Felm Nepal’s Administrative Officer Anil Bashyal writes how he got a special opportunity to visit development cooperation projects in action.
My work at Felm Nepal is to support our team by working behind the scenes. This means not being often present in the frontlines. This is why my second field trip, this time to our regional office in Dhangadhi, felt so special.
During this visit, I was grateful to be able to gain learning through monitoring visits to our working areas directly, and to meet the beneficiaries of our currently running development cooperation project, besides doing my normal procurement tasks.
I was able to listen to people’s life changing stories – and it made me completely speechless. My heart was broken, and my eyes were tearing up. I felt even more proud, thinking that I can work as a part of such organization that uplifts lives of those vulnerable and marginalized people of Nepal.
Work with people with disabilities
In earlier stages of my career with Felm Nepal, I knew that what our organization is contributing to communities at a local level, about its vision and its goals. Yet it was still even more amazing experience as an Administrator employee to witness our work so concretely, by interacting with those who have been deprived of social acceptance, inclusion, support and encouragement as a part of their own society.
For example, I met Pradip from Godawari rural municipality who is single father of a 5 year old daughter. He has one side of body paralyzed and is a person with disability (PWD). He got in touch with our partner organization called Forward Looking, and after learning about his interest in having his own small shop selling Nepali snacks, he got support from the project to operate a small business of his own.
Now, he is doing well in his business. He is gaining some profit and can sustain his own and his daughter’s daily expenses. The way he portrayed the gratefulness for such a small support that changed his life made me speechless.
Breaking mental health barriers
I also met Heema Kumari, 36, who struggled with different kind of challenges. She is married and has one daughter who is 11 years old. She has experienced depression and anxiety, and even attempted suicide. Then she got introduced to Koshish Nepal, also Felm Nepal’s local partner organization that works with people living with psychosocial issues.
Previously, Heema felt that she was alone with such kind of issues, but with the help of Koshish, she found many with similar cases. They started talking and sharing their experiences in a self-help group formed by Koshish. Through the work, she got a disability ID card as well.
She is still continuing sharing her experiences in the group meetings. She also received poultry farming training to improve her family’s income. Now she is slowly getting better through support of Koshish. It gave me goosebumps when she was narrating her painful story.
What I learned during my trip is that Felm Nepal’s work helps Heema and many others to live a dignified life. I am so proud to say I am part of this work.
Text: Anil Bashyal, Administrative Officer, Felm Nepal