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Little steps to greatness
NOV 20 - Birgunj resident Kanchan Jha could have easily found a well-paying job at a think-tank or an investment bank in the U.S., given his dual degrees in Economics and International Relations. Instead, he came back to his hometown, and started Sano Paila (Little Steps), an NGO that is as unique as its founder.
For starters, unlike other NGOs, Sano Paila’s greatest strength lies in its ties with the local community. All of its funds come from the local people, who, Jha believes, are instrumental in explaining the NGO’s success. “We have shown that international funding is not necessary to operate an NGO.”
Sano Paila began at a time when the Tarai movement was in full swing and the country in a state of political turmoil. A study done by Jha and other founding members found Birgunj to be a drug user’s nirvana, owing to cheap prices and the ready availability of various street narcotics. Hence, Jha initiated the Action For Aid (AFA) programme, aiming to rehabilitate and educate addicts.
The first drug addict to benefit from the programme was Sadhu Ram Khadki, an IDU (Injecting Drug User) for the last 26 years. After 40 days in rehab, Khadki was clean, and the NGO appointed him Programme Director for the anti-drug addiction programme. “We convinced him to stay, and he is our role model for drug users everywhere,” Jha says.
While AFA works directly with their target population, Sano Paila Gharelu Udyog Parivaar programme works with their spouses and those directly affected by the drug users’ addictions. The programme also works at developing the home-based industry, so that drug addicts and their families will have ways to support themselves. As Jha says, Sano Paila Gharelu Udyog Parivaar has attempted to answer two of society’s most ubiquitous unemployment problems— women and drug-user employment. “People need jobs after rehabilitation, and we assist them in finding employment. Sometimes we approach local industries on their behalf.”
Currently, the programme operates a candle factory, with a Dalit bamboo-weaving factory, and a spice-growing and packaging plant to come soon.
Now, Jha is looking beyond the community and reaching out to lawmakers. In an effort to promote peaceful political talks, Sano Paila has launched a third initiative—the Youth Communication and Information programme. “We basically act as mediators, and get people of different political views to talk in forums peacefully,” Jha says.
And, despite the problems Nepal faces, Jha remains optimistic. “Our NGO shows that it is the people themselves who hold the key to social reform.”
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