As you know, I returned to Kathmandu after a nice holiday in India. What you may not know, however, is that when I returned, I quit my job at INFO Nepal. I don’t want to go into details, so as not to jeopardize the privacy of particular individuals. I will simply say that before I left for India there was a great conflict at work with two of our volunteers, and the way it was handled by the staff got me thinking about the organization as a whole while I was away. What I realized was that INFO Nepal is not so much an NGO as a money-making enterprise. Perhaps when Asim began the organization 7 years ago, his intentions were good. But, alas, he has come to view volunteers as dollar signs rather than good individuals donating their time and money to his organization and country. He doesn’t show the volunteers the gratitude and respect they deserve, nor is honest about the program in itself. The placements have now seen too many volunteers for the children to appreciate each individual (looking back on my own volunteering experience I now realize how lucky I was), and Asim is too lazy to find new placements and to provide the opportunities the volunteers are actually looking for (health, sanitation, environment, construction…). Even if he has promised the volunteer a certain type of placement, when the volunteers arrive in Kathmandu, they are generically placed in resource centers or orphanages, even if they don’t want to teach or work with children!
I knew most of this when I first arrived at INFO Nepal at the end of August. Yet, I had been led to believe that I was being given the responsibility and authority to change and improve the organization. What I realized before leaving for India is that, actually, I have no such power. I can create all the information sheets, organizational systems, and brainstorming lists I want – when it comes down to it, no one will be following them besides me (which was demonstrated further upon my return to the office, where nothing had been updated during my absence). This, in combination with the growing sense of embarrassment I was feeling to be representing INFO when interacting with the volunteers, led me to quit.
Do not worry, though, dear family and friends. I have gained and learned a lot from this experience. I have learned that I really enjoy working in a type of organization like this, and in a supporting capacity for the volunteers. I enjoyed problem-solving, brainstorming, organizing… And I learned so much that I feel that I could start an organization like INFO Nepal, minus all the problems! So this was, nonetheless, an incredibly valuable experience for me – not to mention, I can add it to my resume now!
AND, I have a plan – a plan to do humanitarian work while I continue trying to figure out what types of career options I have. As I mentioned in my last blog entry, after my trip to Dharamsala, I was very inspired to work for the Tibetan cause. Through contacts I have here in Kathmandu, I have organized some work for myself at the Tibetan Reception Center in Kathmandu. Tibetan children and young adults leave their homes in Tibet on a daily basis to undertake the incredibly difficult journey to India to seek a better future for themselves. Their journey involves crossing the Himalayan Mountains on foot, often alone or accompanied by near strangers, all the while traveling at night to avoid being shot by Chinese Border Patrol. All are journeying to Dharamsala, but must stop in Kathmandu on the way. The Reception Center welcomes these Tibetan exiles, registers them, organizes their trip to India (including visa), and helps them cope with the traumatizing journey they’ve just undertaken and the ensuing culture shock of Nepal.
At the Tibetan Reception Center, they have an art room for the children. It is supported by an English NGO called Art Refuge, whose belief it is that art and creative expression can help the children cope with the multitude of emotions they are experiencing at this point in their journey. I, too, believe this is a great idea, and so I have decided to help out in the art room. My first day was yesterday and it went well. I arrived at 10am and noticed that children were already lined up, waiting for the door to be unlocked! In the morning, the children drew pictures using stencils and pencil crayons. In the future, I can help organize different art projects for the children, so that there is more structure and less repetition from day to day. In the afternoon, the children do activities and games. Then, too, I can organize activities – outside sports, dancing and singing… Anything I want, really.
Though I can’t speak the language (and thus at times felt a little useless), I could already see the value in my being there. The children must be in great need of love, comfort, and affection – and with their rosy cheeks, puppy dog eyes, and the knowledge of what they have just overcome, I can’t help but provide them with that attention!
Change of Plans
