Washington D.C.- ANA’s Presidential Award of Excellence, NEPCAN, is the highest annual recognition to an individual or a group supporting the mission and vision of ANA. Two candidates have won the award this inaugural year. The recipients of this award are READ Global and its founder Dr. Antonia Neubauer, and Sagarmatha TV and its founder Mr. Ram C. Kharel.

 

 

Dr. Antonia Neubauer is Founder and President of Myths and Mountains, Inc., a cultural travel company, located in Incline Village, Nevada. Focusing on Asia, Southeast Asia, Antarctica and South America, the company designs adventures that highlight cultures and crafts, religions and holy sites, folk medicine and traditional healing, wildlife and the environment.  

 

Giving back to the locals in regions where Myths and Mountains travels was a priority for Dr. Neubauer from the company’s founding in 1987. To this end, she established READ (Rural Education and Development) Nepal in 1991. READ is a registered 501 (c)(3) Non-profit organization that seeks to inspire rural development and prosperity though education and development. READ accomplishes this by building community library and resource centers along with seeding local businesses whose profits fully sustain and support the centers. The idea came about after a trek in Nepal when Dr. Neubauer asked the local guide what he wanted most for his village and he responded “a library”.

 

The READ beta site is in Nepal, where for over seventeen years the organization has built more than 45 rural libraries across the country, trained village librarians, supplied more than 250,000 Nepali books and 95 computers, and seeded sustaining businesses, such as ambulances, mills, factories, storefront rentals, and fishponds, that fully sustain and support the libraries after construction. Centers also house medical facilities, a computer room where training is available, meeting spaces, a cultural room, a reading room, and a children’s section. Through the many sections of the center, all members of the rural communities can come in seek education and advancement. Annually 540,000 villagers visit the READ Community Library and Resource Centers in Nepal.

 

Mr. Ram Kharel is the founder and producer of Sagarmatha Television based in Northern Virginia, suburb of Washington, DC. He has contributed to advancements of ANA objectives through the annual ANA conventions, ANA Nepali Education and Cultural Center, ANA partner organizations, and various other Nepali Diaspora projects including active involvement in NRN activities of America.

 

The Washington, DC area is very cosmopolitan, with people from almost every nation in the world. Many of these international communities have produced television programs that promote their cultures and report news of their countries. However, until 1997 there was no television program directed towards the Nepali community. The people from Nepal who were living in America had almost no way of keeping informed about current events and happening in Nepal. It is for these reasons that Mr. Ram Kharel began producing and airing Sagarmatha Television in July 31, 1997 for the first time.

 

Sagarmatha Television is the first Nepali television program ever to broadcast not only in the North America, but outside of Nepal in the Nepalese history. Sagarmatha Television has been airing continuously since July of 1997, on WNVC-TV (MHz Networks). This is a community television program, serving Nepal, Nepali community as well as multinational communities in the Washington, DC area and via satellite throughout the United States of America. Sagarmatha Television is also available online.

 

NEPCAN 2009

 

There were 20 nominees for this award this year. Recipients were voted in by the selection committee comprising of all the past presidents of ANA and current executive officers. The following criteria were used for voting for the recipient.

Primary service provided by the nominee (20%)

Impact on Nepal/ Nepali community (20%)

Years of service/involvement in the aforementioned service (20%)

Any awards/recognition that the nominee may have received for his/her achievements in the same area that they are being nominated for now (20%)

Advancing objectives of ANA (20%)

Given the excellent profiles of all the nominees and their dedication towards the affairs of Diaspora and Nepal, it was very hard to decide the best candidate(s). The award was previously planned to announce during the 27th ANA Convention in Oakland but due to the volume of reading material on the nominees more time was needed thus the decision was postponed for a month. Upon the tabulations READ Global and Sagarmatha TV received equal points therefore both are the winners for 2009. The award ceremony will take place during the 28th ANA Convention in Boston around the Independence Day weekend in 2009.

 

We would like thank all the nominees for their services and congratulate the winners. We would also like to inform all to stay tuned to the upcoming activities of ANA and request to take part in them.

 

Association of Nepalis in the Americas

August 4, 2009

ANAonline.org