Orphanage
dream moving to reality
By Amy
Dove
News staff,
Saanich
News
Jun 01
2007
Saanich youth
selected for Canada’s Top 20 Under
20
Nakita Sekhon
exists in a state of organized chaos.
Since
postponing her graduation from Claremont
secondary school by a semester to travel to
India, she has spent her time working with
Kiwanis Educating Youth International. She is
running for the organization’s
international treasurer this year. She is also
campaigning for BC Children’s Hospital. And
she’s the executive director of the
fledging Jamsher Children’s Village, an
orphanage in India.
Even more
impressive is that she started the orphanage
herself.
With all that
on the go, it came as a big surprise to Nakita
that she was selected as one of Canada’s
Top 20 Under 20. She travels to Toronto this
weekend to meet the other winners and take part
in a four-day Leadership Summit.
There Nakita
hopes to network and start the fundraising
campaign that will launch her dream from paper
to reality.
Her interests
are diverse, but they all work together, she
explained. The position with Kiwanis will give
her experience working with non-profit groups.
Her work with BC Children’s Hospital has
made her a force to be reckoned with in the
fundraising world.
Perhaps most
exciting is the Top 20 Under 20 award, which
links her to a mentor for 10 months. She hopes
her mentor will be the director of SOS
Children’s Village, an organization that
places children in safe homes, agreeing to help
her.
The trip to
India with her father, Hardy Sekhon, was
supposed to test out the feasibility of her
business plan. What she encountered was a rush
of new ideas and the assurance she needed to
pursue her dream.
“I
wasn’t sure I was on the right track
before,” Nakita said, adding she has no
doubts now of the need for the
orphanage.
The facility
will have a home-like feel, she said. House moms
will take care of the children and there will be
an onsite school. If all goes according to plan,
youths outside the orphanage will be able to use
the school as well.
After touring
an orphanage in India, Nakita decided to add
guest facilities to Jamsher Children’s
Village so people can stay onsite and learn
about the facility.
It’s
important for the children to see people coming
to their home, Hardy said. That way the
orphanage feels like a place people want to be,
not somewhere they are forced to
live.
Guest space
also helps connect people in Canada to the
cause, Nakita said.
The Sekhons
estimate it will cost half a million dollars to
get the buildings up and running. After that, it
will cost $6,000 a month to feed, house and
educate 30 youths.
What should be
a daunting task is generating nothing but
excitement for Nakita, who has raised more than
$13,000 through school fundraisers
alone.
On her
father’s advice, she is aiming for large
donations over the “nickel and dime
approach.” Major foundations in Canada and
abroad will be contacted and asked to provide
money. In return, the Sekhons will offer space
in their guest facilities for people to stay
under the foundation’s names.
Nakita also
got to see the land given to her by her family
near the village of Jamsher. The 3.5-acres was a
lot bigger than she had thought it would be,
which is good because her plans don’t stop
at 30 kids.
“I wanted
500,” she said.
The Sekhons
hope to start construction in two years. Nakita,
who is applying to the nursing program, at
Camosun College is eager to get back to school
in the fall.
Claremont is,
after all, where most of her volunteers come
from.
Anyone
interested in learning more about Jamsher
Children’s Village can contact Nakita at
nakita_sekhon@yahoo.ca
or call 250-658-2544.
news@saanichnews.com
Top 20 Under
20
Run by Youth
in Motion, this Canadian program recognizes 20
outstanding youth each year.
The award is
based on leadership, innovation and achievement
– academic or otherwise.
The winners,
four of whom are from B.C. this year, are given
the chance to meet together and with influential
members in their field of interest.
For more
information, go to www.top20under20.ca.
