OUR STORY
WHO WE ARE
SANA is a non-profit organization created by the Nepalese population residing in San Antonio, Texas for the people of Nepali origin as well as the well-wishers of Nepali culture. This association was established in 2015 by a group of local students, professionals, businessmen and families. This body addresses the needs of the Nepali speaking community by providing a forum for communication and for sharing native culture and traditions.
A steady increase of Nepalese in San Antonio over the past 15 years or so has resulted in an area population of over 500. Although SANA, a relatively new organization, has a few hundred members, it envisions reaching out to more people living in greater San Antonio area, greater Austin area, and beyond.
The first generation members of this community have been involved in coordinating various cultural, sports and charitable events that benefit not only the Nepali population but the local population in San Antonio as well as the disadvantaged people in Nepal. As it is difficult for Nepali families to meet frequently enough to create an environment for children to learn their culture, values and the Nepali language, SANA is an endeavor to prevent a gradual loss of the unique Nepali heritage and identity amid blending cultures from all over the world.
San Antonio has been a home away from home for the Nepalese people, and so this beautiful city is also home to SANA. Giving back to the local community here is also one of the goals of SANA. In this spirit, SANA plans to conduct events, such as blood drives, that will help the local community here.
In a nutshell, SANA intends to bring all Nepalese living in San Antonio and the well-wishers of this community under a common umbrella. Through our continuing community based activities, it is time for all the proactive members of this culturally diverse community to collaborate for the retention of our cultural legacy for our future generations, and for the betterment of life of our brothers and sisters in San Antonio and back home.
Our History
The April 2015 earthquake in Nepal that took the lives of thousands, stirred the Nepali community in San Antonio to come together and pray for our nation. About 200 Nepalese congregated at a candle light vigil at the Alamo Mission in downtown San Antonio to pray for the lives that were lost, for the strength of the survivors, and for the recovery of a nation that had been demolished to rubbles.
After this initial assembly, we felt that just prayers were not enough – we felt a strong need to do something so we could assist in the recovery of Nepal. With this goal, we went on to form a formal association in May 2015 under the leadership of Mr. Nishant Hada – and SANA was born.