Under the parent Rotary Club of Kathmandu-Midtown, the Rotaract Club Kathmandu-Midtown comprises youth between the ages of 18 to 30. [break]
Run by the youth under the aid of advisors, the club has undertaken large projects like developing a school in Kirtipur into a higher secondary school – a project which spanned 15 years.
They have also been proving help at centers that assist the disabled, and the latest of their major projects entails building a ramp at Nepal Disabled Women Society, more commonly known as Community Based Rehabilitation Center (CBR) in Godavari.
“If people who are physically and mentally challenged can run their own center, why can’t we, the youth, help?” asks 22 year old Saugat Gautam.
A board member at the Rotaract Club, Saugat is young and recently obtained his Bachelors in Social Work, but he displays maturity that one would not expect of young men his age.
“The planning for this ramp started in 2008/2009 and it came to realization in 2011. Maybe it was ambitious of us, but we decided, even it took two or three years, we’d do it,” he adds.
“We heard about this other organization, CBR, that helps people with physical and mental disabilities and we wanted to build them a ramp,” says Saugat.
The building at CBR functions as a daycare center to children from the communities who have disorders such as Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and are also physically challenged. But due to lack of facilities they were limited to the first floor.
Reeta Shakya, Secretary of Nepal Disabled Women Society, said, “It was very difficult for the staff. A lot of the children, since they are mentally and physically challenged, are also heavy and taking them upstairs during the winter to sit in the sun, or getting them up for programs, was a lot of work.”
With the plan in motion, the first phase of the project was turned into action through the financial aid of Big Brothers Association in Canada.
“The Big Brothers Association had come to Nepal to trek, but due to bad weather it was cancelled and they had extra money which was donated to us for the ramp. With that we built the pillars for the ramp,” informs 23 year old Amod Acharya, former president of Rotaract Club, Kathmandu-Midtown.
“We didn’t have sponsors for all the rest of the funds, , so we raised all of it ourselves,” says Saugat. Without using NGO tactics of lobbying or seeking foreign aid, a bulk of the money comes from the pockets of club members. “Some of us put in Rs 25, others maybe Rs 500.
So we don’t say we had ‘donors’ but we call them ‘well wishers.” Most of the network of well wishers expands mostly to friends, families and relatives of club members although Saugat mentions the valuable aid of their Advisor Dr Chandra Lekha Tuladhar.
The entire sum collected amounts to approximately Rs 400,000, all of which went to the construction of the ramp.
Reeta is thrilled at the ramp being officially handed over to CBR on August 29. Twenty-five and a survivor of polio, she has nothing but praises. “The ramp has made such a big difference! Some of the children are able to take themselves upstairs, and for those who still need assistance, it’s easier for the teachers as well.”
For Reeta, the pride of this ramp lies in being able to be an example for others. “We’re community-based, and now that we have mobility in our premises, we’re a prime example for other places that need to be handicap-friendly. When we go to other places like schools, hospitals, government offices or even shopping centers, with only stairs, we are so limited. After seeing us, hopefully other places will learn as well,” she says.
This hope is shared by the Club. “What we really want is advocacy. If we can do this, then maybe others will believe that they can do something too,” says Saugat. Amod adds, “A lot of youth want to help, but they hesitate to take the initiative. They are afraid of the response they will get.”
There are, without doubt, added difficulties to being young and undertaking such a large project. For the Rotaract Club, there was the issue of funding.
“The midpoint was the most difficult for me. We had one half of the sum and had the other half to go. We didn’t know if we should freeze the account or leave the ramp incomplete.” Saugat says. “Funding was hard. As youth, we get discouraged easily. If you ask people for clothes or food, they’ll give. But when you ask for money, it’s more difficult.”
Despite everything, they are optimistic. “If youth are working together, and they’re doing it for a noble cause, they can convince their families and friends about what they’re doing. By volunteering or taking part in social services, as youth, we can learn about society and society can learn about us,” are the encouraging words of Amod.
Saugat expands on a saying he once heard, “Let’s take youth as waste. You can either leave it in a room and it won’t do anything, but if you dispose it in the right place, like a field, the waste manure will turn into fertilizer and can grow things. That’s what we youth are, we’re like waste, but our ideas, our initiatives matter and we can help the needy.”
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