Updates From the Hot Zone

Afghan child bride and Nepali parking lot attendant receive help from Hot Zone readers.

Of all the stories reported on the Hot Zone during our year of conflict coverage, two in particular stood out for many of our readers: the story of Gulsoma, a child bride in

Over the past few months, the Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone team has been corresponding with readers who have gone out of their way to provide help to Gulsoma and Yubaraj. We'd like to share their stories.

Gulsoma
Najla Osseiran teaches English at Getronagan High School and Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. She shared Gulsoma's story with her high school students, and asked them to write letters of support to Gulsoma. Osseiran then contacted the Hot Zone for the address of Gulsoma's orphanage in Afghanistan. The Hot Zone put her in touch with Haroon Khadim, with the United States Agency for International Development in Kabul, who helped arrange shipment of a parcel filled with the letters, some small gifts and stationery for Gulsoma.

Gulsoma at her Kabul orphanage

In a letter to the Hot Zone, Osseiran detailed the result of her efforts and described how, with perseverance and a bit of luck, her classes were able to continue sending aid to Gulsoma and others at the orphanage.

"When Haroon sent me the pictures of Gulsoma when she received the parcel, we (my students and me) were all thrilled," she wrote. "Many of my colleagues at high school and university told me I should have told them and that they would have liked to contribute."

Osseiran wanted to arrange another, larger donation to send, but shipping costs were too high. She soon discovered, however, that her neighbor was planning a trip to Kabul. The neighbor agreed to hand carry the parcel to the orphanage.

"I immediately wrote to Haroon and asked him for a list of things Gulsoma and her friends needed. It wasn't only Gulsoma anymore. It was all of the kids there. We had seen their picture too (sent by Haroon) and my students and me felt responsible for all of them. We did everything in almost a week: the money collecting, the shopping, the donations and all the arrangements. It was a heavy bag. However, everything went very smoothly."

Osseiran and her class with a
shipment for Gulsoma

On the first day of the new school year, Osseiran's students told her they wanted to arrange another donation. As Osseiran was researching the shipping costs, a friend put her in touch with a manager at Federal Express, who helped arrange shipment of the parcels for free.

The shipment was Osseiran's biggest yet: jackets, gloves, socks, shoes and stationery, among other things.

"It was a great experience for both my students and me, and we hope to go on. The thing is, you get addicted to this joyous and giving feeling and you want others to feel it too," Osseiran wrote. "Hate may be contagious, but so is love! Besides, it is much more powerful and warming."

Yubaraj
Shortly after the Hot Zone posted our story about Yubaraj Khakada, a young man who supports his entire family by working as a parking lot attendant in Khatmandu, we were contacted by Christine Egger.

For many readers, the prospect of trying to send aid to a specific person in a foreign country is daunting. Most aid agencies actually discourage the practice, as it's difficult to track down a specific person, and even harder to verify that that person is receiving the aid.

Yubaraj Khakada

But Egger wasn't daunted. With the help of friends and volunteers, she figured out a way to send help to Yubaraj. (Donations can be made through Canadian charity Give Meaning.) She detailed her efforts in a recent letter to the Hot Zone, excerpts of which are reprinted below:

As you know, your article "Street Dance" prompted a strong response from people wishing they could help Yubaraj return to school. Over the past several months, a group of volunteers has come together to make that possible.

We're in touch with Yubaraj and his family. We've raised over $1,300 and we have a secure system for investing those donations in his education. It's been incredibly rewarding to see this project come together, and I appreciate the opportunity to describe what it's been like to work towards this goal.

Reading about Yubaraj reminded me so much of another hard-working boy I had met while traveling in Nepal years earlier. Like Yubaraj, this boy was quick and hard-working. I thought that if he could go to school he would do well. But he was also clearly resigned to the responsibility of earning an income for his family. I have always strongly regretted not finding a way to make a difference in his life.

