3-Day Public Speaking Workshop and Seminar

Glad to share with you that UNCON (USA-Nepal Community Outreach Network) in collaboration with Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU)-Nepal and Association of Nepalese Agricultural Professionals of Americas (NAPA) successfully completed the 3-Day Public Speaking Workshop and Seminar. Hundreds of attendees (college students, researchers and scientists) benefited from the program. Attendance hovered around 300 on all three days. We received overwhelming positive and encouraging responses and participation from the audiences.

On day 1, Devendra Shah, VP of UNCON, called the meeting to on order and invited chief guests Dr. Thapalia, vice chancellor at AFU, Dr. Megh Nath Parajulee, Regents Fellow Professor at Texas A&M University and president of NAPA, & Mr. Bilas Upadhyay, president of UNCON, for the opening remarks. Following that, we had five speeches from distinguished speakers on several topics.

Keynote Speech by Dr. Vishnu Upadhyay

Controlling your Fear by Batuk Bista, DTM

Know your Audience by Devendra Shah

How to Prepare and Practice by Bilas Upadhyay

How to Organize Speech by Jeffrey Cornell

On day 2, Mr. Bilas Upadhyay, President of UNCON, called the meeting to an order. Dr. Rajan Ghimire, Associate professor at New Mexico University gave the demo research presentation and five distinguished panelists (Dr. Megha Nath Parajulee, Dr. Naba Raj Devkota, Dr. IP Kadariya, Hitesh Bhalala) provided constructive feedback on what to do and what to avoid during the research presentation. Mr. Batuk Bista, DTM, Program Coordinator, & VP of UNCON, moderated the panel discussion. Panelists fielded tons of questions from the attendees on-air as well as in chat. We provided much needed value to the attendees by answering their questions and concerns.

On day 3, Devendra Shah called the meeting to an order. Batuk Bista, DTM gave a keynote speech on '9 secrets of public speaking' which was followed by a quick remarks by Hari Bahadur KC, Joint Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock development, Government of Nepal and spokesperson for the ministry. Then, several attendees were eager to present their 2-3 minutes speech to reflect on what their expectation were before joining the workshop and if they learned anything from this program. They were invited to talk. Those speeches were evaluated by Mr. Bilas Upadhyay. Mr. Upadhyay provided a cumulative constructive feedback to all the speakers. Closing remarks were provided by the chief guests Dr. Thapalia, vice chancellor at AFU, Dr. Megh Nath Parajulee, Regents Fellow Professor at Texas A&M University and president of NAPA, Mr. Bilas Upadhyay, President of UNCON, & Mr. Batuk Bista, DTM, Program Coordinator, & VP of UNCON.

Thala Raj Panta

, Cofounder and VP of UNCON provided technical support on the backend.

We had larger participation from Nepal and the USA. We also had participants joining from Canada and HongKong.

We are proud of the value and service we are providing to the community.

5C's for Global Youth Leadership Program - Controlling Your Fear

Glad to share with you all that we successfully conducted our '5Cs for Youth Global Leadership program'. We had total of 42 participants from the United States and Nepal. We had several youths joining from our partner organization, Nepal Youth Council (NYC), Nepal.

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UNCON President, Mr. Bilas Upadhyay called the meeting to an order and provided the opening remarks on why we are doing what we are doing. UNCON VP and Youth Coordinator, Mr. Devendra Shah, shared how we are going to equip youths with five essential skills (Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Culture) aka. 5Cs and help them grow to be a global leader. UNCON VP and DTM, Mr. Batuk Bista, shared his informative and valuable speech on controlling our fear in public speaking. Mr. Bista talked about what we fear during public speaking, what we feel when we fear, and how to manage fear. UNCON Youths, Swikriti Paudyal and Avinav Sanjel moderated the program. They asked participating youths to introduce themselves, share something interesting about themselves, and share about their fear, how they tackle it. We are proud of all the youths who participated and interacted during the program. Several participants expressed their gratitude for this program and the platform.

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We had closing remarks from Nepal Youth Council (NYC) President, Mr. Saroj Baniya, UNCON & NYC Advisor, Mr. Rajendra Giri, and UNCON President, Mr. Bilas Upadhyay.

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“We cannot build the future for our youth—but we can build our youth for the future.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

UNCON supports the front-line workers in Nepal during COVID-19

UNCON supported front-line heroes in Nepal by providing essential resources such as PPE and KN95 masks. 

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UNCON provided 500 KN95 masks to Nepal Traffic Police.

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UNCON provided 10 washable PPEs and 200 KN95 masks to Shukraraaj Tropical & Infectious Disease Hospital (Teku Hospital)

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UNCON provided 10 washable PPEs and 200 KN95 masks to Shahid Gangalal National Heart Centre

UNCON Secretary, Agni Sanjel, led this project successfully.

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News coverage by SagarmathaKhavar

Run for Life

UNCON members and supporters ran a 5K and 15K to support someone in Nepal who may not be able to run again. We generated $220.00 which was enough to buy a better wheelchair for someone in need. UNCON’s local team in Nepal already handed over the wheelchair on 11/28/19. Although it may be a small contribution, it is big enough for someone in need. Thank you all who participated in the run and supported for the cause. Keep helping those in need and keep supporting UNCON.

UNCON Free Health Clinic

On Nov 17th, 2019, UNCON conducted the free health clinic at the Nepali Cultural and Service Center (NCSC), Irving, Texas. Free health services like height & weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Oxygen Saturation, Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar, Blood Cholesterol were offered. Health talk on self breast exams, nutritional counseling with samples of healthy snacks, diabetes awareness and hypertension awareness were offered as well. More than 45 people benefited from this initiative. 

Dog Appreciation Day @ Richardson Animal Shelter

Celebrating Kukur Tihar - dog appreciation day - at Richardson Animal Shelter. UNCON way of community service. This is our 4th year in row partnering with Animal Shelter to celebrate dog appreciation day. We donated ~$150 worth of pet supplies to Richardson Animal Shelter. Along with UNCON officers and their family members, UNCON supporters Pukarji Tamrakar and Alina Shrestha were also present. UNCON VP of Finance Mr. Bilas Upadhyay, CPA highlighted the importance of Kukur Tihar. UNCON IPP Mr Prakash Gautam handed over the support to Mr. Josh Polando, Assistant Resource Coordinator, Richardson Animal Shelter.

Child Development Society appreciating UNCON

UNCON President Mr. Naresh Pandey receiving an appreciation certificate from the President of Child Development Society Mr. Subas Gautam and Mrs. Rita Gautam in Plano, Texas. In the picture are UNCON Charter President (2014-17) Mr Prakash Gautam, officer Mr. Achyut Rijal, Mr. Suman Neupane, Mrs. Mrs Sunita Sharma and Mrs. Anjita Rijal.
UNCON and CDS both are involved in social and service activities for people in need.
Love USA, Love Social Service!

UNCON Computer Lab at Shree Rajowati Secondary School

Handover program of UNCON Computer Lab to school management of Shree Rajowati Secondary School completed on April 19, 2019 amid a special program organized by the school management. Engineer, Sushil Shah, UNCON’s Nepal representative handed over the lab to the school management on behalf of UNCON. Team UNCON would like to express sincere gratitude to all who were part of this project. THANK YOU to all UNCON supporters Puspa Ghimire, Bilas Upadhyay, Batuk Bista, Gouri R Joshi, Suresh Basyal, Ashutosh Shrestha, HRoopak Pdn, Bandhu Neupane, Bhasker Timilsina, Rajat Shrestha, Manish Rajbhandari, Vijay Shrestha, Prawodhit Gautam, Suraj Dhungana, Alok Upadhaya, Sanjaya Palikhel, Josh Groce, Danny R. Williams, Anup Shrestha, RK Poudyal, Dhiren Gurung, Naresh Raj Pandey, Dhruba Pandey, Chirayu Shrestha, Christine Nelson Garrett, Binaya Paudyal, Randi Weaver, Narayan Tripathi Nepali, Deepak Khanal, Chris Davis, Tribikya Mardan Thapa, Kamal Kadayat, Sahayog Mardan Thapa, Prabin StHa, Amit Shrestha and Anup Tamrakar who contributed financially to support this project. Thank you Anup Shrestha, RK Poudyal for running a half marathon for the fund raising. Thank you UNCON's Nepal representative, Sushil Shah, for leading the project in Nepal and school management who provided the room and other support. Thank you, Om Prakash Shah, for the news coverage. The total cost of the project was NPR 1,71,537.00. A total 600 students will benefit from this computer lab.

