Every two years the Non-Resident Nepali Association of Australia awards the prestigious Friend of Nepal to a worthwhile candidate who has made a significant contribution in helping the people of Nepal.

This year Sanchita Koirala and Nirmala Pandeya presented Stewart Jones with the

2015 NRNA Friend of Nepal Award

Stew has been a NAFA member since the mid 1990s and has served on the committee since 2011     Stew is a great team member and his contribution to NAFA and Nepal has included:

• sharing the Event Coordination position with Peter Brockett, which includes planning for NAFA’s two major fundraising events each year, the dinner and Nepal in the Park.
• Identifying important areas for improvement such as a shift in focus for Nepal in the Park into an event that had a more cultural focus, ensuring the sustainability of that important fundraiser for NAFA.
• being an active member of the application assessment subcommittee
• working tirelessly and providing intellectual rigour on other sub-committees including NAFA’s community development work in the Tawal area
• actively contributing to review and development of significant policy, procedure and correspondence documents.

All NAFA members wish to acknowledge the work Stew does for the association and and congratulate him on receiving this prestigious award.

 

 

Ross and Brenda were honoured to receive

Life Membership for 25 years dedicated service

to NAFA and the people of Nepal

in March 2014

Their interest in Nepal began in March 1986 and then again in 1988 when they trekked in the Annapurnas in Nepal.  They developed a deep love of the country and the people.  So in April 1989 when they heard of NAFA’s first Nepalese New Year fundraising dinner, they attended the function and soon after became members.  Eight months later they returned to Nepal to trek in the

Everest area and took with them a donation of $500 – the first funds NAFA had raised.  They met with the Australian Ambassador who advised where the money would be best spent and what would be good future projects in Nepal.

Soon after this they both joined the committee in different capacities which eventually lead to Ross taking on role of Secretary and Brenda the Vice President position.

 

 

Every 2 to 3 years they returned to Nepal to trek in the mountains and while there they followed up on the small projects NAFA was funding at that time.  In 1998 they trekked to the village of Tawal in the Ganesh Himal where they assessed NAFA’s first remote project – bringing water to the village.   In 2002 Brenda spent two months teaching at Vinayak Shiksha Niketan English Secondary School, just outside Kathmandu which NAFA still supports with child sponsorships.

 

 

 

In 2004 they returned to Nepal, this time for a 5 month period where they had more time to view projects and ascertain which ones would be suitable for NAFA to fund.  Since then, Ross and Brenda have stayed in Nepal for 5 months each year.

 

 

 

 

It was at this time that NAFA obtained tax deductibility and was able to raise more money to be used on projects in other remote areas.  Ross and Brenda trekked through the isolated and unspoilt areas of lower Solu Khumbu and Okhaldunga.  This was the first time travellers had visited some of these remote communities.  Since then they have travelled through this area each year taking friends and NAFA members to view and assess the different projects and enjoy the generous hospitality of the Sherpa people.  NAFA has supported a number of projects in this area – the building of classrooms, school toilets, two micro hydro plants providing electricity for  176 homes, biogas and fuel efficient stoves.

 

 

 

While in Nepal Brenda teaches children craft at a children’s home outside Kathmandu, sources goods for NAFA fundraising stalls in Brisbane and organises the distribution of jumpers and beanies to school children in remote schools.  Over 500 jumpers and beanies are distributed annually.

 

 

 

 

 

Ross spends his time compiling profiles of the children sponsored through NAFA and this information is then passed on to the sponsors so they get to know how their sponsored student is progressing.  As the Nepal Project Co-ordinator Ross also monitors current projects and travels to many other areas of Nepal such as the Tawal and surrounding villages in the Ganesh Himal, Kavre and Sindalphulchowk to investigate new applications he receives while in Kathmandu.

 

 

For the other 7 months of the year during their time in Australia, they are both busy assisting NAFA with major fundraising events and attending to NAFA work and meetings.  In line with NAFA policy, all members are volunteers and therefore all expenses both in Australia and Nepal are met by them personally. Their reward is the knowledge that through NAFA they are helping to make a difference to the lives of many people in Nepal.

 

 

 

 

 

 Ross and Brenda were very humbled to be recognised by their peers and to be awarded Life Membership to NAFA for 25 years service.

Congratulations to Helen Zada

who has been awarded “Friends of Nepal 2013”

by the National Non-Resident Nepalese Association.

