Kathmandu, 28 November: Soniya Adhikari, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, USA, has distributed warm clothes to senior citizens and students living in Bhutanese refugee camps in Beldangi of Jhapa and Pathri in Morang.
The official said that by collecting the money given by the parents for the lunch, the dakshina(offering) received on Dashain Tihar and the gifts received on birthdays, 400 blankets were distributed to the elderly and disabled living in both camps, 1700 educational materials were distributed to the students and some clothes were distributed to single women.
“I wanted to come here and help. That dream has come true with the money that I have collected myself”, said Adhikari, “I have been saving the money that I got for a few years for lunch expenses, Dashain, Tihar, birthday and other occasions. I came to Nepal because I wanted to use that amount to help refugee camps more than anywhere else. It’s a pleasure to help.”
She came to Nepal from America with only one week holiday. The wish of the class 12 studying Adhikari was to be distributed on the occasion of her 18th birthday. She said that to fulfill that desire, she came to Nepal this time and distributed blankets and educational materials worth Rs. 14 lakhs. Journalist and social activist Chudamani Bhattarai said that two pencils, two erasers, two sharpeners, two 100-page copies and a packet of color pencils and a scale were distributed to the children from nursery class to 3rd class.
Similarly, Bhattarai informed that two 100-page copies, geometry box, two packages of pens and two large size notebooks, two dot pens and one Educate calculator packet were made and handed over to the students of class 11 and 12. Sonia Adhikari was also born in Timai refugee camp in Jhapa. Sonia, the daughter of Dilli Adhikari and Goma Abhikari, came to America with her parents when she was four years old. Sonia’s father, Dilli Adhikari, is a leading personality of the Nepali community in the field of social service.
Journalist and social worker Bhattarai said that a non-profit organization called Intra National Welfare and Support Foundation of America, led by Adhikari who went into business after reaching America as part of the refugee resettlement program, is running a campaign of cultural unity among the Nepalese people around the world.
Adhikari, who is running a campaign to connect the Nepali race with Nepal through two reality shows named Mero Voice Universe and Mero Dance Universe, is distributing Rs 5,000 per month to the elderly and disabled living in refugee camps. She said that the foundation is also paying the salaries of 30 teachers who teach in schools in refugee camps with bearing ambulances of Damak municipality and Pathari municipality.