News was covered by the Nepalese media Gorkhapatraonline and mysanchar

Computer Lab at Suryodaya Higher Secondary School, Chisapani, Banke, Nepal

Handover program of UNCON Computer Lab to the school management completed on December 11, 2018 (Mansir 25, 2075) amid a special program organized by the school management. Kurgan Raj Bista, UNCON’s Nepal representative handed over the lab to the school management on behalf of UNCON. Team UNCON would like to express sincere gratitude to all who were part of this project. THANK YOU to all UNCON supporters who contributed financially to support this project, UNCON’s Nepal team led by Kirtan Raj Bista to implement this project, school management who provided the room and other support. The total cost of the project was NPR 1,75,000.00. A total 951 students will benefit from this computer lab.

Dog Appreciation Day at Richardson Animal Shleter

Dipawali, also knows as Diwali or Tihar, one of the greatest celebrations in the Hindu calendar, is a five-day autumn festival generally known as the festival of lights. Each day has its own value and focus, and specific celebration that varies between different denominations of Hinduism. Regardless of regional and denominational differences, Dipawali is a period of gift-giving, storytelling, and recognition of the relationships humans have with all things.
On the second day of Tihar, popularly known as 'Kukur Tihar', Nepal's autumnal religious festival, dogs are honored, celebrated, and even worshiped for their friendship and loyalty to human beings.
To connect our tradition to benefit and spread the positive message to the community, UNCON organized an event at Richardson Animal Shelter on Saturday, November 3rd. During the event, participants put colorful garlands on dogs and took photos with them. UNCON officers and their family, Richardson Animal Shelter officers and local community members were among the participants. 
UNCON raised support worth $350.00 (cash and supplies) to the Richardson Animal Shelter. UNCON’s founding President Prakash Gautam handed over the support to Animal Shelter Officer.

Equip Classroom Project @ Bishwakarma Higher Secondary School, Baglung, Nepal

Handover program of UNCON Computer Lab to Biswakarma Higher Secondary School management completed on August 23, 2018 (Bhadra 7, 2075) amid a special program organized by the school management. Dr. Sudarshan Silwal, UNCON’s Nepal representative and advisor of GK Foundation, Nepal handed over the lab to the school management on behalf of UNCON. Chairman of Baglung Municipality ward no. 7 Mr. Khaga Raj Pandey, Mr. Krishna Prasad Upadhyay, chairman, school management committee, school principal Mr. Yogendra Prasad Khanal, chairman of Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Mr. Bipin BK were among the guests present at the handover program. Team UNCON would like to express sincere gratitude to all who were part of this project. THANK YOU to all UNCON supporters who contributed financially to support this project, UNCON’s Nepal team led by Dr. Silwal to implement this project, school management who provided the room and other support, Mr. Prakash Paudel of Dhaulagiri Television and Janamanch.com for news coverage. The total cost of the project was NPR 1,65,000.00. A total 322 students will benefit from this computer lab.

Supporting Children Education

UNCON is proud to continue supporting 20 underprivileged students through Child Development Society) in 2018. UNCON would like to thank its supporters and well wishers who made this support possible.

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News published by Child Development Society: 

Child Development Society (CDS) successfully organized Stationary Distribution Program at CDS premise on 4th June, 2018. The program was conducted with the gracious presence of Advisers, Board members, staffs of CDS, individual donors and parents. The program was chaired by Mr. Subas Gautam (President, CDS).

The stationary material include (Exercise books, pen, pencil, eraser, ink and geometry box) a set of school uniform and a school bag) to 135 underprivileged and poorer students (87 girls and 48 boys) from fourteen public schools namely Balkumary school, Bal Uddhar School,Janakalyan School, Navajagriti school, Arunodaya School, Pathivara School,Sram Rastriya School, Gramsikchhya School, Pasupati Mitra School,Yagyamati School of Kathmandu and Padma Ucchamabi School,Shantiniketan School, Azad Uccha Mabi and Tej Binayak School of Bhaktapur District.

Stationary Distribution Program is a part of Formal School Sponsorship Program (FSSP). FSSP is being implemented since 1997 with the aim of providing educational opportunities to children who are at higher risk of probable child labor, vulnerable, from poor economic background and marginalized group of the society. This program mainly seeks to create environment where no children will be deprived of basic formal Education.

Also, we are grateful for donors and supporters who have been continuously supporting this program.The representative of UNCON,ANPA/HHI, ICFC Finance,Citizen Bank, NEGAS, CDS Advisers, Board Members, staffs and Individual donors.

Equip Classroom Project at Lamjung, Nepal

UNCON supported ‘Equip Classroom’ project at Jana Kalyan Higher Secondary School, Chiti, Lamjung, Nepal and Lok Raj Adarsha Secondary School, Karkidanda, Lamjung recently handed over the supports to the schools. Students are already taking advantage of this initiative. Around 800 students from from both schools can benefit from this support. 

Volunteering and Donation for North Texas Food Bank

Thank you Team UNCON and UNCON Youth and volunteers for making today's community event successful. We donated 241lbs of food to the North Texas Food Bank. More than 20 volunteers volunteered today and prepared over 6100 meals.

Congratulations Miss Sambridhi Poudyal!

One of the very talented UNCON Youth Members, Miss Sambridhi Paudyal, is accepted into the optometry program at the University of Houston College of Optometry. UNCON family would like to extend best wishes to Sambridhi for successful university years ahead. Congratulations Sambridhi; we shall see you as an Optometrist in year 2022!

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Sambirdhi has shared with us why she chose to be an Optometrist and her inspiring stories. 

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"My initial exposure to the field of optometry was in a slightly unconventional way. Instead of a typical eye exam, my first visit to the optometrist was for my sister’s vision therapy appointment for her “lazy eye” or amblyopia. I was amazed by how such a non-invasive procedure was able to correct an issue that she had been struggling with for years. After my sister completed the therapy, I witnessed how greatly it enhanced her quality of life, and this sparked my interest in exploring other aspects of optometry. Opportunities such as shadowing several optometrists, becoming an optometrist’s scribe, and working as an optical assistant have motivated me to pursue optometry. These experiences have reinforced the qualities that I value and look forward to possessing as a future caregiver. For instance, I admire how thoroughly my optometrist can explain complex topics in a relatable and understandable manner, how empathetically she caters to the unique needs of each patient, and how she exemplifies unwavering patience when listening to a patient’s frustrations and concerns. Being able to express these technical and communication skills while maintaining a standard of professionalism may appear daunting; however, I look forward to mastering these skills instead of being intimidated by them.

Not only has working at a clinic provided me with a realistic idea of what I should expect in the future, but it has also allowed me to develop a meaningful relationship with my optometrist. She serves as my role model and support system because her enthusiasm for optometry motivates me to keep striving even when I feel overwhelmed. Not only did she graduate from the same optometry school that I will be attending this fall, she possesses the same service-oriented personality as me. Our conversations about how she managed to balance work and school as a student have given me more insight about the value of time management, integrity, and hard work. Despite her demanding schedule as a student, the perseverance that she displayed has inspired me to adopt a similar approach to my coursework and has allowed me to successfully complete classes that seemed unmanageable initially. This is because I view my long-term goal of becoming an optometrist as considerably more important than my momentary difficulties.

