HIMALAYAN CHILDRENS CHARITIES INC
Empowering youth to elevate their world.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
In a country struggling with extreme poverty and inequality, the children of Nepal represent the most vulnerable segment of the population. Problems faced by children include: child marriage, child labor, trafficking, lack of access to education, and gender and caste discrimination. Nepali children average only eight years of schooling, with many forced to leave school to work. Additionally, the United Nations estimates that between 10,000 - 20,000 Nepali children are trafficked each year. These risks are increased exponentially for orphaned or abandoned children, who often come from marginalized castes and communities.
Education and support to children and local communities are vital to raise awareness, help prevent human trafficking, and to shift these vulnerable children out of a life of poverty. Children sponsored through NGOs are known to complete more years of schooling, have increased probability of employment, and significantly improved self-esteem and future aspirations.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Signature Program - Kathmandu
HCC’s Signature Program serves orphaned, abandoned and marginalized children from kindergarten through to career in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Our students attend high-quality, English-medium boarding schools through grade 10 and spend holidays at our youth home, Khushi Ghar, where students in grades 11 and 12 live full-time. Unlike many charities, HCC continues to provide support for Signature Program students through university or technical college, and reside semi-independently in annex apartments until the completion of their studies. HCC’s unique, surrogate family model creates a nurturing environment that supports and encourages each child. Children are taught valuable life skills and receive mentorship to foster self-awareness and discover inner talents, strengths, and interests. They are provided career counseling and scholastic tutoring, and have access to emotional therapy to ensure that the systemic trauma associated with abandonment does not undermine their social, emotional and academic progress. Community service and leadership training are important cornerstones of this program, and students are encouraged to give back to their local communities.
RISE Program
After the devastating 2015 earthquakes, HCC expanded its programming to provide educational support to children in the worst-affected rural communities. The RISE Program provides vulnerable children in these areas with the resources and opportunities needed to stay in school - greatly reducing their risk of being trafficking or forced into child labor or marriage.
This programs aim to keep children with their parents or surviving family members, however, in special circumstances, some children are placed in local boarding schools that provide education, room and board.
PEAK Program
The PEAK Program at HCC supports disadvantaged students for college, technical school or university. The program provides students with educational scholarships, which cover tuition and living expenses and are given access to HCC’s mentorship programs. Students in this program mostly come from other HCC programs (the Signature Program and the RISE Program), but it is open to students from outside HCC programs and are awarded based on merit, motivation, and academic dedication.
Where we work
Awards
2012 Top-Rated nonprofit 2012
Great Nonprofits
2013 Top-Rated nonprofit 2013
Great Nonprofits
2014 Top-rated nonprofit 2014
GreatNonprofits - www.greatnonprofits.org
2015 Top-rated nonprofit 2015
GreatNonprofits - www.greatnonprofits.org
2016 Top-Rated nonprofit 2016
Great Nonprofits
2017 Top-Rated nonprofit 2017
Great Non-Profits
2018 Top-Rated Nonprofit 2018
Great Non-Profits
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of graduates enrolled in higher learning, university, or technical/vocational training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Students
Related Program
Signature Program - Kathmandu
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The exact number of age-appropriate students (16 and above in the Nepali school system) in the HCC Signature Program who are enrolled in higher education for the school year ending in the year shown.
Percentage of graduates enrolled in higher learning, university, or technical/vocational training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Students
Related Program
Signature Program - Kathmandu
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Percentage of total age-appropriate students (16 and above in the Nepali school system) in the HCC Signature Program who are enrolled in higher education for the school year ending in the year shown.
Number of students supported
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, At-risk youth, Students
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total number of students supported by HCC and enrolled across all programs for each year listed.
Number of orphans supported
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, At-risk youth, Students
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total number of orphans supported by HCC and enrolled across all programs for each year listed. Orphans are defined as having one or both parents deceased.
Number of children from marginalized communities supported
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, At-risk youth, Students
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total number of students supported by HCC, across all programs for each year listed, who are from marginalized communities, including from indigenous Nepali groups and the Dalit caste.
Number of overall donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total number of individuals who contributed financial donations to HCC for each year listed.
Number of new donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The number of donors for each year who did not donate the previous calendar year.
Average number of dollars received per donor
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total dollars received in contributions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total dollar amount donated to HCC for each year.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our mission is to create a promising future for orphaned and marginalized children and youth in Nepal. HCC aims to break the cycle of poverty faced by at-risk children by providing quality education, nurturing care and innovative mentorship. HCC was founded on a principle of community service. Our programs empower our students to become future community leaders, dedicated to helping other vulnerable children in positions that they were once in.
In 2015, a devastating series of earthquakes hit Nepal, that year HCC expanded to help rural children and communities worst affected. Through a number of programs, projects and initiatives, HCC aims to help rebuild local communities and to keep children orphaned by the earthquakes in school and safe from trafficking or forced labor.