As a long  term member of the Nepal Australia Friendship Association (NAFA) Helen is one of NAFA’s most valued members. She contributes to the well being of disadvantaged people in Nepal through her NAFA role and activities, in three main ways.

Since 2003, Helen has occupied the role of Sponsorship Officer with NAFA. This role involves management of two child sponsorship programs: one at Prisoner’s Assistance Nepal (PA Nepal) and the other at VSN School, Thimi. Helen is currently responsible for the sponsorship arrangements of 91 students, disadvantaged by way of poverty, and a parent or parents in prison or deceased. Helen also assists with the management of NAFA’s Further Education and Training Program (FEAT)  which provides post SLC study or training for young Nepali students from PA Nepal, Thimi VSN School, and Tawal School, in the remote Tamang village of Tawal in Ri VDC.

The administrative work involved in managing these programs is both exacting and time consuming. Helen contributes approximately 20 hours unpaid work per week to these projects. Outcomes to date are an indication of the program’s success. All students who have reached grade 10 sat the SLC exam and all achieved a pass, and some achieved results in the top division.

Helen’s attention to detail, passion for the program, and capacity to retain sponsors have contributed to this success. As a related benefit of the sponsorship program, parents of sponsored children at VSN School, many of them carpet factory workers, reported that their child’s sponsorship reduced the worry about cost of living and enabled them to focus on daily survival such as producing/buying food (Evaluation Report NAFA Child Education Sponsorship Program 2012, author Dr D. Setterlund).

Helen travels regularly to Nepal at her own expense to monitor the program. She takes a personal interest in each student and is therefore able to assist NAFA’s management committee with complex decision making regarding individual students’ study plans.

 

Helen is an active and hardworking fundraiser for NAFA. She is a vital contributor to all fundraising activities such as helping on market stalls, helping at the Nepali New Year Dinner and ‘Nepal in the Park’ events.Helen also initiated her own fundraising strategy “Helen’s Personal Challenge” from 2010 to 2012 which raised over $10,000 and has enabled two female students to study health nursing in Nepal. These students will work in their local communities and therefore contribute back to their community and society. Helen also took personal responsibility for raising money for Kharsa, a village in the remote Ganesh Himal, north-west of Kathmandu. Helen held dinners and fundraised amongst her friends to raise over $4,000 to assist Kharsa to improve the dilapidated local school and to bring water to the school.

In all, Helen makes an enormous contribution to the well being of disadvantaged communities and individuals in Nepal through her role as sponsorship officer with NAFA and her fundraising activities, both with NAFA’s fundraising events and personally by fundraising for specific projects.

Helen is a compassionate contributor to improving the well being of disadvantaged Nepali people.  It is a great honour for one of NAFA’s members to be formally recognized for her contributions with this prestigious NRNA award.

Order of Australia Medals

awarded to

Rod and Deborah Setterlund

Queen’s Birthday, June 10 2013

NAFA members are rejoicing in the news that Rod Setterlund, President of NAFA and wife Deborah Setterlund, NAFA Research Officer, each have been honoured this Queen’s Birthday, June 10 2013, with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division. The Order of Australia is the pre-eminent means by which Australia recognises the outstanding and meritorious service of its citizens. Rod and Deborah have been recognised for service to the Nepalese community. The awards of OAM add to Rod’s receipt of an inaugural National Friend of Nepal Award from the Non-Resident Nepali Association Australia in 2008 and Deborah’s receipt of the University of Queensland Vice-Chancellor’s Alumni Equity and Diversity Award in 2009.

In response to receiving news of their awards Deb and Rod paid tribute to the collective efforts of NAFA members in improving conditions for disadvantaged people and communities in Nepal. They referred to the wonderful work of the NAFA management committee, the vibrant Nepalese community in Brisbane, all NAFA volunteers and supporters, generous donors, NAFA’s project coordinators in Nepal, Joy Foundation Nepal, and NAFA’s like-minded aid partners, Nepaleducaid (Austria) and Smile Back to Me, Spain. While Rod and Deb are always inclusive of others in any references to NAFA’s success, their OAM awards are a personal tribute to the unique contributions they make to NAFA’s work both in Brisbane and in Nepal, which we are pleased to highlight.

Officially, Rod has held the positions of first Treasurer and for the last 6 years President of NAFA while Deb has held the positions of Assistant Secretary and in recent years, Research and Evaluation Officer. Deb also serves on the management committee of HearingNepal and on the committee of the Nepal Australia Research and Studies Centre (NASREC). Rod and Deb have travelled to Nepal at their own expense every year for the past 12 years, assessing, monitoring and evaluating NAFA supported projects, including those located in remote villages.