In addition to working as an optical assistant, I am the Public Relations officer for the pre-optometry student organization on campus. Being a leader in this organization has allowed me to collaborate with other diligent pre-optometry students, recruit several new members to our club, and volunteer at local food banks. One of my favorite aspects of being an officer is getting to volunteer at vision screenings that help the local underprivileged population. Many of these patients do not have financial access to annual eye exams, so the free vision screenings are their only way of taking care of their eye health. Initially, I did not realize how greatly my contributions as a volunteer affected the patients, but the overwhelming gratitude that the patients express reminds me that I am making a valuable impact on their quality of life and creating a deeper connection with them. This opportunity has allowed me to discover how much I cherish being a part of a greater cause, so I want to continue volunteering at free health clinics. Once I obtain my degree from the University of Houston College of Optometry, I would like to partner with non-profit organizations in Nepal to hold free health clinics in villages and rural areas that are lacking medical funding.

Lastly, I would like to thank my parents for their unconditional support because it has been vital to my success, and I am grateful to have such an easy-going relationship with my parents. I hope to continue serving others and making a positive impact in my community and beyond by working with my fellow UNCON members." - Sambridhi Poudyal

UNCON Appreciation Day - A Grand Success!

USA Nepal Community Outreach Network (UNCON) successfully organized a UNCON Friends and Families Appreciation Picnic in the Conner Pavilion of Louisville Lake on September 10, 2017. The main purpose of the event was to strengthen the network of UNCON families and friends by spending some-time together and knowing each-other. President of UNCON Prakash Gautam told us that over 60 families and several community leaders attended the event and enjoyed socializing from 3:00 to 7:45 PM. Over 20 UNCON Youth members, who are school and university students, also attended the event. Almost all families, who attended the picnic, were invited to the front and were given an opportunity to introduce their family; and all appreciated for having this opportunity to introduce their family to the community people.

One of UNCON Youths, Perry Pokharel - a senior in Allen High School, whose book was recently published, explained about her book and her inspirations in writing the book. Her book entitled “the story of acceptance,” is a poetry and quote collection. All the books that Perry brought with her were sold-out during the picnic. If any of you want to buy the book, $7, you can order online visiting:   http://www.blurb.com/b/7999530-the-story-of-acceptance

Sarita KC of Garland and Sabina Joshi of Mckinney entertained the attendees by their sweet and melodious voices.  A musical-chair game for ladies and a three legged race games were organized for couples. The winners were Kalpana Sharma (first) and Sarita KC (second) on Musical Chair. Couples Raju Pandey and Apsara Pandey (First), Anuj Tripathi and Rami Rimal (second) and Santosh and Uttara Gautam (third) were winners on three legged race games. Ring Toss game was also organized and was a great attraction for all ages. Rajeev Sharma of Plano and Lalit Gupta of Fairview were winners of Ring Toss Game. All the UNCON officers were actively involved in successfully conducting all games.

During the program, certificates of appreciations were also presented to all the blood donors, who donated blood to help recoup of shortage of blood due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston and Galveston area. As a recap, UNCON had supported an emergency blood drive at the Carter BloodCare Center in Allen on September 3rd that collected 36 units of Blood.

Another attraction of the picnic was presence of Cricketer Sagar Panta and his wife Prakriti. Sagar, a key player of Nepali Rhino Cricket Club (USA) and in some point of time a national cricket player of Nepal, explained briefly about his feelings of winning the first place and bagging $60K in 2X Cricket Tournament that was held in Dallas in November 2016. He announced that Nepali Rhino will be participating in Dallas Premier League, a month long tournament, which is scheduled to start on September 23rd in Frisco and Carrolton grounds. A token of honor was also presented by UNCON to Prakriti Pant, wife of Sagar Pant. President of the Nepali Rhino Club Thala Raj Panta briefly explained the history of the Club and its future plan.

At the end UNCON Officers announced that the picnic was a grand success and thanked all the attendees for being there to support UNCON in all means.

UNCON Supported Blood Drive in Allen, Texas

To help the urgent shortage of blood supply because of Hurricane Harvey, UNCON (USA –Nepal Community Outreach Network) supported a blood drive at the Carter BloodCare Center in Allen, Texas on September 3, 2017. Forty seven people registered for the drive and thirty-six units were collected during the seven hours period. UNCON is very thankful to all who came and donated blood even with a very short notice. 

Nepal Day in the Flag Room of City of Dallas

City of Dallas Association of Asian American City Employees (AAACE) celebrated the 19thAnnual Asian American Heritage Month, by showcasing Nepal, on May 23, 2017 in the prestigious Flag Room of City of Dallas. Each year, since past 19 years, AAACE is showcasing one specific country during the celebration. The program was organized by AAACE with support of USA-Nepal Community Outreach Network (UNCON), Indreni Cultural Association (ICA) and other city organizations. The program was attended by Mayor Pro Tem and Council Member Monica R. Alonzo, Council Member Jennifer S. Gates, Council Member Philip T. Kingston, City Manager T.C. Broadax, Honorary Consul General of Cambodia Pa Nous Pan, several executives and officers of City of Dallas, several prominent members of Nepali American Community and other communities.

During the program a slide show about Nepal was presented by UNCON President Prakash Gautam; three Nepali dances were presented by ICA performers Abiral Pandey, Anupam Pandey, Aayusha Adhikari, Pramisa Timsina, Nistoz Bhattarai and Swostika Shah; a video about beautiful Nepal that was received from the Embassy of Nepal in the USA was played; and Nepali food from Astoria Biriyani House of Irving was served to all the attendees.  As well, a table was set-up with some Nepali arts and handicrafts. The program was attended by over two hundred city employees and guests.

Mayor Pro Tem Monica R. Alonzo, Council Member Jennifer S. Gates and Council Member Philip T. Kingston of City of Dallas read the proclamation and handed over the certificate to UNCON President through AAACE President Kimberly Nam. All the attending officers of UNCON – Prakash Gautam, Naresh Pandey, Thala Raj Panta, Bilas Upadhyay, Batuk Bista, Agni Sanjel, ICA President Tara Bhusal, and all the performers of ICA were awarded certificates by City Manager T.C. Broadax.

The commendable program was professionally moderated and facilitated by AAACE President Kimberly Nam, Past President Vasavi Pilla and VP Mathew Ittoop

UNCON Volunteer Appreciation and Community Service Event – March 11, 2017

USA-Nepal Community Outreach Network (UNCON) organized a full day Volunteer Appreciation and Community Service Event at the Oak Point Park Nature & Retreat Center in Plano on March 11, 2017. The full day event was a combination of different segments that included blood drive, support to Samaritan Inn, support to Plano ISD CORE store, presentation of UNCON activities and appreciation to community volunteers (main segment).

Plano City Council Member Honorable Rick Grady was the chief guest of the main segment of the event that started at 4:30 PM and ended at 6:00 PM. Other special guests of the program included Mr. Dan Armstrong, Ms. Angie Sifferman, Ms. Randi Weaver (all from Plano ISD), Ms. Irma Kusuma from Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce (GDAACC), and Mr. Steve Lester from Samaritan Inn. Presidents of almost all of the non-profit organizations and some very prominent social leaders of the Nepali American Community in DFW attended at least one of the different segments of the event. The whole program was managed by UNCON Officers Naresh Raj Pandey and Thala Raj Panta.

UNCON President, Prakash Gautam, started the main segment of the event at 4:30 with the introduction of all UNCON officers. UNCON is comprised of 11 officers, 18 ladies volunteers, and 23 youth volunteers.  He then welcomed the chief guest, special guests, and all the prominent social leaders and volunteers of the Nepali American community. He also announced that fifty-three people donated blood, during the day, at the blood drive that was organized by UNCON in collaboration with Carter Blood Care. The Dallas Everest Lions Club and the Blood Donors of America (Texas) supported UNCON for this blood drive. This highly successful blood drive was very professionally coordinated by UNCON Officer Agni Sanjel. 

