A GOLF TOURNAMENT IN KATHMANDU CAN HELP YOUR KARMA

This coming Saturday, 20th of April, the The Ability Development Society of Nepal (ADSoN) is organizing a fundraising tournament to support its great work with and for persons with disabilities. A chance to elevate your KARMA.

Simone Galimberti

Kathmandu, 16th April, 2024

There are many ways to promote a good cause and use sports for the common good.

For example, sports can be leveraged to promote social inclusion but they can also become a platform for fundraising for important initiatives.

Among all the disciplines, golf is an ideal tool to involve well off segments of the population who can financially contribute and help themselves become more responsible citizens and better human beings.

This was the idea of R.R. Pandey, one of the pioneers of the travel industry in Nepal and Chairman of Everest Express, the General Sales Agent of Singapore Airlines in the country.

As a golf enthusiast, Mr. Pandey thought to use his passion for the sports and his extended network of business people and entrepreneurs to promote the work of The Ability Development Society of Nepal (ADSoN), a national not for profit established in 2014.

This is the plan for the “We Are All Able” Charity Golf Tournament which is going to be held, this coming Saturday, the 20th April 2024 Saturday at Gokarna Golf Club.

Though small, ADSoN has been innovative in the field of social inclusion with a particular focus on the rights of persons living with disabilities.

Since its establishment, the organization has supported thousands of disadvantaged youths, providing a variety of life-changing schemes, from scholarships to income generation programs to nutritious food supplements to the provision of assistive devices among others.

In many ways ADSoN has made a real, tangible difference in the lives of so many young people many of whom are now successful in their job markets.

Some of them are having promising careers also overseas, showing how professional and successful Nepali workers can be all over the world.

Interestingly, some are directly involved in running the organization, including Nirmala Gyawali, one of its “pillars” since the beginning and Bharat BC, the program manager with whom I directly had the luck to work with when he was helping developing ENGAGE.

I also know Nirmala since many years and I am always impressed by her tenacity and strong commitment to challenge and change the status quo.

What’s perhaps not many people know is that Mr. Pandey is also the founder and chair of ADSoN and he has been a pillar to support the process of strengthening and expanding the organization.

Linking his passion for golf with his commitment for philanthropy and social work, Mr. Pandey is trying hard to ensure that the organization can continue to thrive long term.

This is a dream that he does not only share with all the board members of ADSoN, with Nirmala, Bharat and all the team working at ADSoN, including Victory Thapa, that since 2022 has become the Executive Director of the organization.

This is a vision shared by Rob Rose and his family in Bellevue, near Seattle, USA.

Rob, a long-life Rotarian like Mr. Pandey, is a committed social worker who has been doing a lot to promote social inclusion and disability rights in Nepal.

The Rose International Fund for Children (TRIFC), the organization that Bob and his family created to raise funding for Nepal, has been paramount to develop ADSoN.

I personally know Rob and he is someone who really deserves credit for his personal sacrifices, and his commitment for Nepal.

At the same time, it is also essential that Nepali citizens also step up their game, rather than just be dependent on the generosity of foreigners.

After all it makes sense, the country, despite some challenges, is growing economically and there are an increasing number of entrepreneurs who can do a lot to improve the society.

While they are already creating jobs with their businesses, they can also play a big role on their personal level.

This is what Mr. Pandey really aims to do: it is not just about raising money for a good cause but it is also to create awareness among better off citizens about their responsibilities in the society.

I had an opportunity to meet Mr. Pandey at his office to better understand his philanthropic journey and his philosophy of life.

I was not only impressed by his optimism and joy for life but also by his dedication to the cause and his thinking about “first things first”, the things that really have to be prioritized during someone’ s life.

He explained me that each of us has two bank accounts.

The first, the traditional one, the so called BOM or Bank of Money. The second one instead is what he calls the BOK or Bank of Karma.

He believes that everyone should not to be over focused on making money. Of course, money are important but they are not everything to him.

That’s why the We Are All Able” Charity Golf that is now at its 8th edition is an invitation for the members of the golf community to expand their BOK, to enlarge their karmas.

Mr. Pandey and the whole ADSoN team are aiming at ensuring that there will be at least 75 participants at this year edition.

All the money will be used to create income generation opportunities through organic vegetable farming.

In a phone conversation I had with Nirmala, the co-founder of ADSoN, who at the moment is more focusing on supporting the organization from the fundraising point of view, I was told that “through this program so far 57 participants with disabilities have benefitted so far”.

Among them, she explained me, “23 are Deaf/Hard of Hearing Disability, 26 are Physical Disability, 5 are Low Vision Disability, 2 are Speech impairment and 1 is Psychosocial Disability.”

The Gokarna Golf Club is doing a lot to make the tournament happen but the ADSoN team hopes to involve and engage more private sector players, banks, insurances and big players from the hospitality sectors who can do quite a bit for the cause.

Singapore Airlines is the primary sponsor and partner of the tournament and it is a role that the airline has been playing since the start of the initiative.

It is a way for one of the most prestigious, if not the most prestigious airline in the world, to contribute to the social development of Nepal.

For those who might think that organic gardening is not a big deal, actually this is a game changer.

It started small and it is getting bigger and bigger.

If you are a businesswoman or businessman, even someone who does not play golf, the “We Are All Able” Charity Golf Tournament is a great way to help a visionary organization which is already doing a lot.

Do not miss this great opportunity to make your BOK bigger.

As Mr. Pandey explained to me “The tournament is a great way to start working on what really matters”.

Who wouldn’t agree with him?

To know more about The Ability Development Society of Nepal (ADSoN), visit https://adson-nepal.org/

To know more about the initiative, contact Nirmala Gyawali

E-mail: adsonktm@gmail.com ;

Phone: 986–46–57–515)

Simone Galimberti is the co-founder of ENGAGE and The Good Leadership.