Support Member Testimonials

I (Nirjala Bhattarai) and my brother Jagat Bijay Koirala (currently residing in Sydney, Australia) had been thinking for several years about contributing, even in a small way, to the field of children's education. This intention of my brother Jagat Bijay and my sister-in-law Situ became even stronger from the time of their daughter's first birthday.

Our shared belief that "no child should be deprived of education" left us uncertain about how best to offer support—whether we should work directly to identify children in need ourselves, or collaborate through an organization.

In this process, in 2017, Mr. Raju Ghimire from Voice of Children introduced us to the organization "SOUP". After contacting Ms. Vidya Laxmi Manandhar, who works with the organization, my husband and I visited the SOUP office located in Sanepa to learn more about its work.

As soon as we entered the office, our attention was drawn to the names of the executive members and advisors displayed on the wall. Among them, one name very familiar to me - Ms. Rejina Shrestha and another name I had heard before - Ms. Gujeshwari Shrestha gave us a sense of reassurance. In addition, the detailed information provided by Ms. Vidya Laxmi further strengthened our confidence in the organization.

As a result, we decided to support the education of five children through this organization. After returning home, we discussed the decision with my brother and sister-in-law and began our support through SOUP.

Over nearly eight years of collaboration with this organization, we have come to feel that SOUP genuinely works with great sensitivity toward children and families who are truly in need. The organization's work is highly commendable, and it is clearly accessible to the children and families who require support the most.

Some of the children we have supported have successfully completed Grade 10 and are now pursuing higher education, while others are still continuing their schooling. From time to time, the organization shares the children's progress reports with us and also facilitates meetings between the children and us. These interactions have given us encouragement, motivation, and renewed energy to continue our support.

My name is Manish Pandey, and I am currently residing in Adelaide, Australia. I came to know about the Society for Urban Poor (SOUP) through my wife, Ishwori Shrestha. I learned that SOUP has been working in various fields for the capacity building and intellectual development of children and women. Among these different areas, when I came to know about the support being provided to children in the education sector, I became interested in contributing to this field as well.

For the past 12 years (since 2069 B.S.), I have been continuously supporting SOUP as a SOUP Support Member. I greatly appreciate SOUP's approach of mobilizing local resources in its work. I am deeply impressed by SOUP's work because I strongly believe that mobilizing local resources is key to making an organization sustainable and self-reliant.

I am confident that my small contribution has been able to provide some support toward scholarships and After School Program classes. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to my wife, Ishwori, for giving me the opportunity to be involved in this kind of social service. I wish SOUP continued success in carrying out such meaningful and impactful work in the days ahead.

My name is Dhaneswori Shrestha. I currently reside in Koteshwor–Tinkune. I was born in Lubhu in the month of Shrawan, 2016 B.S. I was married in 2034 B.S. to Nhuchhe Krishna Shrestha, a resident of Nala. I had been hearing about the Society for Urban Poor (SOUP) since its establishment through my sister-in-law, Gujeshwari Shrestha, but I was able to understand its work directly only from 2071 B.S. onward. After learning more about SOUP, I became deeply impressed by the way the organization carries out its work. As a result, I decided to become a support member and began contributing, even if in a small way.

After becoming a support member, I had the opportunity to observe and understand SOUP more closely. My interest in SOUP's work continued to grow, and I also started encouraging others to become support members. Beginning with my own family, I have already enrolled my husband, daughter, and daughters-in-law as SOUP support members. Accepting my request, my friends also extended their support by becoming support members. To date, a total of more than 42 supporting members have joined SOUP through my initiative. I extend my heartfelt respect and gratitude to all of them.

In recognition of my efforts in bringing in many support members, SOUP has honored me by appreciating my work. I am very happy and satisfied with the work that SOUP is doing. As long as I live, I will continue to support SOUP in the same way I am doing now.

Once again, I would like to thank my sister-in-law, Gujeshwari Shrestha, for involving me in this noble cause. I hope that in the coming years the organization will continue to carry out many more beneficial and meaningful works.