UNCON Officers Batuk Bista, Bilas Upadhyay and Achyut Rijal very professionally presented a 20 minute slideshow about UNCON's various projects and activities since its establishment. All the past and future projects/activities were explained in detail. UNCON Officer Laxmi Oli Panta gave a short presentation about a tradition called Chhaupadi, which is a tradition practiced in remote areas of western Nepal, where girls are prohibited to touch other people during their monthly periods. UNCON believes this tradition is unfair to women; therefore, UNCON has initiated a campaign, in its capacity, to minimize or abolish the tradition. A condensed documentary on Chhaupadi, prepared by UNCON itself, was also screened in the program.

UNCON Youth Team then presented a slideshow about youth community activities and projects that they executed in the past years. All the youths presented their short introductions and explained how they have been benefitting from UNCON; they also invited and encouraged other youth to join UNCON and to engage in community activities.

UNCON Officer Devendra Shah moderated the program hereafter and requested the Chief Guest of the program Honorable Rick Grady for his remarks. Honorable Rick Grady read the special recognition certificate for UNCON COMMUNITY SERVICE, which was signed by Honorable Harry LaRosiliere, Mayor of City of Plano, and presented to UNCON. He also appreciated the community services that UNCON has been doing since 2015, and expressed his special appreciation for the successful blood drive that was organized on that day. He then distributed UNCON appreciation plaques to Business and Individuals that supported UNCON community services in various capacities. Appreciation plaques were awarded to Alsal Construction inc, Dallas Everest Lions Club, DFW Yeti Homes LLC, Pioneer Healthcare Clinic, Proton PRC, Raju Corporation, Souryarpan LLC, Vastica Inc., Wrenjenskey (HVAC), Anshul Shrestha, Dr. Ali Jafarian, Dr. Bipin Raj Bista, Dr. Sabin Bista, Ganesh Thapa, Haribol Bhandari, Pragya Gautam, Saroj Sigdel, Shraddha Bista, Sudeep & Manju Regmi, and Uttam Lamichhane.

Honorable Rick Grady also presented two special appreciation plaques to Nepalese Society of Texas (NST) and Nepali Rhino Cricket Club. NST had partially supported UNCON for the construction of a two-room block of a school in Lamjung, Nepal in 2016. NST President Krishna Lamichhane received the special appreciation on behalf of NST. Nepali Rhino Cricket Club (NRCC) promoted cricket in Nepali American community by winning 2X Cricket Tournament, with an award of $60,000, in Houston in 2016. Sagar Panta, a prominent player of Nepali Rhino Cricket Club, had to leave the program early; therefore, Thala Raj Pant of UNCON received the award on behalf of Nepali Rhino.

UNCON President Prakash Gautam presented a thank you plaque to the chief guest Honorable Rick Grady for attending the program and motivating UNCON volunteers. The thank-you plaques were also presented to Angie Sifferman, Dan Armstrong, and Randi Weaver & Family. At the end, UNON Officer Bilas Upadhyay conducted the raffle draw very entreatingly and prizes were distributed to lucky winners. 

The program was adjourned at 6:00 pm with a thank-you note by UNCON Officer Binod Joshi. Light refreshments were served after the program.

School Rebuilding Project

UNCON is proud to announce the completion of a block of two rooms of Sharada High School in Garambesi, Lamjung. UNCON Vice-President Naresh Pandey, Advisor Bachchu Raj Pandey and Supporter Ramesh Pandey along with NST Nepal based coordinator Madhu Adhikari and Biju Shrestha handed over the completed building to the school management in a special event organized by the school on December 1, 2016. The construction was executed by NEC99, a group of professional engineers in Nepal. Engineer Robin Shrestha represented NEC99 in the handover event. The total cost, per the estimate provided by NEC99, was a little over 13 lakhs of which $6,000 was raised from various supporters of UNCON in USA and NRS.600,000 was supported by NST relief fund. UNCON Thanks all its volunteers, financial supporters, NST, school management & local people of Lamjung, and all other who were directly and indirectly involved in the project. 

End of Summer Yoga Event

USA-Nepal Community Outreach Network (UNCON), in association with Nepalese Society of Texas (NST), Nepalese Cultural and Spiritual Center (NCSC), Dallas Everest Lions Club (DELC) and NRN Texas Chapter (NRN-TX) organized a community yoga program for the benefit of our friends and families. This event provided an opportunity to meet & greet friends and learn health improvement tips with yoga lessons from Yoga Guru Lalit Shankar Yogi, who is from Nepal and visited Texas. Mahendra Poudyal and Achyut Rijal assisted the Yoga Guru during the two hours session.

Youth Conference between DFW Youth, Texas, and NYC Youth, Kathmandu

UNCON, USA, and National Youth Council, Nepal, (NYC) collectively organized a webinar between Youth of Nepali origin living in DFW (USA) and youths of Nepal on August 10, 2016 from 8:15 pm to 9:30 pm (Dallas time). UNCON had partnered with Dallas Everest Lions Club (DELC) and NRN Texas Chapter to successfully organize this webinar. The main objectives of this webinar were to build a network of youths of both sides and encourage the youth team in servicing the community. A total of 33 people (youths and parents) attended the webinar from UNCON side and about 25 youths and officers participated the webinar from NYC side. Rajendra Giri, an UNCON Advisor in Nepal, Agni Sanjel and his family of UNCON, who were visiting Nepal, also participated the conference as guest from NYC Nepal side. This webinar was moderated by Binod Raj Joshi, executive officer of UNCON, and Saroj Baniya, President of NYC. Prior to opening the discussions session of the youth participants, UNCON Vice President (Outreach) Batuk Bista and NYC President Saroj Baniya briefly summarized the objectives of the webinar.

The one and half hour long webinar was ended with the following activities and recommendations:
- Discussed three potential areas of youth involvement by both teams: Education, Health, and Community Service.
- Upon careful analysis and discussions, youths of both sides ended up with a recommendation of an education related project for year 2017.
- The combined youth team will prepare a detail project plan on the selected area (education related project) and submit to UNCON and NYC.
- UNCON Youth will raise funds and contribute $1,000 to this project. Nepal based counterpart will approach other organizations in Nepal such as Banks, Clubs, publishing houses, Government entities, etc. offering to be a part or stakeholders of this project. Obviously, DELC and NRN Texas will be the stakeholders of this project.
- This project will be lunched in year 2017.

At the end of the webinar UNCON President Prakash Gautam, NRN Texas President Uttam Lammichhane, DELC President Radha Krishna Kafle, DELC Past President Shiva Kaphle and SANN Texas Secretary Sunita Basnet expressed their remarks on the webinar and inspired the youth participants to involve in volunteering activities, if time permeating, for the benefit of the community. The distinguished personalities also assured for any support of their capacities to this initiation. Rajendra Giri, an UNCON advisor in Nepal, Agni Sanjel, an UNCON executive member and Saroj Baniya, President of NYC from Nepal side also expressed their views and provided some tips to successfully lunch this project.

The logistic and technical aspects of this webinar was efficiently managed by a very diligent team comprising of Thala Raj Panta, Naresh Pandey, Bilas Upadhyay, Devendra Shah and Laxmi Oli Panta of UNCON.

UNCON wholeheartedly thanks all the participants of both sides and appreciates their active involvement. Also a huge appreciation to DELC, NRN Texas, and SANN Texas. UNCON always believes in teamwork and the principle “united we always win!”

Webinar attendees (Dallas, Texas):
Abha Joshi, Vinay Upadhyay, Victor Raj Panta, Kripesh Panta, Simon Shrestha, Kritika Gautam, Anshu Bhattarai, Sweta Gautam, Kritika Panta, Vibhuti Panta, Arpan Kaphle, Aman Shrestha, Ekta Upadhyay, Ritu Upadhyay, Swikriti Poudyal, Surabhi Thapa, Sneha Bista, Anish Bhattarai .

