My name is Sabina Matangi. I was born June 29,1978, in Kathmandu. I am 29 years old. I have lived in Yoshinkhel since I married nine years ago. My sister-in-law introduced me to my husband. We have a 7-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter. They could not be more different. What he likes, she does not. What he does, she will not do. The situation for children and women in Yoshikhel is the very worst. Too many students drop out of high school to get married. Most of the families are low-income. Most of the school age children are not in school. They just play outside all day. Youth are drawn to crime, drugs and alcohol. There is discrimination, illiteracy, and lack of awareness about how to improve the quality of life. A defining moment One incident which I will never forget involves one of the mothers who is deaf. She was working, carrying her baby on her back, and the baby starting crying. The mother could not hear her, of course, and the baby died, still strapped to her mother’s back. This incident touched my heart deeply. I started to think “What can I do for this community, for our children and their mothers so that these women can earn and the children can learn? How can I help our children become a good example for the community as well as the nation?” That’s when I started searching for a solution. Searching for help When I decided to try and solve the problems in our community, I did not know the right way to start. I talked to some NGOs and government agencies, but that was in vain. Then I found NABUUR, through a search engine. I was searching for somebody who could assist me online and entered the words “online volunteers.” For me, NABUUR cannot be described in single word. Without Nabuur, my dream for my community would be broken. The newly awakened hope would again change into hopelessness. The people’s trust in Sabina would be smashed. NABUUR is the hidden treasure of my life. A project evolves The Neighbours helped me plan my project. They searched the internet and found examples of similar projects to guide us, and organizations who could fund the project. They helped me write a business plan for the centre. Nawal, a Neighbour from Egypt, came to Yoshinkhel village, and together we developed the idea for the innovative education program. Andrew, a Neighbour from the UK, visited and helped me to get funding from another NGO to start the skill training program for women. He also supported us with furniture, learning materials, and English story books for our education program. Simone, a Neighbour from Australia brought stuff for children including story books learning materials etc. She has also designed brochure and poster for our centre. Mary from Italy translated our inquiry letter into Italian. Lots of Neighbours worldwide are working online to help us achieve our goals for Yoshinkhel village. This all happened because of NABUUR.COM. Putting idle hands to work Most of the women in Yoshinkhel do nothing to generate income, as there is no opportunity for employment for the women except labor work. I am trained in knitting. When I came to Yoshinkhel, I thought knitting would be a way for the women to generate income. Most of the woolen goods are manufactured in Bhaktapur. Since we started the skill training program, the women are busy in knitting goods and they are getting good income from the work. School going children are participating in an innovative education program. One girl won the first prize in poem competition and math competition from her school just after she joined our program. They are enjoying, playing and learning. With this program, it is our belief that the school drop-out rate will decrease. We still do not have our own place. We run the project out of a single room. It is my plan that we complete construction of a new building, at least the ground floor, by the end of 2007. If we take this small step now, it will be easier to get support from national organizations. Now that we have nearly finished our business plan, Neighbours can help us find potential donors and contact them to fund the projects. It will also be great help if they can collect used items for the projects and send them to Yoshinkhel. We also need help finding markets where the women can sell their products to support themselves. This will help the women to become independent so they can do better for their children. Inspired to serve others As a child, my aim was to be a social worker. My Grandfather, my Father and my Father-in-Law all spent their lives in service to the community. They used to tell me “Do not think of yourself only. Serve the people around you.” They taught me that some part of life should be spent giving back to the society that serves you. They inspired me to be a local representative. When I remember my responsibility toward the community and the pending work our project requires, it keeps me awake at night. When I succeed in my work, when I see the children happily playing, enjoying and learning, and these small successes make me smile. A day in the life I have a degree in Business Studies/Management. Recently I got a new job. I am Company Secretary and Accountant. I woke up at 5:30 a.m and have morning tea. Then I start preparing a meal of rice, pulses, vegetable curry, meat curry and pickles. It takes me 1 and a half hours. At 7:00, I go to the innovative education program to help with tutoring. We do not have a paid tutor, just a volunteer. I help her in the class till 8:00. Then I give some time to my children to get them ready for school and myself to get ready for my job. At 9:45 got to the office by local bus. Working hour are 10:00 to 6:00. I return home with my husband by motorbike. When I come back the dinner is waiting. After having dinner with my family, I clean the kitchen and sit at the computer. I do necessary work on computer till I go to sleep. Every Saturday from 11.00 am, I spend time with the women’s knitting group, guiding them and checking the products for delivery. I do an inventory check and accounting. The Internet has played vital role in my life. It has built my working capacity and helped me to find lots of opportunities. I’m currently using the internet from home on a dialup connection. Unlimited dialup access is RS 10000 per year plus the telephone charge. The telephone charge is RS 1 per 4 minute in the morning and evenings, and RS 1 per 2 minute during the day. At an in internet café, the cost is RS 20 per hour. Dreaming of a better tomorrow I believe that what happened before was good, what is happening now is better and what will happen tomorrow is the best. Accept the reality. Be patient. Work hard and make a commitment to being successful in your life. This is the lesson which I am applying in my life. My dream is to make Yoshinkhel a model community – the most educated, healthy and developed community in Nepal. This should be a place where women can earn and children can play and learn. All school age children should enroll in school, while small children are in a centre full of love and care. Women should be independent. When these dreams come true, and we have established the childcare and adult learning centre, I will be satisfied. A message for Neighbours I cannot fulfill my dream alone. I need your help, your assistance and your full support. Without your hand to hand support, my dream for my community will never come true. It is my hope that you will assist in making this a successful situation in support of the women and children of this community. I am available by email or msn whenever Neighbours need any information. I’m ready to give input. I assure the Neighbours that their support and ideas will never be useless. I will utilize the instructions, ideas and plans which we together develop online. Teamwork really works. Though we are all busy in our own lives, please devote some time to serve the needy people. Sabina Matangi is a Leading Local Representative The Leading Local Representatives are a group of Local Representatives doing work for NABUUR locally. They received a training to orient new candidates into the NABUUR model and support existing Local Representatives with their online projects.