Caption: Fifty-five of the 150 girls being educated in Nepal, thanks to the efforts of Jeffrey A. Kottler, professor of counseling and founder and president of the nonprofit organization Empower Nepali Girls.
Changing Lives
Through Example, Kottler Teaches Students to Help Others
Ten years ago in Nepal, Jeffrey A. Kottler donated $30 to save a girl from being sold into sex slavery and keep her in a remote village school.
Caption: Jeffrey A.Kottler, right, and Inu.
Every winter since then, he has returned to continue that work. Today, 150 girls are being educated, thanks to the Cal State Fullerton professor of counseling and founder of the nonprofit organization Empower Nepali Girls, formerly Ghimire Foundation. And that first girl, named Inu, has been awarded a full scholarship to study radio and television communication at Rangsit University in Thailand.
“Once I had reached into my pocket for a few rupees to keep her in school,” Kottler said, "I realized I really had no other choice except to follow through on what I had started."
Kottler, author of 80 books, recently returned from his annual Nepal trip and now is teaching courses on altruism and social justice abroad. In the fall when he returns from teaching as part of Semester at Sea, he will teach a social justice course on campus.
“Each of us has a responsibility to take care of those who are less fortunate, who suffer terribly and are without hope,” he said. “It is through such service and activism that we not only make a difference for those who need help the most, but we also transform our own lives in ways that provide deeper meaning and greater satisfaction.”
Jan. 11, 2011