Sangita Tiwari Panta, Kalpana Bista, Anshu Joshi, Sunita Sharma (Gautam), Alina Karmacharya, Vishnu Upadhyay, Rajina Acharya, Kiran Panta, Binaya Poudyal

Uttam Lammichhane, Radha Krishna Kafle, Shiva Kaphle, Sunita Basnet, Prakash Gautam, Naresh Raj Pandey, Thala Raj Panta, Bilas Upadhyay, Batuk Bista, Devendra Shah, Laxmi Oli, Binod Joshi (Rajendra Giri, Agni Sanjel, Sama Sanjel, and Avinav Sanjel from Nepal side)

UNCON Summer Yoga Event

UNCON & UNCON Youth organized a Summer Yoga event at Huffiness Park, Richardson on July 24, 2016. The main goal of this event was to promote healthy living as well as gathering of UNCON friends, family and supporters to boost the relationship and enjoy the morning together. We had nearly 70 participants joining this event. Everyone were rejoiced with this event and urged UNCON to organize similar events in the future.

UNCON Volunteers at North Texas Food Bank

UNCON and the UNCON Youth team volunteered at North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) on 7/23/2016. Total of 11 UNCON members spent about 3 hours helping NTFB to pack food for underpriviledged people. The UNCON team was part of the 50 volunteers who packed food for ~11700 families. Thank you team UNCON and UNCON Youth for your service to the community.

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- Rethink Hunger.

UNCON YOUTH'S BONFIRE GET-TOGETHER

UNCON Youth organized a Bonfire get-together in Erwin Park, McKinney on July 15, 2016. Twenty UNCON youth members participated in the Bonfire and other activities. The main purpose of this gathering was to strengthen the relationship between each-other by spending some time together during the summer break. A few parents of the participating youths visited the campsite just to help setting the bonfire and left the camp area. UNCON youths said they had very good time and will organize such events again.

UNCON Volunteering at Blood Drive In Irving

Forty-six UNCON team members volunteered time, in two shifts, at the mega blood drive event that was hosted by Blood Donors Association (BDA) on May 29th, 2016 at the NCSC premises in Irving, Texas. Five UNCON team members (Swikriti Poudyal, Laxmi Oli Panta, Sunita Sharma Gautam, Kiran Panta, and Prakash Gautam) also donated blood during the event. UNCON appreciates BDA for organizing such an important and life-saving event!

Thank you all the volunteers and blood donors!

UNCON President Visits Nepal

UNCON President Prakash Gautam visited Nepal in April 2016. Although this was his personal visit, he managed to participate in the following programs that were related to UNCON and its projects in Nepal:

UNCON thanks Prakash Gautam for devoting his valuable time, during his personal Nepal visit, to several UNCON related activities!

UNCON & NST come together for a noble cause

Today is another big day for USA-Nepal Community Outreach Network (UNCON)! UNCON Vice-President Naresh Raj Pandey and Chairperson of NST Earthquake Fund Baikuntha Thapa signed a MOU for the reconstruction of Sharada Lower secondary School in Lamjung. This MOU signing was witnessed by UNCON President Prakash Gautam, NST President Krishna Lamichhane, NST General Secretary Kamal Satyal, NST Past President Bhuwan Acharya & Dr. Prem Adhikari, NST Past VP Bal Joshi, Yeti Chamber of Commerce President Basu Bhandari, Yet Chamber of Commerce VP Kapil Adhikari and NCSC General Secretary Chabbi Chhapagain.

UNCON would like to thank NST past executive team led by Bhuwan Acharya and present executive team led by Krishna Lamichhane for successfully leading NST in raising funds and planning for the execution of the project.

Success Story #2 of UNCON Youth

We would like to congratulate Reema Sharma on her achievement. Her artwork has been accepted into the 31st Annual Texas & Neighbors Regional Art Exhibition that is going to be held from April 16 to May 14, 2016 at Irving Art Center. Her artwork.is one of the 80 pieces selected for exhibition. There were 195 artists competing from five states with 499 images. We encourage all UNCON friends and family and all art lovers to visit this exhibition and provide support to Reema.
Best wishes from Team UNCON and UNCON Youth.

Success Story #1 of UNCON Youth Members

We would like to congratulate the following UNCON Youth Members:

Sweta Gautam: Winner for the 2016 Diabetes Awareness Essay Contest by the Lions Club International District 2-X1. Her essay entitled “New Ways of Thinking to Manage Diabetes” was awarded the first prize and was selected for the state competition. Sweta is an active UNCON volunteer and a senior at McKinney High School.

Kritika Panta: Second place winner in the Dallas Everest Lions Club's Speech Competition “The Socioeconomic Effects of Marijuana Decriminalization.” She was selected for the District competition that will be held in May 2016. Kritika is an active UNCON volunteer and a junior at Liberty High School.

Congratulations to both winners! We wish you the best in your future endeavors.

UNCON's Movie Night at FunAsia

UNCON Youth successfully screened the Nepali movie “Wada Number 6” on January 16, 2016 at the Fun Asia Theater in Richardson. Although the show was a sold-out event at the largest theater of the Fun Asia, the actual turnout was a little less than expected due to inclement weather and multiple community activities at the same time. Several audiences contacted the UNCON officers and appreciated the UNCON youth volunteers’ effort for successfully organizing the show. UNCON youth raised a total of $1,680, including support from local business and from sale of Nepali crafts, from the event. UNCON youth team is in the process of developing a project to help orphans in Nepal through Nepal based youth organizations and this fund will be used for that purpose.

A few months ago UNCON youth had financially supported for the renovation and furnishing of a computer lab of the Himalaya Lower Secondary School in Jagritichowk, Bharatpur, Nepal and had donated three new computers to the school. The computer lab of the school is now named as “UNCON Youth Computer Lab.” Local organization GK Foundation had partially subsidized the cost of these three new computers.

UNCON Plans and Projects 2016

UNCON’s Year-end Board Meeting held on December 7, 2015, has approved the following financials (budget) and work plan for the FY 2016:

Budget:

UNCON’s total budget for FY 2016 is US $25,000.

Plans/Programs:

1. In FY 2015, UNCON sponsored the total educational cost of 10 marginalized students through Children Development Center (Bal Bikas Kendra), Kathmandu. UNCON will add 10 more students and will sponsor a total of 20 students in FY 2016. Project Duration: Continuing Project.

2. UNCON started sponsoring $2,400 per year, from September of 2015, to an Orphanage in Chitwan, Nepal, through Lions Club of Narayangarh Diyalo, Nepal. This funding is strictly used for the food, accommodations, and other necessary expenses for the benefit of the girls living in Orphanage. Project Duration: Continuing Project.

3. UNCON, in collaboration with a local social activist Ms. Gyanu Chaulagain of Jumla, Nepal, and her local social club - RACE, will involve in various social awareness programs that will help minimize the Chhaupadi Pratha (a tradition where young girls are forced to stay outside of their home during their monthly mensuration period). Under this project, local performing artists will perform/play dramas in schools, community centers, and on streets, which are focused in educating the local people about the hygiene and safety of the young girls during their mensuration period. Slogans and/or short radio messages, discouraging the Chhaupadi Pratha, will also be recorded and will be aired by the local FM stations in Jumla. Project Duration: January 2016 to June 2016.

4. UNCON will financially help for the maintenance of the building that is damaged by the 2015 earthquake and will also support the operation of the Library of Jana Maitri Campus in Kathmandu. This project will be executed in collaboration with Lions Club of Kathmandu Kailash and Lions Club International 325 Nepal. The library will be named as “UNCON Library,” as agreed initially by UNCON and Lions Club Kathmandu Kailash. Project Duration: January 2016 to July 2016.

