Making it happen

Today his project has expanded from Parsa to Dhanusha and Mahottari districts. It has rehabilitated 68 people--11 relapse cases--with the average age of 28 years.



While Kanchan Jha, now 27, is dedicated to making a better, drug-free community, his initiation has also helped other people to recover from drug abuse.[break]



In Birgunj, his hometown notoriously dubbed the drug capital of Nepal, his organization called Sano Paila has been able to establish Action for Addiction, a self-help rehabilitation center for drug addicts run by former drug addicts.



The idea, Jha says, was to “spread the message and let people know that it was possible” to be cleaned and cured of drug abuse.



In the center that currently houses five but is expanding to a 25-bed facility in September, former addicts now work as role models, outreach workers and counselors.



Jha, who is also the founder and executive director of Sano Paila, says that during the three years of its operation, Sano Paila has created much trust in the community.







An example he points out is the funding they receive. People from low-income bracket such as rickshaw pullers to big business houses now contribute to the organization.



“We want to make it certain to them that this is our community, and we have to solve our problems,” Jha says of the trust and confidence Sano Paila has won from the community.



Upon his return to Nepal after his education and while on a visit to his hometown, Jha observed the socio-political turmoil in the heart of the Madhesh conflicts.



“I wanted to create an opportunity for myself to make contributions to the community I belong to and the society as a whole,” he says of the determination he made then.



In his quest, Jha visited 82 villages in Parsa to get more involved and dig out the issues affecting people.



Today, his project has expanded from Parsa to Dhanusha and Mahottari districts. It has rehabilitated 68 people—11 relapse cases—with the average age of 28 years, and now boasts an army of more than 500 youth volunteers.



“We’ve inspired people to tackle their own problems. I think we’ve given them a platform,” he says about the works Sano Paila has been doing. (BB)

Related story

Elections will be held as scheduled, no reason to postpone: PM...