Teen refugee collects 3,000 coats for charity [Video]

• Ashis Dhakal, an 18-year-old refugee from Nepal, had the opportunity to leave the camp and work in Utah.
• He knows how hard life can be so he came up with a little project to help the needy.
• Ashis was able to collect 3,000 coat donations to be given to charity!

Once you’ve experienced poverty in life and gotten through it, you will develop more compassion for others who are still trying to make it through.

This speaks true for 18-year-old Ashis Dhakal. He came from a refugee camp in Nepal and was given the opportunity to live and work in Utah, for which he was very thankful.

A few years ago, while transporting tables for his job in KFC, he met a homeless man. With all that he’s been through, Ashis identified himself with him. The man was wandering with shabby clothes and his story stirred so much empathy in Ashis’ heart.

At that moment, Ashis realized that clothing is a very basic necessity of people, and seeing that man with no decent clothes, Ashis had an idea. He launched his first clothing drive, Ashis Collects Clothes, in 2019.

This little project caught the attention of TODAY Show’s Hoda Kolb, who took the teen as a mentee.

“My biggest ‘why’ in my life is that as a young child, going through poverty, I was in the same shoes as they were in right now,” he said. “I have a house. I have a computer now. I have a phone. But think about it: Those kids are still suffering. What I can do is better others so that, you know, they can give back to their community.”

Hoda witnessed how eager her protégé was and that he had an entrepreneur’s spirit. This led her to connect him with one of his all-time heroes — none other than Shark Tank’s billionaire philanthropist Mark Cuban.

Ashis never expected that he would be up for a challenge during his online meeting with Mark: to collect 575 coats for folks in need. The task seemed overwhelming at first, but Ashis went beyond the expectations. Partnering with the Utah outreach organization, the young entrepreneur was able to chalk up 3,000 coat donations in a matter of days!

This has created a very good impression that Mark himself was amazed.

Mark proudly said of Ashis on TODAY: “You’re setting an example, Ashis, that it’s not about connections… It’s all about how hard you’re willing to work to getting something done.”

Source: Good News Network