamber (yellow cloth), lying on an arthi.  The procession started to move with five men carrying the arthi and the woman, who must have been the wife of the deceased, continuing to wail and cry. The procession consisted mostly of men it as it made its way and crossed the Ring Road, at Teku. It’s the first time that I’ve seen all traffic stop on both sides of the road at the same time.  We continued to walk to an area near Pachali, where the body was removed from the arthi, and placed on what appeared to be a slab, where various ceremonies were taking place.  I soon left and didn’t wait for the body to be taken to an area on the Bagmati where it would be cremated.

I’ve witnessed cremations a number of times in Varanasi, the dressing of the bodies, purification in the Ganges and the funeral pyre.  What did seem unusual in Kathmandu and Varanasi as I compared  this to funerals in the US, was the public nature of the process.  As most of the procession that I had witnessed stood across the road watching the ceremonies, taxis, tractors, motorcycles and cars whizzed by on the dirt road.   Many people witnessed the procession, as it made its way throughout Kathmandu, which so very different from the private nature of a funeral in the US.

The public nature of things possibly makes death more acceptable and natural.  Everybody on the path of the procession somehow took part, looking and then moving their hand numerous times from their head to what appeared to be their heart and back again.  In the US a hearse picks up the family, who are mostly wearing sunglasses to hide their tears, of the departed, and whisks them to the funeral home, where lots of money is spent on a plot, a casket and a ceremony.  But what I witnessed was not about spending on a beautiful casket, although I’m not really clear why this is the case in the US, except to support a funeral industry, or hiding tears, but was more about how this is the natural order of things.

My life during the almost past four years in India and Nepal has been so much about giving, as after all I am a VSO volunteer. I thoroughly enjoy this and have no reservations.  But I have also learned so much from what I have seen.  In many ways this will hopefully help me to become more accepting of the natural order of things as the contrast between life and death in this part of the world and the US is so very stark.   As I spend more time in this part of the world and become more connected I hope that when I am no more,  I also will be cremated on the banks of one of the sacred rivers and mix and flow with generations of those that have gone before me. 

Litter

On my recent bus ride from Dang District to Kathmandu, I noticed two teenagers, eating several packages of potato chips.  As I dozed throughout the bus ride I noticed   that the packaging always seemed to disappear, but it wasn’t on the floor and I don’t think that it had been eaten.  I tried to watch until I saw the packaging being thrown out the window, but I never quite got to that point in order to engage the teens in conversation about what they were doing and why. 

I was reminded of my three years in India and New Delhi, where littering was quite common place, even in hill stations such as Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, where I spent a few weeks on different occasions.  I remember a number of times in which I spoke to people about littering and sometimes I was laughed at and people would throw things directly in front of me.  But most of the time people would apologize to me, although I’m not quite sure why.   I do remember the time when I was walking down the steps of the Delhi metro and the person in front of me threw a box over his shoulder.  I very quietly picked up the box, caught up to the gentleman and handed it to him.  He smiled almost apologetically, took the box and threw it away.  I also made it a point to get all of the participants in the many capacity building workshops that I facilitated to make a pledge not to litter and to also engage their family and friends.

At times I thought how can I, a foreigner, have more respect for the public streets than those who are citizens?  I constantly found myself saying to people, “but this is your country and how can you do this”? I know that I grew up in a society that prioritized keeping things clean.  That is not to say that the US is a perfectly clean place, but on the whole garbage is not strewn wherever one wants, especially given that one can be fined and possibly serve jail time for this type of behavior.  I remember once when I was driving in Connecticut and some young men in the car in front of me threw some Styrofoam cups directly in my path.  I noticed them laughing as they did this.  I wrote down the license plate and forwarded it to the local police, who contacted the owner of the car.  I soon received an apology from the culprits and I wouldn’t be surprised if they also had to do some community service. 

Before my bus reached Kathmandu I decided to talk to the teens and in my very direct way asked them why they threw the potato chip bags out the window and there literally was no explanation.  The teens were a brother and sister and the young woman apologized to me and said I won’t do it again.  I encouraged her to talk to her friends as well.  We ended up having a nice conversation and exchanged some small gifts.

Born and raised in the US and now having spent almost four years in India and Nepal, which I’m thoroughly happy about, I do notice the many differences.  In some sense it is very difficult for me to understand why people would throw  their garbage into the public arena.  I almost asked the two teenagers what they would think if a busload of people threw all of their garbage into the teen’s parent’s front yard, but fortunately I thought better of this.    Of course, as anybody would , they would be aghast if someone did this on private property.

But this begs the question as to why people don’t take more responsibility for the public arena?  Maybe a formal garbage pick-up would help the situation, but somehow I can’t really imagine this given the huge issues facing this country.  Maybe it is also more of an urban kind of thinking, as I have noticed that in the villages that I’ve been able to visit, they are fairly clean.  People definitely kept their homes clean and spent a lot of time sweeping.  Although on this same Dang trip and in a visit to a village, I bought some candy for a few children and they immediately threw the wrappers on the ground, but after some prodding did throw this into a dust bin which, when asked, the shop keeper provided. 

