“I think anyone that has been to Nepal can attest to the fact that this country is special in a way that is undeniable.”

 

In 2010, Jami Saunders spent two weeks volunteering at an orphanage in Kathmandu. The professional photographer made a life-changing trip. Every day of her two weeks there she found herself touched by the forty-nine children. She noted that their lack of access to quality education, in particular seemed to be most pressing.

Upon arriving back in NYC, she and her partner Andrew Raible decided to launch a non-profit. The mission of “Kids of Kathmandu” is to provide better education for the children in Nepal. I had the unique opportunity to meet with Jami and chat about this blooming non-profit while simultaneously growing her photography career.

 

A: It was a no brainer. Just look at the faces of the children at our original orphanage project. I think anyone that has been to Nepal can attest to the fact that this country is special in a way that is undeniable. The people are living in one of the poorest countries in the world, one that, lately, has been challenged more and more. Yet they’re welcoming, giving and happy. The idea of providing tools for a better opportunity to these children that were teaching me so much about priorities (especially coming from New York, where we all know how easy it is to get swept up in the idea of more, more, more) seemed like a no-brainer. It seemed like a privilege and a duty.

Q: How has Kids of Kathmandu grown? 

A:  We’re still committed to and supporting our initial forty-nine children, many whom have grown old enough to leave the orphanage and are working or going to university. We’ve also formed partnerships with other child and education-based projects. But the largest change happened for us this past April when the horrific earthquake struck Nepal killing over 8,000 people. We’ve now formed a partnership with AFN, Asian Friendship Network, on the ground in Nepal and “SHOP” architects here in New York and are rebuilding fifty schools with the permission of the ministry of education in four of the most devastated districts. We actually broke ground on our first nine schools just this week! So this is happening! In the end 10,000 children will have new schools and their villages will have clean water, solar power, libraries, and a safe and beautiful structure to learn in every day.

Q: Wow! That's unbelievable. How many times per year do you travel to Nepal? 

A:  I go once a year. I vet out our new projects, check on our existing projects, work on our brand of Nepali handmade cashmere children's line called Oja Moon and, most important, spend time with the kids who take lots of space in my heart.

 

“Ke Garne” is a popular phrase in Nepal which means, “what to do.” The airport is closed. No flights? “Ke Garne. Let’s go get momos and tea.”

Q: What is the tone of your trips and what are the traveling conditions like?  

A:  Honestly now it is like a second home. I even leave suitcases full of clothing at a hotel near the orphanage because they are like family. I make one phone call with my dates a few days ahead and arrangements are made. That being said, travel is difficult because it is not close! It takes about 24 hours to get there.

We also have staff on the ground and an office in Nepal now, so things have changed since the first trip, where I had no idea what to expect. The conditions are minimal. It’s not ideal for fussy travelers. For example, the last time I was there, you may have heard about the Turkish Airline plane that crash landed on the tarmac blocking everything. Luckily everyone was okay! But Nepal had no equipment large enough to move the downed airliner so we waited for equipment from India for four days. I was stuck there. Though I admit it’s a pretty special place to be “stuck.” If I hadn’t been scheduled to do a photo shoot for a wedding in Ireland a week later I would have embraced that travel detour completely!

You have to be flexible and understand that this country does not have the luxuries of the West. It breaks my heart at times. The Nepalis are dealt a lot of short sticks, and yet people manage and go on. “Ke Garne” is a popular phrase in Nepal which means, “What to do.” The airport is closed, no flights, Ke Garne. Let’s go get momos and tea.”

Even now they are coming off over five months of a blockade at the Indian border. Fuel shortages became a way of life making it difficult to impossible to drive for most people and cook. Just coming off of the earthquakes only months before, they were forced to adjust to an even more unstable life. This country knows how to roll with the punches, because they have no choice. And while I do hope they have an easier road in the very near future, this Ke Garne attitude is inspiring to me and those of us in the west who lose our minds when the Four Train runs local instead of express. Perspective.

 

Q: Can you share the events of a typical trip or a trip that really touched you? 

A:  Sure, gosh, all of them. But this sticks out from my first trip when I started to understand how much a difference one can make with very little. At the orphanage, we noticed that the older kids waited until the younger kids were done with dinner before they ate themselves. When we asked why they didn’t all eat together, they said it was
because the rice cooker wasn’t big enough to cook rice for everyone and there weren't enough plates. What?! So for a $100 trip to the kitchen supply store we could purchase items that would allow everyone to eat together like the family that they are? That was amazing to me. And not only because I learned how much difference you can make with so little, but because no one was complaining about it. The older kids who were, no question, very hungry coming home from school, simply waited patiently for the younger ones to finish and thought nothing about it. It’s inspiring to see how much change we can make with a little bit of money and some broad spectrum thinking.

Q: What are the logistics in providing supplies such as water, food, pencils, educators, etc?

Q: There is lots of press on disaster relief and how funds aren’t going directly to the intended people. How do you manage the distribution of funding funneled to the right hands?