Other news: Some reflection on the report from Bethan
Those of you who are paying attention to the dates of these posts will notice a significant lapse over the past month. An explanation:
My initial response after reading Phurbu’s report was to stay the course, but as the news sunk in I realized that my enthusiasm for helping Yubaraj had taken a hit. It was really hard to let go of the picture I'd created in my mind of Yubaraj as a 14-year old who’d suffered the death of his father and who, with just a little bit of effort, could catch up on the missing two years of school.
Over the past few weeks, as I've let go of that picture, a new and just-as-compelling picture has emerged. Yubaraj is a young man who shoulders tremendous responsibility for a large family. He has always been as deserving of our support – no more, no less – than any other child in his situation, and I believe this is as true as ever. We have an opportunity to make a tremendous difference in his life and – by extension – in the lives of his mother, wife, sisters and brothers, and, some day, his children. Those of us engaged in the project translate that opportunity into a responsibility, and I only have to look at the photographs that Phurbu took in Bethan (posted below) to feel that sense of responsibility crystallize, strengthen, and motivate me to continue my role in moving this project forward.
While Yubaraj has been enthusiastic about returning to school, learning that he’s 17 (nearly an adult) has broadened the range of educational and vocational options available to him. His age also gives him more of a decision-making role than we initially considered: at 17, he can and should take an active role in determining what should be done with our support. We’ve asked Basu to talk to Yubaraj about this, and with his guidance we’ll be considering vocational training programs, small business training, and similar ideas to supplement his schooling or to create opportunities for him after he graduates.
Of course, this all depends on the funds we’re able to collect for Yubaraj. I continue to believe that the Yahoo members who initially read Kevin Sites’ article will support what we’re doing. And although Kevin Sites and I have so far only become good at exchanging emails and playing phone tag, he’s asked me to be patient while he meets some pressing deadlines and has repeated his support for what we’re doing. So I’m still optimistic that he and his producers will take the opportunity to feature our work for Yubaraj on their website and draw attention to our need for funds to make this work.
In the meantime, a group of us are doing what we can to raise awareness and funds. If you haven’t already done so, please join us by clicking here to donate through GiveMeaning.com and we’ll continue to keep everyone posted as we move forward. Thank you!
My initial response after reading Phurbu’s report was to stay the course, but as the news sunk in I realized that my enthusiasm for helping Yubaraj had taken a hit. It was really hard to let go of the picture I'd created in my mind of Yubaraj as a 14-year old who’d suffered the death of his father and who, with just a little bit of effort, could catch up on the missing two years of school.
Over the past few weeks, as I've let go of that picture, a new and just-as-compelling picture has emerged. Yubaraj is a young man who shoulders tremendous responsibility for a large family. He has always been as deserving of our support – no more, no less – than any other child in his situation, and I believe this is as true as ever. We have an opportunity to make a tremendous difference in his life and – by extension – in the lives of his mother, wife, sisters and brothers, and, some day, his children. Those of us engaged in the project translate that opportunity into a responsibility, and I only have to look at the photographs that Phurbu took in Bethan (posted below) to feel that sense of responsibility crystallize, strengthen, and motivate me to continue my role in moving this project forward.
While Yubaraj has been enthusiastic about returning to school, learning that he’s 17 (nearly an adult) has broadened the range of educational and vocational options available to him. His age also gives him more of a decision-making role than we initially considered: at 17, he can and should take an active role in determining what should be done with our support. We’ve asked Basu to talk to Yubaraj about this, and with his guidance we’ll be considering vocational training programs, small business training, and similar ideas to supplement his schooling or to create opportunities for him after he graduates.
Of course, this all depends on the funds we’re able to collect for Yubaraj. I continue to believe that the Yahoo members who initially read Kevin Sites’ article will support what we’re doing. And although Kevin Sites and I have so far only become good at exchanging emails and playing phone tag, he’s asked me to be patient while he meets some pressing deadlines and has repeated his support for what we’re doing. So I’m still optimistic that he and his producers will take the opportunity to feature our work for Yubaraj on their website and draw attention to our need for funds to make this work.
In the meantime, a group of us are doing what we can to raise awareness and funds. If you haven’t already done so, please join us by clicking here to donate through GiveMeaning.com and we’ll continue to keep everyone posted as we move forward. Thank you!
posted by Christine Egger at 1:29 PM
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