When Helena Aarti invited us to write about our NGO in her magazine, for which she is one of the most committed members of in Ibiza (and as you know, a volunteer and a member of the board of directors), we are committed to trying to reach the high standards that Aarti exudes, the “quill” that broadcasts tools for wellbeing, and the “ink” that subscribes humanity and proximity, being faithful to the same DNA as her “Alma Mater”.
By sharing space in her magazine with us, Helena Aarti inspired the title and the reflection that, as an NGO we are pleased to share with you all, hoping that in some way, it will be a journey that inspires you to begin yourself (it’s likely that the majority, like us, ‘are already on your way’).
We are educated, programmed and designed as individuals to reach GREAT social, economic and emotional achievement.
But not only that, as if we were a ‘primate community’, we also have to be the alfas of the group. For more ‘flair’ we use the ‘primate community’ as part of the clan because we benefit (or we think we do) from our individual EGOS (blessed word), otherwise it is ‘too little, too late’…The problem is that years pass and our ambitions are never quenched and happiness never arrives, we never have enough, something is always missing!
When I started to work with the NGO as a technician, only two years ago, having worked as a director in the private company, I was surprised to find a team of people in Via Oberta, who were very clear that ‘sharing is good for business’. In this case, so that human resources and materials reach the people in our NGO in Nepal.
To prioritise sharing the things that you have more than enough of, that you feel happy to be able to contribute, that in turn helps to stop suffering of others, without any personal ambition…I can guarantee, as a chemist by career, this is the ‘formula to happiness’. Not only for those that you help, but for yourself too.
When this occurs, each person becomes indispensable and we all form a part of this continuous ‘sharing’ cycle. As we ‘cash in with happiness’, it generates an efficiency that I have not found even in the most ‘aggressive’ companies. I think the difference lies in the objective; ‘sharing to balance the scales’, not to feed ‘personal ambitions’.
In our NGO we are a small team for the amount of work we undertake; apart from Helena there is David Serra (the secretary who is always available), Raquel Pérez (president, always available) and José Moreno (treasurer), who is the link between Spain and Nepal, along with his godson Santosh Subedi, and the team on the other side in Nepal; In addition, all the public and private sponsors, who make it possible for thousands of people to have a better life, with a very, very modest budget.
I will not dwell for too long on the NGO’s projects, that are possible thanks to your private donations: Shelter house for orphan children, soup kitchen, PF for women at risk of social exclusion, health service, the elderly…an enormous undertaking, that’s been going for more than 20 years, and reaches more than 500 people, with a yearly budget of €20,000.
What’s the secret? 100% of your donation reach us, and every cent is put to use
Since I’ve been collaborating with the NGO, I can’t describe just how proud I am to be a part of this ‘generous sharing’.
The public projects are the novelty these last few years. These are centered around providing safe drinking water to local villages without this infrastructure in place, where the women have to walk for hours through the mountains to bring back water to their homes or, in the best of cases, go into the jungle and find the ‘shabby’ hose mechanism that ‘sometimes’ takes water back to the village.
Currently, the village of Lauruk (690 inhabitants) already have water in every home, and Gaire Vaire (438 inhabitants) will have it this year, they will have water for their animals, allotments and homes. Next year we are starting work on Kohelipani Dawa (640 inhabitants), where we will take that ‘sharing’ water, and with it happiness, to nothing less than to 1700 people.
These projects are subsidised by Fons Pitiús, and in these last few lines I want to thank the great work of the manager Fina Darder, and her team, who are always available to show us and guide us towards excellence in cooperation.
Magí Ferrer
Manager at Via Oberta a Nepal
NGO Via Oberta a Nepal
C/Vicente Serra, nº 20 – Ibiza
Centro Budoka
655 894 674
Fb: Ong Via Oberta a Nepal
IG: viaobertanepal
