The charity, New Futures Nepal (NFN), represents a vital lifeline for the people of Nepal, a people we owe much to. NFN Trustees are all volunteers, and overhead costs are low and completely covered by gift-aid on donations. This means that every penny donated goes towards the care and services NFN provides. NFN aspires to provide a bright future for the disadvantaged young people of Nepal. In their own words:
'New Futures Nepal empowers disadvantaged children and adults of Nepal by raising funds for initiatives that promote health, education and independence and supports social integration for children with disabilities to live in the community and within safe and loving homes. We adopt a ‘hands on, personal approach’, keep our administration costs low and work with local charities and organisations worldwide to facilitate the charity’s goals and aims.'
Nepal is a notoriously poor country, with research by the World Bank revealing that around 57% of Nepali people were living on less than $2 a day in 2010, and 47% of children under the age of 5 have stunted growth due to malnutrition. Despite these eye-opening figures, getting aid to those affected remains a challenge due to many factors, including: the continued unsettled political situation and unwieldy legal framework for foreign investment. Britain has had a close relationship with the people of Nepal for two centuries, a people that are the warmest and most welcoming people you’ll ever have the pleasure to meet.
NFN was formed, after a group of friends and trekkers, witnessed the precarious financial situation of a volunteer run orphanage called The Hope Centre, and becoming acutely aware of the struggle of many disabled and orphaned children in Kathmandu and the surrounding villages of Nepal. Over the past decade, NFN has grown into an entity with an impact far beyond the imaginings of the trustees. As well as providing continued support for The Hope Centre, they have provided health care training and specialist medical care to individuals, organised the distribution of health and safety DVDs across the country, funded the construction and a running of a new home in Kalimpong village, and helped support two street projects in Kathmandu. Recently, they have funded the further education of several young adults who have moved on from The Hope Centre, and helped the local community of a village in Kalimpong rebuild three homes destroyed by an earthquake.
In 2016 Lee completed the London2Brighton 100km challenge. Since then, NFN have achieved even more. With funds being utilised to provide permanent shelter to victims of the earthquake and conduct major renovations to the Hope Centre.
Over the last year, however, inflation increased to around 11% and exchange rate fluctuations since the Brexit vote has increased international project costs by a further 17%. This means that an additional £25,000 will need to be raised to match the international grants provided by NFN last year! As you can therefore imagine, future support ventures which NFN choose to pursue, will be severely impeded by these circumstances.
This is why, in late April 2017, Lee (trek guide for the forthcoming challenge) and Rebecca Hawkins (another NFN supporter) walked together to complete the mammoth 106km around the Isle of Wight challenge! Then in late May, Lee took on a further walk of 100km in the London2Brighton challenge. These treks represented a massive personal challenge for both parties. Indeed, Lee's
personal challenge of 206km over 48hrs in the space of a month,
represented a challenge far greater than he had ever faced before!
Charles is a founding trustee of NFN and has contributed tirelessly to its success. Charles has decided to attempt to walk the Thames Path 100km Challenge in September, a challenge far exceeding any he has attempted before.
Please give generously to support the future for disadvantaged young people in Nepal and counter the recent increased costs of providing care.
At the end of 2016, we lost a much loved member of the Hope Centre. Umesh Bomjan, who had been at the Hope Centre since the age of 8, sadly lost his battle with a serious lung and heart condition at 25. Umesh was extremely bright and had recently completed a diploma in computer engineering. He had a calm and resilient demeanour, and will
be greatly missed by the New Futures and Hope Centre family. These
challenges will therefore be walked in Umesh's memory and we hope to
honour his resilience with our own throughout these challenges. If anyone would like to join the team for the Thames Path Challenge, please email Lee (trek guide) at: Lee.J.Brown@hotmail.com. The more the merrier!
Many thanks,
Team Umesh!