Rod and Deb’s contributions centre on their leadership capacities and practical skills. Rod uses his training in organisational development to build NAFA’s capacity, by encouraging stronger connections with the local Nepalese community in Brisbane, and seeking more Nepalese people to take management positions on the NAFA committee. This has built greater trust and co-operation with the Nepalese community who work enthusiastically in partnership with NAFA to raise funds for NAFA supported projects in Nepal. Rod implemented a strategy for NAFA to partner with like-minded international non-government organisations, individual donors and government funding sources.

Under Rod’s leadership, NAFA has grown into an organisation which has allocated an average of nearly $120,000 in each the last five years. Rod and Deb introduced an integrated community development model for NAFA’s project work and management, based on concepts of equity and social justice, strengths assessment, capacity building, local ownership and outcome evaluation.  NAFA now delivers an impressive range of both ‘one-off’ and longer term integrated development projects, aligned with UNMDG policy.

Rod has uses his practice skills in community work to put NAFA’s operating principles on the ground. In villages or communities where NAFA has ongoing projects, Rod facilitates community meetings in partnership with community leaders. This ensures that local knowledge and leadership are respected; that community members have strong ownership of projects; and that project outcomes meet village driven development priorities.

Rod’s leadership and expertise in community work drove what is NAFA’s largest project to date – the Tawal and Tawal Besi micro-hydro electricity project that provides power to 250 households, a health clinic and the area feeder school. Rod sought expert engineering advice and was able to assess the detailed technical design and funding aspects of the project proposal. He then travelled to Nepal at his own expense specifically to engage the entire Tawal community in planning and managing the project. This ground work provided the confidence for the NAFA management committee to back this complex project. He was honoured to officially open the system in February 2012. The positive economic and social outcomes from this project has provided the impetus for further development through a 5 year improved cooking stove and re-forestation program involving all 13 villages in this area.

Rod has also conducted workshops in Nepal on organisational management using an adapted version of a CD he developed for Indigenous communities in Queensland. Rod and Deborah designed an English language practice program to assist rural students with the oral part of the English test in the national SLC exam and delivered to year 9 students when visiting the remote school of Tawal.

Deb’s academic research skills and ‘hands on’ community development practice skills complement Rod’s contributions. Deb assists with conceptualising projects, facilitating training workshops, program evaluation and social work student education. Like Rod, Deb has a strong sense of social justice and ensures that the views of the least powerful groups and individuals are heard and respected in all aspects of project delivery in Nepal. This includes listening to lower caste women in a mixed caste group, ensuring dalit families are included in evaluations, hearing from carpet factory parents, arranging to talk to women separately when needed, and affirming the experiences of young people who may be struggling to express their difficulties with study and independent living.   Deb planned and facilitated a workshop for 20 Nepali teachers entitled ‘Developing the Creative Child’ at VSN School. The non traditional, experiential approach was enthusiastically received and helped the teachers to engage with quite complex concepts in education and to adopt a more contemporary learning approach with students.

Deb supervised five University of Qld social work students undertaking field work in Nepal, training them in community development, educational workshop delivery and program evaluation. Student involvement in NAFA projects adds value to NAFA’s work in Nepal. For example, Deb and social work students developed a Leadership Program to help young Nepalese students make positive choices in life. The program was delivered to over 160 students who reported better skills in problem solving and risk management and feeling more confident about leaving school as outcomes of the program.

Deb has designed, overseen and written up a series of social surveys and project evaluations in collaboration with students. The Tawal Social Survey (2011) provided NAFA with detailed information about local priorities and capacities and baseline data for evaluation of outcomes of ongoing community development in the area.

The Evaluation Report on the VSN child education sponsorship program and the Thimi carpet factory health clinic helped NAFA to fine-tune these programs. Deborah trained a Nepalese graduate health nurse to collect the data for the most recent survey, the Tawal Village Health survey (2012). Information from the survey is now being used by the Tawal area communities to tackle health and environmental problems in partnership with NAFA.Deb and Rod are passionate about the work they do as NAFA members. They believe that collective action brings together the mix of ideas, knowledge and skills that make for better solutions to complex issues.  They thank everyone for the heart-felt messages they have received in relation to their awards and look forward to continuing their work with the NAFA network.

