Now in it’s second year, Walk for Nepal is an event held in Boston, New York, and Dallas that invites people from all walks of life to raise money for their favorite charity. Participants gather to walk as a group, celebrating their commitment to a better Nepal. NCEF is proud to be one of the partner organizations of this event. Our participation in Walk for Nepal has been coordinated by three volunteer leaders: Hem Pokharel, Shristi Pandey, and Jay Shrestha. We kindly request our readers’ support in the event by either coming out to walk or visiting www.walkfornepal.org. To make a donation, simply follow the link and designate Nepalese Children’s Education Fund as your charity of choice.

Hem Pokharel — Boston
Hem has volunteered for NCEF for a decade now. He started helping other students go to school while he was an undergraduate and now, as a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.), Hem says, “We should all support efforts like NCEF through events such as Walk for Nepal.”



Shrisiti Pandey — New York City
Leading our New York City team, Shrisiti has just completed her first year of volunteer work with NCEF and is excited to continue providing support to increase education access in Nepal. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Brown University and is currently working at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF in New York City as a volunteer coordinator. She says, “Support our fundraising effort by coming out to the walk in large numbers in NYC.”

Jay Shrestha — Dallas
NCEF’s secretary and team leader in Dallas, Jay works as a Scientific Advisor for an international patent law firm. Jay extends southern hospitality to all our readers and invites them to support NCEF through this event and make it a big success.

Where did you go to school in Nepal? What are your memories from school?
I went to several schools in Nepal. I was not doing well in my studies, that’s why my parents kept switching schools for me—hoping that a more popular school would be better. But name of the school was not the reason I later did well, it was the qualified teachers who taught well and paid attention to students all the time. Sorry to tell you this, but I have pretty bad memories in my early years at schools. I thought I was not learning much and I was worried most of the time, especially days when exam results came out. Anticipation of the fear is more fearful than the real fear.  I did not forget that until I joined my last school  where I  learnt a lot from my teachers and exited SLC with an impressive score.

What are the challenges facing Nepalese children today? How does NCEF help?
Even though the number of schools is growing in Nepal, most Nepalese children still have no access to quality education. Private schools that offer better education are too expensive and most of the public schools are plagued by politics and low quality. NCEF makes quality education accessible to those children who are left behind.

What made you choose NCEF out of all the organizations out there?
There are many organizations trying to help, but most of them are not doing an effective job. Some of them are in it for personal benefit while others are faltering because of not having plausible agendas. I like NCEF because it uses funds directly in helping needy children instead of building physical infrastructures which we already have.

Why should others choose to work with/donate to NCEF out of the many other organizations?
Because of plenty of unethical activities happening in NGOs/INGOs in Nepal, I was bit cynical on endorsing any of them, but my  perception changed when I did my research on NCEF. They are transparent on how they use the collected funds and they are actually changing lives in Nepal through education.  Also, the NCEF team is comprised of intellectuals who devote their efforts to educating children in Nepal without getting paid. Such good deeds should not go unnoticed—that’s why I chose NCEF.

What have you gained personally from your time with NCEF?
I am satisfied personally in the sense that NCEF, which I have endorsed, is promoting the cause I strongly believe in. I am going to utilize everything I have gained so far to be more useful  to my country and my people.

How have you been able to promote NCEF among your fans?  What can we expect to see from your partnership with NCEF in the future?
Whenever I get a chance to speak in public, I always talk about the importance of education for all in Nepal, and then I talk about how NCEF is making that possible. I strongly believe in the NCEF mission, so I have decided to collaborate with NCEF to raise funds from every event I do in the coming days.

What's next for you in your career?
I have been offered a leading  role in many Nepali movies, but I have decided to wait for the one that portrays the cause that promotes public awareness rather than public outrage.  Until then, I will continue my musical journey along with my social work, plus I am thinking of joining a Ph.D. program in Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley.

Do you have a message for your fans?
I love you my fans and I always need your love and support.  All of you have been supporting my art and performance and I am very grateful for that. I promise to bring more entertainment to you soon. Also, I would like to request all of you to help anyway you can to promote accessibility of education to all children in Nepal—just like NCEF is doing. We can change our country only through quality education.

Any thoughts for our volunteers and students in Nepal?
Volunteers: the sacrifices that you are making  have been flourishing hope in many children’s lives in Nepal. You will see the result of your effort when the children you helped one day become the change we have been waiting for in Nepal.

All the students: the NCEF team, including myself, have been working hard to support all of you for your bright future. Your hard work and success mean a lot to NCEF. If you do well, more like you will be supported. I will drop by once in awhile to meet you and see your progress.  I hope all of you will make NCEF proud!