On the 24. May 2017 The Interview with Jörg Overlack was published in the weekly magazine RAZ. Jörg Overlack, the founder of the Nepal Children Overlack Foundation, provides insights into the work of the foundation, the philosophy of the project and its development over the last 25 years.
RASTATTER WEEKLY MAGAZINE RAZ:
Last year, the entire Overlack family, including children and grandchildren, visited Nepal and the various schools supported by the aid project for the first time. Photos and cover picture: Nepal Children Overlack
The initiative of the Overlack family from Rastatt has been helping pupils in Nepal for 25 years.
„Success lies in consistency.“
By Melanie Klein
Rastatt - A daily one-and-a-half hour walk to school seems unimaginable in this country. However, children in Nepal are happy to take on this difficult journey, as education is not a given in this South Asian country. The illiteracy rate is still around 35 percent today, and is significantly higher in some regions. For a quarter of a century now, Jörg Overlack and his family have been committed to the future of the pupils. He told the weekly magazine RAZ about the beginnings of the "Nepal Children" initiative, special success stories and exactly how the funding works.
RAZ: Mr. Overlack, your "Nepal Children" initiative is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Tell us about the beginnings.
Jörg Overlack: It all began in December 1992 on a trip to Nepal with my wife Dagmar and my two sons Bert and Marc. We passed the village of Nau- danda, a poor mountain village. There were no roads, no electricity and no running water. The poverty of the people was depressing. The equipment at the local, still young, private school Morning Star Higher Secondary School (MSHSS) was also extremely primitive and so we decided that we wanted to help the children in particular.
RAZ: What did this help look like in concrete terms?
Jörg Overlack: We first supported three boys at the MSHSS. The pupils come exclusively from rural mountain areas. They are intelligent, but their parents lack the means to pay for their education, which is always expensive in Nepal. Today, we support over 700 children at a total of seven schools.
RAZ: What age are they?
Jörg Overlack: Most of the seven institutions teach from first to tenth grade. However, we also have students in the upper school (grades 11 and 12) who can complete their A-levels.
RAZ: Are they more boys or girls?
Jörg Overlack: My wife pushed for at least half of them to be girls, because women are hardly supported in Nepal. Today, 55 percent of the children we support are girls, and the trend is rising. Only through education they can later lead a self-determined life and also pass on their knowledge to their own children.
Bild: So hat im Dezember 1992 alles begonnen: Die Aufnahme zeigt die erste durch das Projekt „Nepal Kinder“ geförderte Schule, die Morning Star Higher Secondary School in Naudanda.
RAZ: So the idea of sustainability plays a key role in your project?
Jörg Overlack: Of course, sustainability and consistency are important catchphrases. It has always been important to us to pass this idea on to our children and now our grandchildren. The success of our project lies in consistency, so you can't let setbacks bring you to your knees. We are proud of what we have been able to achieve through continuous support.
RAZ: Are there any particular success stories you can think of?
Jörg Overlack: Our first "son" was Shiva Bhandari, who graduated top of his class with a Master's degree in physics from the University of Kathmandu in 2014. He is now studying in the USA and is doing his doctorate there.
The third student, Ramjee Bhandari, is studying medicine in London and is currently completing his specialist degree. Both want to return to Nepal after graduation.
RAZ: Who decides which children should receive financial support?
Jörg Overlack: This is done by the local schools, but fortunately we have trusted people who ensure that everything runs smoothly. It wouldn't work without the support of our good friends in Nepal. Their inspections play a key role in ensuring that everything runs smoothly. However, we also regularly ask for certain proof.
Bild: Jörg Overlack in April 2017 at the inauguration of the sanitary facilities in one of the schools.
Bild: The "Nepal Children" initiative now supports seven different schools in their work.
RAZ: How can we imagine this proof?
Jörg Overlack: As long as the students receive financial support, we expect a report twice a year. One is a report card, the other is a letter of thanks to the sponsoring parents at Christmas. We also visit the country once a year during the Easter vacations and take a closer look at the projects. We write to all our donors in time and they can also take part in this trip.
RAZ: Speaking of donations - how do you handle this issue?
Jörg Overlack: One thing is important to us: 100 percent of every euro reaches Nepal. Our family bears the entire administrative costs and bank charges. Donors also receive detailed information about how their money has been used.
RAZ: What opportunities are there to support you in your work?
Jörg Overlack: Our initiative has three important components. The first building block is the already mentioned financing the education of intelligent children in need with a sum of 170 euros per year calculated over ten years. This sum includes school fees, uniforms and textbooks. In rare cases, we also cover the cost of lunch. For the children, this is the only real meal of the day.
RAZ: What is the second building block of the initiative?
Jörg Overlack: Secondly, we invest in the development of the schools and their infrastructure. For example, during our last visit in April this year, we attended the inauguration of the new toilets at the Little Dafodil English Boarding School in Pame. The tiled toilet facility has a mirror and running water. It was built with donations of 3,000 euros. Previously, there were two holes and a small urinal for 500 pupils and their teachers. For every investment of 1,000 euros, the schools have to enroll a child in school in return.
RAZ: And what does the third component look like?
Jörg Overlack: In addition, we are currently investing in the reconstruction of some houses in the homes of our pupils that were completely destroyed by the severe earthquake in April 2015.
RAZ: How many houses are there?
Jörg Overlack: We have received so much money that we can rebuild a total of 78 buildings. Around half of them have already been completed.
RAZ: 78 houses - that sounds like a big investment. How much does each building cost?
Jörg Overlack: We estimate 1,800 euros per house for material costs and freight to the construction site. The residents build the house with the materials themselves. Helping people to help themselves is the keyword here. It works very well, especially because the people in the village communities are still helping each other.
RAZ: Your project already has numerous supporters in Rastatt too. Who supports your work in particular?
Jörg Overlack: In addition to private donors, there are two sponsors I would like to mention. One is the non-profit Kiwanis Förderverein Rastatt, which has been accepting donations for our project since 2004, issuing donation receipts and transferring the money to Nepal for our children.
RAZ: What is the second important name?
Jörg Overlack: The Augst-Renner-Realschule has also been actively supporting us for around ten years. There is now a close connection between the secondary school and the Nepalese partner school, for whose support it is solely responsible.
RAZ: Are you still planning to celebrate the 25th anniversary?
Jörg Overlack: We already celebrated our anniversary during the trip in April together with the managers and pupils of our first school, Morning Star Higher Secondary School. It was a really touching and warm welcome.
Further information is available on the Internet at www.nepal-kinder-overlack.com
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