 

NAFA executive members win prestigious national award

At Nepal in the Park, Ross and Brenda Hazelwood were presented with the prestigious Friend of Nepal of the Year 2009-2010, awarded by the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA). Mr Narayan Pokharel, President of the Nepalese Association of Queensland (NAQ), presented the national award on behalf of NRNA and NAQ, who had nominated Ross and Brenda for the award.

This is a joint nomination of a husband and wife team, Ross and Brenda, who for over 20 years have dedicated their time and talents to improving the lives of disadvantaged people in Nepal, as founding and still very active members of NAFA.

Ross and Brenda spend 7 months of the year in Brisbane helping to organise NAFA’s fundraising events (including a Nepalese New Years fundraising dinner and Nepal in the Park) and activities such as market stalls. Brenda is Vice President of NAFA while Ross holds the positions of Secretary and Nepal Project Coordinator.  In addition to these roles, Brenda uses her skills in craft work to make cards and jewelry to sell at NAFA stalls. She also set up NAFA Knitters, a project which involves approximately 80 women knitting jumpers and beanies for children in poor families in Nepal.
 

For five months a year, Ross and Brenda live in Nepal, at their own expense, helping with NAFA projects. They play an important role in identifying and assessing new applications, visiting and assisting with all of NAFA’s projects and inspecting completed projects. This role involves in some cases treks (again at their own expense) to remote areas of Nepal to assess and monitor NAFA projects.

Ross also updates the child profiles of approximately 35 children sponsored for education by NAFA at Prisoners Assistance (PA) Nepal. For several years Brenda has played an important role for the children at that home by conducting a craft program which teaches the children to sew, knit, and make jewelry – often a lovingly made item goes to their parent in prison. Brenda believes craft work provides skills for life.

With Ross’s support, Brenda also coordinates not only the distribution of jumpers and beanies in Nepal, but also the purchase of goods for sale at NAFA market stalls back in Australia.  Brenda also sources beads and material from retail shops in Kathmandu to create jewellery, felt items and other saleable items for the markets, which brought in almost $10,000 for NAFA in 2010.
 

 

Ross and Brenda play an active role in NAFA’s Further Education and Training (FEAT) Program for young Nepali boys and girls to help them find their first job through work visits/work experience and NAFA sponsorship in post School Leaving Certificate (SLC) study or vocational training.

The kind recognition by NRNA and NAQ has provided a unique opportunity to acknowledge a couple, Ross and Brenda who have a deep respect for Nepal and the Nepalese people and culture. They have committed a significant amount of their time, energy and their own resources for over 20 years to support disadvantaged people in Nepal.  Without each other’s support they wouldn’t have been able to achieve what they have and NAFA is very proud and wishes to congratulate Ross and Brenda for winning this prestigious award and thank NAFA and NAQ for the recognition of their contribution to helping disadvantaged people in Nepal.

Congratulations to Hari Khadka

 NAFA is delighted to announce that out of a strong field of nominees, Hari is the winner of the Queensland Multicultural Award for Outstanding Volunteer 2010. Hari was nominated for the award by President Rod Setterlund for his tireless volunteer work over many years helping the local Nepali community, particularly students, supporting NAQ and NAFA, and forging links between Nepalis and the broader community.

 

 

 

He received the award from the Hon Annastacia Palaszczuk MP, Minister for Disability Services and Multicultural Affairs on 29th September at a dinner function attended by over 200 people from diverse cultural backgrounds in Queensland. In his thank you speech Hari made special mention of the support for his work provided by wife Rajani, son Sumit and daughter Salika. He commended the Queensland Government for its efforts in recognising the good work that people do in the community. A summary of the nomination for Hari follows:

 

 

“Due to 15 years of untiring volunteer work, Hari Khadka is the most respected community figure in the Nepali community in Brisbane and is also greatly respected by all those with whom he works in the wider community. He believes in humanity and fights for values of equality and respect. Hari continues to make an enormous contribution to the lives of both Nepali and non-Nepali people in Brisbane and to a multicultural society through his personal efforts to assist people and his work with NAQ and NAFA. He brings qualities of warmth, enthusiasm and excellent organising skills to all he undertakes. Hari makes a significant contribution to raising the profile of Nepalis in Queensland, maintaining Nepali culture, helping Nepalis to bond as a vibrant, warm and caring community and fostering strong bonds between Nepalis and the wider Queensland community”.