About SNEHA

The Society of Nepalese in Hawaii (SNEHA) is a public, non-profit, non-political organization [501 (C) (3)] located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Established in 2007 with the shared faith of "SNEHA"  "स्नेह" which means "affection, tenderness, or love", SNEHA is organized and operated exclusively for charitable purposes and dreams in providing affectionate supportto the individuals and societies in need.

SNEHA's current charitable activities are to:

1) Promote Nepalese language education in Hawaii
2) Assist to improve children's education in Nepal,
3) Assist to enhance women's empowerment in Nepal,
4) Support an underprivileged community in Hawaii and
5) Implement specific donor driven projects in line with SNEHA's Objectives

If you are interested in becoming a member or need more information or want to support SNEHA, please contact us by sending an e-mail to admin@esneha.org  or mail to Society of Nepalese in Hawaii (SNEHA), 825 6th Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii-96816, USA.

Society of Nepalese in Hawaii (SNEHA) is currently engaged in the following activities:

1. Promoting Nepalese Language and Culture Education in Hawaii.
One of the main activities of SNEHA is to Promote Nepalese Language and Culture Education in Hawaii. The rich, and unique culture of Nepal, evolved over centuries in the shadows of the great Himalayas is present in Hawaii. We, as a growing number of Nepalese people who live in Hawaii, now feel the need to preserve our Nepalese cultural heritage, and to pass them on to our children, the subsequent generations of Nepalese Americans. A strong Nepalese cultural presence will also enrich Hawaii’s ethno-cultural diversty. There are many Americans in Hawaii who have close connection to Nepal and are very appreciative of Nepalese culture, and like to participate in Nepalese cultural programs. While understanding culture and language will help Nepalese living in Hawaii to maintain close connection with Nepal, it will also help non-Nepalese to appreciate the richness and diversity of Nepalese culture, thus fosters mutual understanding.

SNEHA has initiated a Nepali language class within a few months of its inception. The class is open to people of all walks of life and has generated immense interest among Nepalese and non-Nepalese. Currently, we have 8 students enrolled in this program and the class is taught by three dedicated SNEHA’S volunteer teachers Ms. Bedika Upadhayay, Ms. Gita Neupane and Ms. Laxmi GC. We received donation of $ 1,200.00 from Dr. Aparajita "Raji" Adhikary during formative years of Nepali language class in  2007. The lessons are currently held on every Saturday from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM at 2465 Campus Road, Campus Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96816.

Cultural education is vital for the integrity of any society. While Hawaii has only about 30 Nepalese families, several Nepalese students and visitors come to Hawaii for study and business annually. Several high ranking government officials from Nepal also come to Honolulu annually to attend federally funded East-West Center sponsored security training program. Society of Nepalese in Hawaii (SNEHA) provides the opportunity to all Nepalese and non-Nepalese in Hawaii to participate and understand Nepali culture. SNEHA regularly hosts programs featuring Nepalese culture and festivals. SNEHA coordinated several Nepalese cultural events in Honolulu during the past year including Nepalese New Year (April), Teej (August)), Dashain (September/October) and Tihar (October/November). In addition, our members participated and performed in cultural activities of the East-West Center. SNEHA will continue to host such programs every year.

We plan to purchase a computer, a projector, Nepali costumes, some books, musical instruments and multimedia. These programs are primarily funded by contributions from its members and donations from the public. If you want to support SNEHA’s this activity, please contact us by sending an e-mail to admin@esneha.org or mail to Society of Nepalese in Hawaii (SNEHA), 825 6th Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii-96816, USA.

2. Assisting Education in Nepal.
Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world with almost one-third of its population living below the poverty line . Thousands of children and youth in Nepal are deprived of basic education and more than half of Nepal’s almost 30 million people are illiterate. Poverty is the main factor limiting children’s access to education in Nepal, and public education services are very limited in terms of resources. Society of Nepalese in Hawaii (SNEHA) has generated $171.00 in the past year through words of mouth to provide books to a library at Saraswoti lower secondary School in the Parbat district of Nepal. SNEHA will continue to seek public donation and grants to support the library and other public schools in remote areas of Nepal for infrastructure development. In near future, SNEHA will also plan to establish SNEHA-Nepal scholarship to assist talented but economically disadvantaged children in Nepal. Moreover, a SNEHA-Hawaii Scholarship will be established to encourage Nepalese student to come to Hawaii for higher education. If you are interested in supporting children’s education in Nepal or willing to assist us in establishing scholarship please contact us by sending an e-mail to admin@esneha.org or mail to Society of Nepalese in Hawaii (SNEHA), 825 6th Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii-96816, USA.

3. Assisting Women’s Empowerment in Nepal.
Nepalese women are far behind the males in terms of education, have less control over economic and physical resources than men and they have limited access to health care. During 2007, SNEHA supported the “TEWA” a philanthropic organization whose mission is to empower underprivileged women in Nepal. SNEHA extended its support to TEWA particularly in Nepalese women’s income generating activities such as animal husbandry and sewing, skill development programs and peace initiatives. SNEHA’s executive committee decided to support TEWA and generated $2,266 for TEWA’s women’s empowerment work in Nepal. SNEHA will continue to support TEWA and other similar programs designed to empower the underprivileged women in Nepal. If you have any questions about this program or are interested in supporting women’s empowerment in Nepal, please contact us by sending an e-mail to admin@esneha.org or mail to Society of Nepalese in Hawaii (SNEHA), 825 6th Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii-96816, USA.

4. Supporting Underprivileged Communities in Hawaii.
Recognizing the need of the elderly and their families in the Hawaii community, the Nepalese Society in Hawaii (SNEHA) extended its support to Project Dana. Project Dana, an interfaith volunteer caregivers program, was started by Moiliili Hongwanji Mission almost two decades ago for the frail and vulnerable elderly and disabled persons. For details, please visit the project website. 

During the past year, SNEHA donated a 19” RCT monitor to the Project Dana and SNEHA’s IT experts Mr. Bibin Shakya and Nandu Bhandari visited the Project Dana’s office and help to install and fix several computer software and network problems. We will continue to extend our material and voluntary support to Project Dana and similar other organizations working in Hawaii for the welfare of underprivileged communities. If you are interested in supporting SNEHA’s effort in serving the needs of vulnerable societies in Hawaii and Nepal, please contact us by sending an e-mail to admin@esneha.org or mail to Society of Nepalese in Hawaii (SNEHA), 825 6th Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii-96816, USA.

Society of Nepalese in Hawaii (SNEHA) donated 60 lbs of food to Hawaii Food bank & participated its Food Drive campaign on April 19, 2009.

5. Implementing Donor driven projects:
SNEHA will accept donations and release the donated funds to the projects specified by the donors, provided that such projects are related to the SNEHA’s exempt purposes. If you are interested in investing in a charitable activity of your choice, please contact us by sending an e-mail to admin@esneha.org or mail to Society of Nepalese in Hawaii (SNEHA), 825 6th Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii-96816, USA.