Giving back feels good for the soul.

That’s something Jennie Lee O’Donnell learnt eight years ago when she started volunteering for Kat Kids.

The organisation raises funds for projects supporting children in need of food, shelter, healthcare or education in Nepal, Southern Africa and Bermuda. The charity is holding its annual holiday night market tonight at Pier Six.

Ms O’Donnell, 48, filled Lifestyle in on what Nepal means to her ...

Why’d you visit Nepal the first time?

I participated in the 2008 XL Everest Base Camp Charity Trek. While I was there, I fell in love with the country and its people — all their positive ideas for how they could improve lives for girls and young people. After their incredible civil war period they were very energetic about improving their lot in life. I was already working as a volunteer with Kat Kids Club as it was called back in 2007 — so it was wonderful having a chance to experience the country for myself. I later formed and led a trek team that returned to Nepal in 2010 to raise funds. Together the treks raised over $400,000 for children in Nepal.

Have you been back since?

I returned to Nepal in March. I travelled to meet, visit and talk with a couple of partner agencies, Gentle Rain and Asha Nepal. Gentle Rain was founded by Tracy Tepper, the former CEO of Lombard Odier (Bermuda) Limited. She retired to found this organisation and hosted me and allowed me to visit the schools and programmes that she helps to run there. It’s run by a group of young Nepali men who are incredibly motivated and inspired to work with children at risk in Kathmandu.

During the civil war, a lot of people migrated to the city centre and there was a population explosion of children. Many of them were living in poverty, unable to go to school and in living situations that weren’t ideal. Gentle Rain has education-based programmes and feeding programmes. They provide children with a substantial meal in school, which isn’t common for Nepal. As a result, more parents want to send their children to school and the children are performing better as well.

They also provide notebooks and uniforms to families in need. Many families in Nepal live on less than $2 a day, so they can’t afford to pay for these materials on their own. The other organisation I went to visit was Asha Nepal, which means hope in Nepali. [That charity] is working to help individuals affected by sex trafficking. I met with teenagers who were victims of sex trafficking who, through this organisation, were being given education, housing, training and a second lease on life in their country. It was incredibly inspiring because we have three daughters (12, 15 and 16) so it was amazing for me to see young people who had been affected and hear their stories.

What has Nepal come to mean to you as a result of your work there?

Working for programmes in Nepal means to me the chance to provide children from the other side of the world with opportunities they only dream of. The same opportunities that my children, and many children on this side of the world, take for granted. And when I meet them and see how grateful, optimistic and genuinely beautiful they are, it just warms my heart. It’s unfair that by the accident of geography they happen to have less of an expectation of education or opportunity, so making that connection was very personal to me. I want to make sure I continue to work in that vein.

What’s the line-up for Kat Kids tonight?

This is our tenth annual night market and we sell merchandise that comes straight from Nepal and Africa. We have gifts and food and drinks for sale; materials will also be auctioned off. We have live entertainment by the band, Radio In Cars and Heather Nova will be there to sign some of her CDs with proceeds going to the Eliza DoLittle Society. The event is modelled after a night market. There will be food from House of India, as Indian food and Nepalese food are very similar. There will also be some Nepali music and information sharing more about what the charity is doing. There will be great items for sale — from wood carvings to scarves — and information about the people who made them. It’s not just about shopping, even though it’s a wonderful opportunity to get started on your Christmas list. It’s a chance to really give back. All the profit is going back to the people in Nepal. We’ve made a really strong partnership with local charity Eliza DoLittle Society. Although it’s hard to compare the hunger in this part of the world to the hunger over there, hunger is hunger and that’s the common factor.

Why should people come out and show their support tonight?

They will have a great time. It’s like stepping into another place and visiting another community and you get a sense of how much we have and how much we have to give. You also get to hang out with other people with the same generosity of spirit. It’s a super fun night. You leave with all these presents and get to see people you know, all while giving back to people who need it most. It’s a win-win.

*The $10 admission to tonight’s event goes directly to The Eliza DoLittle Society. Money from items sold will go to helping needy children in other parts of the world.

Join the Kat Kids market at Lower Pier Six on Front Street from 5 until 10pm.