The name Jharana is quite an uncommon one for someone belonging to the Sherpa community of Nepal. But when she was in class seven, her principal lost his daughter and in her memory, he renamed Ang Maya. Now that she has become quite popular in the Nepalis community, she feels she has done justice to the name. "My principal would be proud," she says.
And, why not? For the last five months, Jharana has created quite a stir on social media. Currently residing in New York, she has more than 2500 followers on Facebook and the number is steadily increasing. This is because more and more people have started joining her Facebook campaign. Jharana has been using this social platform to collect funds and support the needy here in Nepal. She works five days a week, and spends all the free time she gets promoting her social campaign.
The story behind the campaign
Her mother believed that helping others was their religion and Jharana has been putting those words to practice. She was born in Dhangadi and brought up in Kathmandu but has been living in America for two years now. However, she has been helping people back in her country whenever and wherever she can.
Last year in 2014, she uploaded a Facebook video saying she wanted some help for children and senior citizens residing in Conflict Victim and Disable Society (CVDS)-Nepal. CVDS Nepal is a non-profit organization working for differently-abled children and senior citizens.
When she started out, she didn't have a clue as to how this would work and how she would collect money. A friend helped her set up a PayPal account that made collecting money a little easier. She managed to collect $1550 for her first cause with which she sent gifts to all the 21 members residing at CVDS Nepal. "I cannot explain how I felt when I saw them smiling upon receiving the gifts," said Jharana.
It was the success of this initiative that motivated her to carry on. She then continued raising money from people all across the globe to support the needy people living in Nepal. Five thousand dollars to clear the medical bills of a girl and sending clothes to an indigenous Chepang community are just two of the many examples of the supporting campaigns she has successfully conducted. On a personal level, she has been supporting a 102-year old living in Chandranigahapur Municipality of Rautahat district.
However, her mother Yangji Sherpa is not quite happy with her daughter's social campaign. "She doesn't like me raising funds through Facebook. She is worried that people might just blame me since a lot of money is involved. My mother wants me to help others personally but not by raising funds," said Jharana.
How she funds the cause
To get money out of somebody's pocket can be a very difficult task. But in Jharana's case, people are willing to do it. The reason behind it is the transparency in her campaigns. She regularly updates calculations of the money received and donated on her Facebook wall. She even writes out the details such as who gave the money, and who received it. All this has made her work credible.
What is commendable is the fact that she never uses any of the money raised to cover the administrative expenses. For instance, the transfer cost involved in sending money to Nepal, the commute expenses when she has to run errands to meet the people willing to donate, or the coffees or lunch they have during these meeting are all covered by her and not a single paisa is taken from the donations.
"Sometimes I also have to give money to those who are volunteering in Nepal. If I start calculating all those expenses, I don't have the rights to call myself a social worker," she said.
The work that's involved
Jharana follows news and stories from Nepal on online media. This helps her decide who to help and why. Sometimes her friends recommend people who they know require immediate help. She also carries out much research on the particular person and only thereafter makes the final decision.
She sometimes gets distressed with people who take help for granted. "I have come across people who have the misconception that it's easy to earn money abroad. They don't realize how difficult it is to make a living here in the States," she added explaining that after being helped, sometimes people don't even have the courtesy to thank the supporters.
Those issues aside, Jharana wants to establish a charity fund and help more people. She also wants to continue her studies and be in a better position economically to help others on her own. "I dream and I'm working towards it," she concludes.
The full video interview can be viewed in YouTube
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