Passionately Promoting Education in Nepal
As part of SVP Portland, the Encore Fellows program provides a source of expertise for nonprofit organizations, helps individuals (Fellows) transition from their careers into social-purpose work, and gives corporations a new way to positively impact their communities. Encore Fellows who have retired from a career are matched with host nonprofit organizations based on their passions, skills, and experience.
Seven years ago, tragedy struck Kathmandu in central Nepal. A major earthquake killed 9,000 people and damaged or destroyed a half million structures, including thousands of classrooms. In response, the Nepali Association of Oregon (NAO) partnered with Intel volunteers to start a Rebuilding Schools for Nepal initiative. Julie Chang was one of the Intel employees who had the opportunity to not only volunteer, but travel to Nepal to assess how best to support the individuals and organizations during the rebuilding process. One NAO project was helping Shree Jana Priya Secondary School in Tapting to repair damaged classrooms and build a brand new girls’ hostel to house students and teachers. Another project was rebuilding the Shree Bhote Namlang School in Sindhupalchok and providing clean drinking water and toilets. Julie produced and directed a moving short film that told the story of the work that needed to be done.
Julie’s passion to promote education in South Asia continued through the years. When she retired from Intel after 15 years of working in IT and the final 5 years with Sales and Marketing (SMG), she naturally chose an Encore Fellowship with NAO. NAO works to preserve Nepali cultural heritage, strengthen bonds in the Nepali communities of Oregon and southwest Washington, and help schools in Nepal through direct monetary and in-kind grants. Julie said, “I wanted to continue my journey with NAO because I had already built a meaningful relationship with the organization.”
As an Encore Fellow from April 2021 to April 2022, Julie worked with the NAO Education Executive Director and the leadership teams to develop a strategic plan and budget for projects included in the Education Program. These projects ranged from classroom renovations to building computer labs and libraries at various school sites throughout Nepal. Julie assisted with creating a project proposal, planning, budgeting, and developing marketing strategies for an orphanage project in southeast Nepal near Solukhumbu. She designed, planned, and oversaw three fundraising events for the Education Program. She also helped with process improvement, determining if existing education programs and practices are efficient and effective. In doing so, she cultivated partnerships with other non-profits like Bridges Between, which supports women’s education in Nepal. Julie shared, “I learned the importance of teamwork, patience, and persistence during my Fellowship, and enjoyed the collaborative creativity and problem solving.”
Although her Fellowship is now complete, Julie will continue to devote herself to community development in Nepal. She plans to travel to Nepal this fall to meet with regional partners from Bridges Between as an emissary for NAO. As Julie explains, “my hope is that Bridges Between will share some ideas and inspiration with NAO, and that the two organizations will be able to partner and do more great work for the communities in Nepal.”