5. UNCON, in collaboration with NST (Nepalese Society of Texas), will rebuild/reconstruct the earthquake damaged Sharadha Secondary School in Lamjung, Nepal. UNCON’s Nepal based officers and NST representative will be mobilized in this project. Project Duration: to be determined.

6. UNCON will organize a Mobile Health Camp in neighboring village of Kathmandu. This Camp will be organized in collaboration with a Hospital, Health Professionals, a few other local and international clubs (like Lions, Leo, Rotary, etc.), and any interested non-profit organizations that are established outside of Nepal. Nepal based officers of UNCON will lead this project in our directives. UNCON has already initiated preliminary talks with its Nepal based officers and Health Professionals in Nepal. Project Duration: initial work will start in January of 2016 and the actual health camp will be organized within a couple of months.

7. UNCON will support or participate in at least one social or charity work that is organized by USA based non-profit organization (e.g. Salvation Army, Red Cross, Orphanages, Elderly Care Homes, etc.). Project Duration: to be determined.

8. UNCON Youth Team will develop one or two small projects, costs not exceeding $2,000, which will be executed by UNCON Youth and their counterpart in Nepal. UNCON Youth Team will select one or two Youth Organizations, established in Nepal, and will enter into a collaborative work agreement to execute the selected project/s. UNCON Youth Team will raise funds, on their own, for this purpose; however, UNCON will provide all needed supports. UNCON Youth Team has already come up with several fund raising plans and one being movie screening. Project Duration: March 2016 to September 2017.

9. UNCON Meet and Greet Day will be organized in September/October of 2016. This will be an indoor or outdoor event, depending upon the kind of the planned activities. UNCON will meet, great, and appreciate all its supporters and well-wishers in this fun filled event.

10. Other small projects as deem necessary. These are dependent upon need and availability of funding.

MOU SIGNING & FUND HANDOVER CEREMONY

An agreement was signed in July 2015 between USA-Nepal Community Outreach Network (UNCON) and the Lions Club of Narayangarh Diyalo (LCND), where UNCON had agreed to support $200 per month for the education, food, and health care need of the orphan girls living in orphanages in Chitwan. The agreement had also provided the exclusive authority to the LCND to select the orphanage that will be served under the contract.
Based on its analysis and research, LCND selected Satya Sai Bal Ashram of Muktinagar, Chitwan, Nepal for such financial support and UNCON had accepted as recommended by LCND.

ON October 25th, 2015, LCND organized an official fund handover program in Chitwan, Nepal, where Mr. Batuk R. Bista, General Secretary of UNCON, handed over a check of $1,200 jointly to the Charter President Lion Raj Kumar Shrestha and President Lion Khem Raj Gurung. This was an installment payment for the first six months, effective from October 2015.

During the program both Lion Shrestha and Lion Gurung praised the noble work that UNCON started by supporting the education, food, and health care cost of the orphan girls. Lion duo assured that the received funds will be utilized properly and as noted in the agreement. They also thanked UNCON for the trust that UNCON showed to LCND and assured that LCND will do every efforts to maintain the trust or even to take it to the next level.

UNCON General Secretary Mr. Bista briefly explained about some other projects that UNCON has supported and/or is currently supporting in Nepal. He also said that this orphanage project is a continual project and will be renewed each year, depending upon availability of funds to UNCON and progress report received from LCND.

The program was facilitated by LCND Past President Lion Dina Nath Naupane and was attended by LCND Past Presidents and Current Executive Officers.

UNCON YOUTH COMPUTER LAB IS NOW OFFICIALLY ESTABLISHED

USA-Nepal Community Outreach Network (UNCON) in collaboration with GK Foundation, Chitwan, recently established a new Computer Lab at Himalaya Lower Secondary School, Jagritichowk, Bharatpur. The Lab is now equipped with three brand new computers and is named as UNCON Youth Computer Lab. Sixty percent of the total cost of the three computers was provided by UNCON and the remaining forty percent was subsidized by GK Foundation. The cost of the fixtures, furniture, wall paintings, and floorings of the Computer Lab are paid by UNCON and GK Foundation, as well.

The School Management Committee organized a formal inauguration program of the UNCON Youth Computer Lab on October 25th and handed over the state of the art Computer Lab to the school management. UNCON General Secretary Mr. Batuk R. Bista and Patron of GK Foundation Mr. Gyan Raj Bista jointly handed over the key of the Computer Lab and other documents to the Chairman of the School Management Committee Mr. Khadga Bahadur KC. The two hours long program was facilitated by School Principal Mr. Nahendra Khadka and Chaired by School Management Committee Chairman Mr. Khadga Bahadur KC

Patrons, Advisors and Board of Directors of GK Foundation, UNCON’s Nepal Representative Mr. Dinanath Neupane, Associate Professor of Tribhuvan University Dr. Sudarshan Silwal, Social Worker Mr. Basu R. Bista, and some of the Local Community Leaders were present in the program. All the School Management Committee Members also attended the program; however, due to the Dashain holiday break many students were not able to participate in the program.

During the program, Community Leaders and School Management Committee Members spoke about the importance of IT Education in this modern world and explained how the Computer Lab can be of immense help in students’ educational advancement. The School Management Committee Members and the School Principal assured for the proper utilization of the Lab so that more students could benefit by its uses. They also expressed their sincere thanks to UNCON and GK Foundation for the generous support to the school and requested for continued support in future.

General Secretary of UNCON Mr. Batuk R. Bista expressed his views about the information technology environment in today’s competitive world and explained how the recently established UNCON Youth Computer Lab can add values in the students’ technical knowledge and overall learning process. He advised the school management and the teaching staffs for the proper and efficient utilization of the Computer Lab. He further praised the roles that the UNCON’s Youth Team had played in raising money to establish this Computer Lab and thanked all the members of the UNCON Youth Team: Sambridhi Paudyal, Sweta Gautam, Shraddha Bista, Ami Lamsal, Siman L. Shrestha, Vibhuti Panta, Swikriti Paudyal, Kritika Gautam, Anshu Bhattarai, Reema Sharma, Surabi Thapa, Kritika Panta, Anish Bhattarai, Animesh Siwakoti, and Ekta Upadhyay.

This project is a pilot project and may be expanded in the future, depending on the performance and improvement of the students. To ensure effective utilization of the Lab, UNCON’s Nepal Representative and Members of GK Foundation will work with School Management Committee and School Staffs and provide periodic report to UNCON.

UNCON EVENT: MEET GREET & BUILD a SOCIAL NETWORK

UNCON organized a get-together named “meet greet and build a social network” of its members and well-wishers at Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve pavilion in Plano on September 26th, 2015. The main purposes of this gathering were to strengthen the network of its members and well-wishers, briefly explain UNCON’s achievements over the past 10 months along with its current & future projects, and establish UNCON’s youth team. 

The five hours long meet and greet program was comprised of: 

• A few songs, sung by Sabina Shah and Damodar Lamichhane. 

• Four different games for ladies, youths, children and couples. 

• Formation and introduction of UNCON youth team. Seventeen youths registered but thirteen were present in the get-together. 

• Brief explanation of UNCON’s activities and achievements over the past ten months along with its current and future projects. 

During the program UNCON honored four Corporate Donors that had financially supported UNCON’s activities in the past and have provided assurance for future support. President of UNCON, Prakash Gautam, presented special appreciation plaques to Vastika Inc., Raju Corporation, Pioneer Healthcare Clinic, and Allstar Healthcare Inc. Vastika Inc. is also the Corporate Advisor of UNCON. 

