Dear friends of Javra,

In this time of crisis, I felt that it was necessary for me to write a personal note on recent developments in our company. The worldwide spread of COVID-19 has an enormous impact on our lives, and our businesses. Javra is no exception.

As we have large customers in sectors that are most affected by the economic consequences of the coronavirus, Javra is dealing with canceled investments and projects that are being suspended. It is with a heavy heart that I say this, but the future survival of our company forced us to slim down: we let a number of our loyal staff in the Kathmandu office go.

We did this with the utmost reluctance. To give you an idea of how hard a decision this was to make, I would like to share some of our history as an employer in Nepal. Javra started opened its office in Kathmandu 14 years ago, in a time when Nepal was in a civil war. Building up from scratch, we managed to develop and deliver quality software globally. In those times there were daily strikes, security issues. Thanks to our dedicated staff, we managed to keep growing as a reliable employer in the Kathmandu area.

I am proud to say that we have helped hundreds of Nepali students to build better lives for themselves and their families, some of whom even went abroad to further expand their opportunities. We have been, and still are, one of the best paying IT companies. And we have always had the welfare and social security of our employees and their families at the center of our mind. Over the years we have invested over 25 million dollars in Nepal.

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes, we did not lay off any of our staff and we kept paying all salaries. Even for those who couldn’t work for us at that time. We actively helped rebuild the country by distributing essential goods to remote villages, and (financially) aiding rescue teams. We helped save lives.

The ShantiPantFoundation – Shanti is our COO – was founded in that period. With the foundation, we helped to rebuild houses and even schools. We paid salaries for teachers, lunch boxes and much more. And that work still continues today. At this moment, the foundation helps a thousand children to stay at school, as we know how important education is for underprivileged children.

Please do understand that slimming down our company was a last resort option for us. An option I never thought I would have to consider. The only way I could agree with letting part of our loyal staff go, was by doing it in a fashion that fits our vision on being a good employer. We arranged for ample financial provisions for the people that we had to let go. For every year of service, we provided a month’s salary extra, on top of a month’s notice that we gave to everyone. This is not something many other Nepali companies will do.

I understand how tough this decision must have been for our staff, and I fully understand that some might feel emotional about this. Especially in these times of hardship. I also understand that some might share their disappointment on social media. It is hard for me to find out that some people have doubts about my intentions as a person or as an employer, but I have to accept that.

I am confident that Javra will, like before, overcome the difficulties that are thrown at us, and that we can continue to serve customers worldwide with our products and services. It is my intention to rehire the staff that we had to let go for now. In that way, we will continue our tradition of facilitating personal and economic growth in Nepal.

In the meantime, our services will continue as usual, and with more dedication and motivation than ever.

Best Regards,

Frank Möllers
CEO Javra Netherlands / Javra Nepal