The regret expressed by the readers who wanted to help Yubaraj was very familiar. It was clear that many of the people who wanted to help him didn't believe their donations would reach him or, if they did, that they wouldn't be used responsibly.

Yubaraj at work

I wanted to believe otherwise. From the details in "Street Dance" I thought it would be possible to find Yubaraj. I also wanted to believe that the right people could be found to make this project work in a way that would make everyone involved feel really good about it.

We started by outlining a few necessary steps: build a partnership with people in Nepal who could find Yubaraj and be our liaison to him and his family; meet with Yubaraj's family and village elders to confirm the details of the article and receive their permission to enroll Yubaraj in school; establish a way to collect and distribute donations; collaborate with Yubaraj and his family and elders to decide how best to use the funds we collected.

I started by contacting people I respected who had some familiarity with nonprofit work in Nepal and then began researching ways in which we could collect and distribute donations. Slowly, a team of people and organizations came together to volunteer their time and services.

Here's a quick summary of who's involved:

Basu Gnawali in Kathmandu devotes a great deal of time and expertise to building a relationship with Yubaraj, selecting a school and tutor, and managing our funds locally.

Omprakash Gnawali grew up in Nepal and is pursuing a PhD in California. He was the CEO of the Nepal Children's Education Fund.

Scott MacLennan and his Mountain Fund bring the power of a nonprofit organization to our project, including tax benefits and the ability to register with GiveMeaning.com. Scott has also put us in touch with Puskar Gurung and Phurbu Tamang who have been important liaisons to Yubaraj and his family.

GiveMeaning.com in Vancouver, Canada, passes 100 percent of online donations to Yubaraj.

By mid-August (2006) we felt that it was time to let Yubaraj know we were here, and on August 15 Basu and Puskar headed out to find him. He was right where "Street Dance" said he would be, parking motorcycles in the Thamel area of Kathmandu.

When we talked to Yubaraj, we made sure not to offer any guarantees about the level of support we'd be able to give towards his education, but of course Yubaraj is hopeful. Since that first meeting in August we've all felt a sense of responsibility to protect those hopes.

Our very next task was to meet with Yubaraj's family and the elders in the village of Bethan, to find out whether they would support the idea of his returning to school and to confirm the details in "Street Dance."

Yubaraj's home

On our behalf, Phurbu Tamang made the trip, traveling a half-day by bus and walking six hours to get to the village. He spent two days talking with Yubaraj's mother, teacher, and other elders in the community. Much of what Phurbu learned was as we expected. As the eldest son Yubaraj is responsible for a family of seven, including his mother, three younger sisters, a younger brother, and a wife from an arranged marriage made earlier in the year. Phurbu's interviews with Yubaraj's parents and other villagers convinced us that Yubaraj's family depends on him. It is clear from those interviews, and the photographs that Phurbu sent back, that financial assistance to enroll Yubaraj in school will truly change his life.

We also discovered that Yubaraj has been in Kathmandu for almost five years. He has worked at a number of shops and had been working in the car parking area in Thamel for nine months. According to his mother and his teacher, Yubaraj's father left his village four years ago and hasn't had any contact with the family since. They believe he's working as a porter in Kathmandu but they're not sure.

Even after receiving these updates, all of the donors and volunteers reaffirmed their desire to help enroll Yubaraj in a school.

We've collected an additional $800 since Phurbu's trip, bringing our total to $1,300. If we can collect an additional $6,400 in the next month or so, we'll be able to enroll Yubaraj in a good Kathmandu boarding school when the school year begins in April.

If we collect more than that amount, we'll explore options for college or for helping other children in Bethan with their education costs. With fewer funds, Yubaraj can attend a secondary school near his village or take advantage of any number of vocational training programs in Kathmandu. Our hope is to be able to enroll him in April, though, so we're arranging for a tutor to help him get prepared academically.

We will be sure to keep in touch as our work continues. So far, it has felt very good to be a part of this, not only because of what it means for Yubaraj but because of the chance we've created for people to act on their desire to connect to him and his future.

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