Adhitya in an interview with STELP
STELP: Why don’t you briefly introduce yourself. Who are you and in which country are you working with STELP?
Adhitya: My name is Adhitya Poudel, and I come from Gaindakot-16, Nawalparasi East, which is in the south-central part of Nepal. I am working with STELP as part of my work in Nepal.
STELP: What do you do for a living?
Adhitya: I am both a student and an employee. I am currently doing my Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies (BBS). Alongside my studies, I work part-time on the education project and am also the coordinator for the water project at NIDISI.
STELP: How did your NGO come to cooperate with STELP?
Adhitya: The connection was made in 2019 when my colleague Fabien met a STELP volunteer during a meditation retreat. They stayed in touch and after some time we explored the potential for collaboration, which eventually led to our partnership.
Our collaboration with STELP then began in early 2022 with the education project, where STELP provided funding to support our students. In addition, STELP helped fund a vehicle for our water project, which has helped us greatly with the distribution of water in the village and which we still use to provide water to the villagers in Devgaun, a rural community in the Nawalparasi district. We also organised a local football tournament in Nepal, in which various schools and colleges took part, in collaboration with STELP and NIDISI.
STELP: What is your personal motivation for what you do?
Adhitya: My journey with NIDISI began after the severe earthquake in Nepal in 2015. Together with Fabien and Ashok, we travelled to the affected areas and distributed food and tents, which were made possible by donations from Fabien’s friends and family. This experience had a huge impact on me, as it showed me how much it fulfils me to help people in need. Since then, my motivation has been fuelled by the joy and pride I feel when I can make a difference in people’s lives and the strong sense of fulfilment I feel when I contribute to positive change.
Now that I am helping children from poor families to get an education, I feel even more connected to them, especially because these children are from my hometown and it makes me very happy to see them grow up and succeed and to know that we are helping to shape their future.
STELP: Which aspect of the project is particularly important to you and why?
Adhitya: For me, the most important part of our collaboration with STELP is the funding of our students. This support is important because it helps children from poor families to continue their education. As these students come from my own community, I know that their families struggle with financial problems. Without this help, many of these children would not be able to go to school. Seeing them go to school and succeed is really fulfilling. It’s very important to me that they get an education and can stand on their own two feet. I’m really grateful for the collaboration with STELP, which enables these students to get a better education.
STELP: Do you have a life motto?
Adhitya: My motto is to drive positive change by believing that many solutions to the world’s challenges already exist. I believe that we can create sustainable value for our society, our environment and our future if we apply these solutions with the right mindset. It’s also about utilising our unique qualities and knowledge to make a positive impact, build meaningful connections and create a better future for ourselves and future generations.