In many ways this all comes down to a mindset, i.e. how do we treat our country, i.e. the public arena?  Far too often I hear people saying to me, “my dream is to go to America”.  I also often heard this statement in India.  My response is, “ yes you might go and get an education, learn some other types of thinking, but come back and build your country”.  My fear is that all too often once people leave, they won’t come back.  But I also recently met a young man who told me about getting his PhD. at Brown University inn the US and that his wife to be was being educated at Harvard.  He said that he and his wife might work in the US for a few years but then they would hopefully come back. 

But it doesn’t take going to school in the west to change how we treat the public areas in Nepal.  All it takes is one person saying I won’t throw my garbage out the window of a bus, and I will also talk to my friends and family.  Maybe I don’t really understand, but my hope is that, things will change and as I travel none of us will have to look at potato chip bags spread over the landscape.

Inspirations

My role of partnership builder for both VSO Nepal and Community Self Reliance Centre (CSRC)  has led to numerous opportunities and unexpected turns.  However, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected from living in Asia.  Working in India from 2009-early 2012 really helped me to open my eyes to all of the doors and windows, which I never quite saw before living in the United States.  This experience also enabled me to take more chances, step through to the other side and be curious about what I might find.  Since coming to Nepal in June, 2012  I’ve not only been able to meet with some of the top business people in the country, but will also start appearing on Nepal TV as the host of the show “Inspirations”. 

Although my sister and her husband, as well as my daughter, are all performers in their own right, in both music and film, in India I found my stage to be that of a capacity building, facilitating NGO workshops in strategic and fundraising planning and human resources development.  I had appeared on the stage a number of years ago when I decided to take acting lessons and perform in some minor roles in Shakespeare plays for Flocke Theatre in New London, Connecticut.  I thoroughly enjoyed this, dressing up, saying a few lines and participating in pitched sword battles.  I had also been interviewed for various television shows in my previous jobs in the US.  But I had never given any thought to hosting a  television show.

As I’ve come to meet a number of media people, one thing led to another and the producer of “Inspirations”, Anmol Tandukar of Media Gallery asked me to help out.  Initially I was off screen asking questions, but things have evolved into me being on screen.  The current point of the show is to interview INGO and NGO Directors, inspiring people, focusing on information about their personal lives and how they came to work in Nepal.  The personal touch really adds a lot and provides greater insight into how and why people chose Nepal.

I started helping Anmol after the eighth episode when we interviewed Arlene Mahinay, VSO Nepal Country Director.  Arlene is from the Philippines and had worked in a number of countries before coming to Nepal.  One could sense how impacted Arlene had been by her parents and large family leading her to her present position.   One could also feel her passion for women's issues.  

From Media Gallery’s side having a foreigner conduct the interviews was seen as positive, after Anmol tried his hand at interviewing Dominic O’Neill, a former VSO volunteer who is now the DFID Nepal Head.  I liked Dominic immediately as I’ve come to find him to be a very, warm, friendly and helpful person.  When asked to describe one of his most memorable moments he immediately talked about his not too long ago wedding and one could feel the depth of love that Dominic felt for his wife.

For me it is not about asking people questions, but is more about listening to their stories.  We recently interviewed Ben Ayres, the Country Director of the dZi Foundation.  Ben is a young American from New Hampshire  who has been in Nepal for a number of years.  He originally came to this beautiful  country to spend part of his junior college year abroad.  Ben became fluent in Nepali and communicates and listens as a native speaker.  He previously worked with porters and now, along with his Nepali colleagues, works in villages in the eastern districts, providing integrated capacity building and assistance based on the villagers identified needs and not any other agenda.  I asked Ben if he would ever return to the US to live and he hesitated and talked about creating a community.  But I could feel from speaking to him and watching his interactions with the Media Gallery crew, that he is very much a Nepali and has been greatly impacted in his thinking and being by this country. 

We interviewed Dr. David Molden, like me originally a Californian from Los Angeles, and now the Director General of ICIMOD, a huge responsibility given that the organisation serves the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayas –Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan .  David spent his college years in the mountainous state of Colorado and  during the 1990’s worked in Nepal.  Early on in his career David spent time in Lesotho in the Peace Corps, which had a huge impact on his life and helped lead him towards his present assignment.  Recently David’s and his wife’s daughter married a Nepali man in a traditional ceremony.  As David described this I could see from the wetness in his eyes, what this meant to him.  I saw a great sense of pride as he described how he was now a greater part of  Nepal. 

After interviewing David we met Ramesh Puri, the new Country Director of Room to Read.  Ramesh is the first Nepali that I’ve interviewed, possessing a very strong background to lead this literacy program.  Ramesh had spent some 15 years abroad as Country Director for organisations such as Save the Children and Concern.  Ramesh and his wife made the decision to return to Nepal and he has brought with him a plethora of experience and knowledge in helping to build his country. 

The opportunity to spend some time with such inspiring people and hear their stories is something that I will always treasure.  But it goes well beyond that as I learn how other people approach life.  But I also know that anybody can be inspirational.  As I left ICIMOD I admired the perfectly white topi of Farid Ahmad who is from Chitral, Pakistan.  Without hesitation Farid gave me his topi and said in his culture this is the way that it is.  This simple gesture made my day and I hugged Farid.  Given the harsh realities in the world, isn’t this the true inspiration, the little things that we can all do to show kindness and help one another.  I left with a huge smile, feeling truly inspired. 

The Inspirations TV Show can be seen on Wednesday evenings at 10:10 PM on Nepal TV.