Why free membership and official numbers matter

Our heartfelt thanks to Sandeep ji for raising such a timely subject. Questions like this play an important part in identifying the community's real situation, its needs and its future direction, and NRNA Slovakia hopes for exactly this kind of constructive, positive, solution-minded suggestion from all its members and from thoughtful people in the community. We have always received with respect any idea that helps the welfare, the identity and the opportunities of Nepalis living in Slovakia. The matter Sandeep ji raised has our serious attention, and we can report that it has already been taken forward in a planned way and with the priority it deserves.

We have been broadcasting important notices, progress reports and completed work transparently and regularly through our social media, so that the community is always informed. The matter Sandeep ji raised has now reached the implementation stage. At the formal meeting on 21 March with His Excellency the Ambassador and the First Secretary of the Embassy of Nepal in Austria, the subject was put forward in all seriousness. It has therefore also entered the diplomatic level. We now await the second round of meetings, at which further concrete facts, strategy and a plan of work will be settled. We hope to move quickly to implementation and achieve results.

For the information of all Nepali social activists and stakeholders in the Slovak Republic, we would like to make a few points clear.

1. NRNA Slovakia

NRNA Slovakia is a non-profit civic association (občianske združenie) duly registered in the Slovak Republic, working continuously to widen the rights, welfare, safety and access to services of Nepalis here. Because sound data is the basis of any effective work, collecting official details of every Nepali living in Slovakia is our priority at this early stage. For this we have introduced a free membership system through which every Nepali can register easily and at no cost: https://forms.gle/P5ZNUbZg5EFGAqAk7

2. Aims and direction

The organisation is moving forward with clear aims, long-term thinking and a plan of work. To frame solid policy on what the real problems of Nepalis in Slovakia are, what they need and how those problems should be addressed, data — the number of Nepalis in Slovakia — is extremely important. On that basis it becomes possible to work with governmental and non-governmental bodies here, to run programmes, and to make the services available through the Nepali embassy and missions easier and more effective. That is exactly why we run a free membership campaign: so that no Nepali is kept out by their financial situation. https://shorturl.at/FhRnF

3. The need for official data

Without a clear answer to the question of how many Nepalis there are in Slovakia and what their social, economic and legal situation is, no institutional initiative can be effective. In every conversation with the government here, with associations and with Nepal's missions abroad, the first question asked is exactly that: "How many Nepalis are there in Slovakia?" NRNA Slovakia can only present verified, official data. Quoting a number based on guesswork is not legally acceptable. The figures we submit may therefore include only the number of registered members of NRNA Slovakia, which at present is very low. However many hundreds or thousands of Nepalis there may be in Slovakia, that number cannot formally be presented until they are registered with NRNA Slovakia. This makes it hard to put the real situation of Nepalis before local associations, the government and Nepal's missions abroad, and Nepalis in Slovakia are then unable to reach the services of the local authorities and the missions easily. If Nepalis living in Slovakia do not register themselves, our real presence, our problems and our needs will not be heard by the relevant bodies, and opportunities may be lost.

The sad reality: even today, in some meetings, one hears the question "are there Nepalis in Slovakia too?" Some missions still believe there are at most a hundred Nepalis in Slovakia.

The encouraging side: various governmental and non-governmental bodies and organisations are ready and waiting, with concrete programmes, to cooperate with NRNA Slovakia for the good of Nepalis in Slovakia — waiting for clear, reliable, official data.

4. Clarity about membership

Because NRNA Slovakia is a non-profit civic association, its structure and purpose are different from those of a political party. Increasing the number of members is not the goal here; doing quality work in line with our aims is the priority. The organisation carries on running programmes regularly according to its own direction.

No pressure, inducement, emotional appeal or promotional campaign is used to make anyone take up membership. Whoever applies for general membership with the conviction that "this organisation is an inseparable support in my life abroad" is entered into our data and granted general membership. The number in our data is the figure we give to the relevant bodies. Whether there are five hundred or five thousand Nepalis who are not in our data, we cannot give such unverified data to any authority. The bitter truth: for want of official registration, the number of Nepalis in Slovakia currently appears to be very low — under a hundred.

In the end, our shared goal is one and the same: to establish the identity of the Nepali community in Slovakia, to secure its rights and to widen its opportunities. For that, the conscious participation, cooperation and responsible contribution of everyone is indispensable.

President: NRNA Slovakia

Let us make NRNA great — the identity of Nepalis in Slovakia.