UNCON appreciation plaque was also awarded to the President of Nepalese Society of Texas (NST), Bhuwan Acharya, for the successful role that NST played in raising funds for the relief of the earthquake victims and for the reconstructions of earthquake damaged schools in Nepal. NST had managed to send three separate earthquake relief teams with relief materials during the very critical time of the earthquake devastation in Nepal. The first team was led by NST Past President Gouri Joshi, the second team was led by NST Member Krishna Lamichhane and coordinated by NST VP Bal Joshi, and the third team was led by Medical Doctor Sanjeeb Shrestha. An appreciation plaque was also awarded to Sneha Bista, a youth volunteer of UNCON, for her contribution in designing UNCON’s logo. 

UNCON appreciation certificates were presented to its well-wishers, who donated $500 to $2,500 to UNCON projects.  Mr. Ganesh Thapa of McKinney, Gita Forum of Dallas, IANT Dallas, Bipin Raj Bista of Colorado, Mohammad U Burney, Alam M Khaleque, Shraddha Bista of Richardson, Prakash Gautam of Fairview, Dr. Prem Adhikari of Coppell, 108 Yoga Challenge of Grapevine, Pragya Gautam of Fairview, Uttam Lamichhane of Las Colinas and Suresh Bashyal of Irving were honored with UNCON appreciation certificates. Overall UNCON received financial support from 62 donors in the past ten months. UNCON’s President expressed his belief that UNCON would not have reach at this stage without its well-wishers’ love and support; he also urged to continue such support and motivate UNCON in future. 

An entertaining game, stick on your partner’s forehead, was an attraction of the gathering and was greatly enjoyed by most of the attendees.  Laxmi Adhikari and Nirmala Adhikari, two lovely doctorate sisters of Euless, won the first prize. Yashu Adhikari and her partner Saroj Khatiwada grabbed the second prize, and Damodar Lamichhane and his partner Ramita Lamichhane of Arlington got the third prize. Also Kanchan Puri and Sunita Giri of Plano received the special prizes on this game. In ladies musical chair, Mamata Karki of Garland, Nikita Gautam of Greenville, and Anju Basyal of Irving bagged the first, second and third prizes, respectively. Ashual Basyal of Irving, Siman Shrestha of Garland, and Kritika Gautam of Greenville got the first, second, and third positions, respectively, in the youth category of musical chair. In the children’s pass over the ball game, Arnav Siwakoti of Mckinney, Victor Raj Panta of Rowlett, and Aayush Karmacharya of Plano won the first, second, and third prizes respectively. Spouses of UNCON officers distributed the prizes and certificates to the winners of the games.  

In the middle of the program Pramesh Shrestha, President of United Newah USA, urged all the community people to come and celebrate the famous Indra Jatra event that is going to be organized by United Newah USA on October 4th at the River Legacy Park in Arlington.  He explained that there will be a lot of fun filled activities in the event. In the same manner Suman Karki, Pradip Giri, and Nikita Gautam from the Walk For Nepal 2015 team announced that the Walk For Nepal 2015 event is going to be organized on November 15th at the River Legacy Park in Arlington. Displaying the Walk For Nepal event banner Pradip Giri invited all the members of the Nepalese community to participate in the program and contribute for good causes.  

An information booth was setup in the corner of the pavilion where flyers, brochures, and UNCON’s promotional materials were displayed and UNCON’s activities were explained by the UNCON youth volunteers. As a token of love UNCON branded pen and projects pamphlets were distributed to all the attendees. Throughout the program, UNCON officers and youth volunteers were busy in explaining its projects and answering queries raised by attendees. 

As per the registration record, $2,310 was collected from the registration fee and t-shirt sales (38 t-shirts were sold @ $10 each) and $937 was expended for foods, park booking, and others. UNCON was able to save $1,373 from this event, which will be used for the Children Education Project in Nepal. Currently UNCON is sponsoring full education cost of 10 children through Child Development Center and has a plan to sponsor 25 children in 2016. 

Presidents of all the DFW based major social/community organizations (NST, NCSC, NRN TX, NJSS DFW, DELC, INLS TX, Yeti Chamber of Commerce, United Newah, Peace for Development, NSND, and Advisor of BDA) and several prominent leaders of the community attended this event. UNCON’s President thanked to all the leaders and community members who attended the event and further said UNCON is honored by their presence. He also said that the program would not have been successful without the dedication and hard work of all the UNCON officers - specifically two team leaders of this project Agni Sanjel and Laxmi Oli Panta, spouses of all the UNCON officers, and above all the UNCON YOUTH VOLUNTEERS.

Support Orphanage

UNCON and Lions Club of Narayangarh Diyalo, Nepal (LCND) have signed an agreement where UNCON has agreed to support $200.00 each month that will be utilized for the benefit of the orphan girls living in orphanages in Nepal and LCND has agreed to execute/administer the project at the field (local) level . Vice-President of UNCON Mr. Thala Raj Panta and Project Coordinator of Girls Orphanage Project at LCND Mr. Dina Nath Naupane signed the agreement on August 8, 2015.

Based on survey and research, LCND selected Satya Sai Bal Ashram of Muktinagar, Chitwan, Nepal, for such support and both the Donor and UNCON approved it. Therefore, starting from September of 2015, UNCON will provide $200 each month to LCND that will be utilized for the benefit of the orphan girls living in the Bal Ashram of Miktinagar, Chitwan, Nepal. The first instalment will be remitted in September of 2015. UNCON is very pleased to support the education, food, and health care needs of the orphan girls in Nepal.

UNCON whole-heartedly thanks the Donor (the Donor’s name is confidential on Donor’s request) who agreed to donate $2,400 per year to UNCON that will be utilized for the above noted purpose. This is a continuing project and will be renewed each year, depending upon the evaluation report of the project.  UNCON also thanks the Lions Club of Narayangarh Diyalo, Nepal (LCND) for partnering with UNCON in this project.

Help For UNCON’s Children Education Project

UNCON is pleased to announce that Mr. Ganesh Thapa of McKinney, Texas has handed over a check of $1,000 to Prakash Gautam, President of UNCON. Mr. Thapa raised this funds from an Indian Community Organization for UNCON’s Children Education Project in Nepal. UNCON wholeheartedly thanks Mr. Thapa and our friends of Indian Community for the love and affection they showed to the needy children in Nepal.

“There is no greater joy nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone’s life” Mary Rose McGeady.

Youth Conference in Nepal & Video Conference between UNCON and NYC, Nepal

National Youth Council (NYC) Nepal, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth & Culture Nepal and with support of other organizations including UNCON, organized a three days youth conference in Kathmandu from August 12 to August 14. This three days conference, focused on the different aspects of youth involvement in the country’s development process, was attended by over 100 youth representing almost all Districts and all Zones of Nepal. UNCON was one of the key sponsors of this conference. NYC has reported UNCON that the conference, which was inaugurated by Honorable Foreign Minister of Nepal Mr. Mahendra BahadurPandey, was a huge success and would not have been possible without the help of sponsoring organization, including the key sponsor UNCON. President of NYC Mr. Saroj Bania and Advisor of UNCON Mr. Rajendra Giri thanked UNCON for its support and guidance to NYC.

One of the main attractions of this three days youth conference in Nepal was the one and half hours web interaction (video conference) session between the UNCON team in USA and the NYC management & participants team in Nepal. Fifteen conference participants, representing each zone of Nepal, along with the President of NYC Mr. Saroj Bania, UNCON’s Advisor Mr. Rajendra Giri and UNCON’s Lead Volunteer Mr.Nadish Ojha attended the web supported video conference from Kathmandu, Nepal. President of UNCON Mr. Prakash Gautam along with other UNCON officers Mr. Naresh Pandey, Mr. Thala Raj Panta, Mr. Bilas Upadhyaya, Mr. Batuk Bista, Mr. Binod Joshi, Mrs. Laxmi Oli Panta, Mrs. Maya Upadhyaya and a few youth participants attended this video conference from Dallas (UNCON). This program was moderated by Mr. Saroj Bania from Kathmandu and by Mr. Devendra Shah and Mr. Binod Joshi from Dallas. A numbers of facts and scenarios related to youth and youth developments were presented and discussed from both sides and a question answer session was initiated at the end of the session. President of UNCON Mr. Prakash Gautam volunteered to convey the best wishes message, for the success of the Conference, that was received from Mr. Gouri Joshi of Vastika Inc. and from Mr. Bhuwan Acharya, President of Nepalese Society of Texas, to the  NYC, Nepal.

