Namaste

Recently, I've had opportunity to assist two clients who are doing work in Nepal. It is not easy. Nepal is a beautiful place with wonderful people but the conditions for business are challenging.

Effect International (www.effect.org) is a charitable non-profit based in the San Francisco area that operates expeditions of volunteers to Nepal. They will host teams from Google or other companies in doing service work, such as school or hospital construction, which supports and benefits the local Nepali populations. Effect also, and primarily, is fighting the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. This heinously wicked activity needs to be stopped! Effect is doing excellent work to make that happen. Kudos to this outstanding organization!

Seva Development (www.sevadevelopment.com) is a start-up software testing company based in Salt Lake City. Seva is opening branch offices in Nepali villages where young, well-educated, English-speaking, men and women, who otherwise have limited opportunity, are being employed as testers and quality assurance specialists. They make a nice wage whilst providing a very valuable and perfectly timed service to software developers in the U.S.A. Seva's visionary leadership using free enterprise blesses lives of employees, provides a resource to the villages, and saves money for clients.

Congratulations to these two enterprises, Effect and Seva, for having the willingness and determination to do such great things! To a brighter future!

photo of rice paddies courtesy of Peter West