Overall this was a great initiative as all the participants from UNCON and NYC thoroughly enjoyed the video interaction and learned something new from each-other. UNCON is encouraged to organize such video conference in the future.

Thank you NYC!

Surya Namaskar - 108 Yoga Challenge

Our friends from Indian community organized 'Surya Namaskar - 108 Yoga Challenge' a yoga program, at Grapevine botanical garden. The program started at 6:00 AM and finished around 9:00 AM. About ~80 people participated in the program. The program was very successful. Some of our UNCON members were also present and participated in the program.
UNCON is pleased to be a part of the program. A net proceed of $1531 was handed over to UNCON to support its programs in Nepal. UNCON would like to express its deepest gratitude to the Indian community for their generous support.

Interaction with Mr. & Mrs Rajendra Giri and UNCON New Members

UNCON had an opportunity to organize an interaction program with its Nepal based Advisor Mr. Rajendra Giri and his spouse Mrs. Kamala Giri, who were visiting Texas after participating the Lions Club International’s convention in Hawaii, on July 16th of 2015, in Fairview, Texas. Almost all the executives of UNCON attended this program with their spouse and family members. The program was conducted in an informal and family environment that started with the introduction of the newly added UNCON team members. Recently Mr. Agni Sanjel from Forth Worth, Mr. Binod Joshi from Irving and Mrs. Laxmi Oli Panta from Plano have joined the UNCON team.

President of UNCON highlighted some of the activities that UNCON’s Nepal based advisors and officers have performed and explained how these activities have positively impacted on the growth of UNCON. He also talked about some of the mutual benefits that UNCON and its Nepal based partner organizations are enjoying because of their joint efforts and cordial work relationship. To date UNCON has established partnership relation with the following entities in Nepal:
· Child Development Society (CDS) – UNCON is supporting education cost of 10 children.
· Shreejana Development Center (SDC) – UNCON supported for an income generation training program for women.
· GB Foundation – UNCON, in collaboration with Sanskar school family, provided relief package to earthquake victims in Lamjung, Nepal.
· Lions Club International MD 325 Nepal – Support reconstructions of earthquake damaged public school (in progress).
· Lions Club of Narayangarh Diyalo – UNCON is in the process of supporting $200 per month for the benefits of girls in orphanage (agreement in progress).
· Nepal Youth Coordination Council – UNCON has received an offer to be a sponsoring partner of a 3 days national level youth seminar that will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, in August 2015. UNCON is reviewing the project plan.

During this interaction program, all the UNCON team members presented their views and thoughts about the progress of UNCON during the first six months of its establishment. Everyone expressed their satisfactions on its progress.

At the end, Advisor Mr. Giri shared his good experiences on working with several non-profit organizations, including Lions Club, and working as a corporate executive of several organizations in Nepal. He also briefly explained how he feels about UNCON and advised some tips on making UNCON even more active and vibrant in the community. He praised UNCON saying UNCON initiated a connection between people in Nepal and in USA and acted as a bridge in strengthening the relationship between each-other and for mutual benefits. He also mentioned that although attending the Lions International Seminar in Hawaii, USA, was his primary purpose of this visit, he travelled to Texas to meet UNCON officials; and eventually he ended up visiting 17 other states of this beautiful country. He further said all these happened just because of his association with UNCON. As well, he expressed his gratitude to UNCON team and friends who attended the interaction program.

Just prior to wrapping up the program, an appreciation plaque was presented to Mr. Rajendra Giri and Mrs. Kamala Giri for their outstanding support in expanding UNCON’s activities and network in Nepal.

Last but not least was the entertainment part of the program. In honor of Mr. and Mrs. Giri, Mrs. Sabina Joshi Shah and some other friends of UNCON sang several melodious songs and made a very pleasurable environment. The program was adjourned by cutting a good-bye cake and wishing Mr. and Mrs. Giri a very pleasant and safe flight back to Nepal.

The Giri couple returned to Nepal on July 18th, 2015.

MoU with Lions Club International Multiple District 325 Nepal

An agreement regarding reconstruction and/or development of earthquake damaged public schools in the earthquake affected areas of Nepal has been signed by the Lions Club International Multiple District 325 Nepal (LCIMDN) and the USA-Nepal Community Outreach Network (UNCON) on June 9, 2015. LCIMDN President Lion Mr. Bharat Dhungel and UNCON’s President Lion Mr. Prakash Gautam signed the agreement that detailed the scope of the project and responsibilities of each parties in this noble task. UNCON is privileged to be a working partner of LCIMDN.

MoU & Funds Handover Program, SDC Pokhara

UNCON’s Vice President Mr. Thala Raj Panta (May 12th, 2015, Kathmandu) handovers the signed MoU and funds to Mr. Bishnu Poudel and Mr. Bir Bahadur Adhikari, officers of the SDC - Pokhara (Shreejana Development Center).

Under this agreement, UNCON financially supports the cost of skill development trainings and capacity building programs to a group of marginalized women of rural area of Gorkha, Lamjung, Tanahun and Kaski Districts in Western Region of Nepal. 
Likewise SDC will monitor the progress of the project, provide needed support for self-employment, and evaluate the financial progress or the status of the participants through SDC’s already established mechanism.

UNCON’s board meeting of March 22nd, 2015, approved the project proposal on the Women Self Empowerment Project, which was submitted by Shreejana Development Center (SDC), Nepal.

Health Camp and Blood Donor Program

UNCON, in association with other organizations, organized following programs:

• UNCON in association with Pioneer Healthcare Clinic organized a free health services on April 25, 2015 during its grand opening.

• UNCON collaborated with Blood Donors of America (BDA) to organize a blood donation program on April 25, 2015

MoU & Fund Handover Program, CDC Kathmandu

On February 25, 2015, UNCON’s Nepal based officers handed over the first installment of the yearly project cost to the representative of CDS in a special program held at the CDS office in Kapan, Nepal. All the Nepal based UNCON officers, Mr. Subas Gautam, Mr. Rajendra Giri, Mr. Bacchu Raj Pandey and Mr. Govinda Gurung attended the program that was organized by the CDS. The second installment will be disbursed upon receipt of the students’ half yearly progress report and other necessary documents from CDS. Based on the evaluation of the project, this program will continue in the future years as well.

A MOU between UNCON and CDS was signed on February 5, 2015. As per the agreement, UNCON will provide financial assistance to support 10 underprivileged students in 2015 through CDS.

Nepali Movie Screening to support Cancer Patient in Nepal

USA-Nepal Community Outreach Network (UNCON) in association with Institute of Rubber & Jatropha Research (IJRJ) successfully screened a super-hit Nepali movie “Talak Jung vs. Tulke” on January 24th, 2015, at the Fun Asia Theater in Richardson, Texas. Although this was the third show of “Talak Jung vs. Tulke” in DFW (Dallas Forth Worth), the number of people who attended the show was satisfactory.  This show was screened to raise funds to financially help a cancer patient in Jhapa, Nepal. The distributors of the movie Mr. Bhuwan Acharya and Mr. Rabin Basnet have agreed to contribute a portion of their revenue from this screening to the cancer patient as well. Special thanks to these two Nepali Community Leaders of DFW. UNCON also thanks Mrs. Rupa KC and Mrs. Sunita Sharma for their volunteer work during the show.

UNCON team heartily thanks to all the audiences and supporters who did their part to help support UNCON’s one of the objectives – support health care activities for the underprivileged people.  UNCON expects such supports from its well-wishers in the future as well.