HCC aims to create a sustainable change in cultural attitudes toward orphaned and marginalized children, and create equal possibilities for all children regardless of the circumstances they were born.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
HCC's Signature Program serves orphaned, abandoned and at-risk children from kindergarten through to career in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. Our students attend high-quality, English-medium boarding schools through grade 10 and spend holidays at our group home, Khushi Ghar, where students in grades 11 and 12 live full-time. Unlike many charities, HCC continues to provide support for Signature Program students through university or technical college, and students reside semi-independently in annex apartments until the completion of their undergraduate studies. HCC's unique, surrogate family model creates a nurturing environment that supports and encourages each child, while also assisting them to reconnect with and integrate into family networks in their communities of origin. Children are taught valuable life skills and receive mentorship to foster self-awareness and discover inner talents, strengths, and interests. They are provided scholastic tutoring and career counseling, and have access to emotional therapy to ensure that the systemic trauma does not undermine their emotional and academic progress. Community service and leadership training are also important cornerstones of this program.
After the devastating earthquakes of 2015, HCC expanded its programming to provide educational support to vulnerable children in the worst-affected rural communities. The RISE Program provides scholarships for elementary and secondary schooling, as well as for college and technical degree courses. These scholarships keep children in school, which helps mitigate the threat of being trafficked or forced into labor.
In addition to the RISE Program, HCC has established a number of projects and initiatives that are helping to rebuild infrastructure and communities in earthquake-affected, rural Nepal. The WiFi Program has installed fast and reliable Internet in six rural schools in the Dhading and Makwanpur districts, and provides enhanced curricula, including teacher training and digital educational content. The Library Project, an HCC student-led initiative, has collected funds and over 2,000 books for two new school libraries in two rural districts. HCC worked with anti-trafficking organizations Cause Vision and SASANE to produce an anti-trafficking comic book that is now available free-of-cost for distribution to school children around the country.
HCC's founding principle of “leaders training leaders" has encouraged six of our graduates to initiate a strategy that will ensure the long-term sustainability of HCC's programs. With the assistance and guidance of HCC's Founders and Directors, the graduates are registering a new NGO in Nepal, HCC-Nepal. Over a projected 4-5 year learning curve, HCC will gradually transition the administering of the rural programs to HCC-Nepal, allowing our graduates to demonstrate through their own accomplishments what a former orphan, marginalized child can achieve.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
HCC has spent 22 years building networks of support and community in Nepal and the United States.
In Nepal, HCC's operations are managed by the well-trained in-country team, who are equipped to run local operations and care of the children, including: management of living facilities; interfacing with schools and government officials; and managing regulatory compliance. HCC partners with international nonprofits with similar missions, to take advantage of their connections, educational programs, and trusted personnel, and have built an extensive network of support for HCC personnel and students from a diverse field of professionals, including educators, child rights advocates, lawyers, government officials and NGO managers. HCC has also partnered with Nepali companies and international corporations in Nepal to provide mentors and internships for our older, college-age children.
Training and employment of HCC graduates into leadership roles within the organization and in the new NGO, HCC-Nepal, is an important component of HCC's sustainability plan. Capacity-building of these young adults, ensures that HCC's work will be continued by the stakeholders themselves, allowing for a mutually beneficial and sustainable relationship between the innovation of Nepal's emerging leaders, and the long-standing organizational processes and functions established by the HCC team.
In the United States, HCC is supported by a dedicated Board of Directors, whose level of commitment and personal connection with staff and children create a solid foundation and continuity, ensuring long-term viability. Fundraising at HCC is solidly in place, with a donor retention rate of 85%-90% for the last 14 years. Currently, individual sponsors cover 70% of the yearly budget and all have committed to fund the children through completion of their studies. In addition, several corporations provide yearly donations and large sponsorships for our bi-annual fundraisers.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Established in 2000, our Signature Program has served 55 students, whose high academic standing exhibits HCC's dedicated programming and consistent progress. In Nepal, only 25% of children who enroll in the 1st grade will ever reach the 10th grade (Source: UNESCO & Government of Nepal - Education Report 2015). Of 30 age-appropriate HCC students, 96% graduated to the 10th grade, an immense improvement on the national average. For our students, high school ends at grade 10, and to progress to a junior college (grades 11 & 12), students must take an exam, the Student Leaving Certificate (the SLC). 30 of our older students have taken the SLC, and 29 have passed the exam. This is a pass rate of 96%, eclipsing Nepal's average pass rate of 47.3% for the very same assessment (Nepali Office of the Controller of Examination, 2015). Of the 30 students who have taken the SLC exam, five are successfully employed, and 25 are supported by HCC in pursuing higher education in college, technical school or university. Eight students have now graduated university with Bachelor's degrees, and from HCC programs, and four are pursuing Master's degrees or Postgraduate Certificates and four are working in business, health or nonprofit sectors. Overcoming unimaginable hardships, obstacles and prejudice, graduates of the HCC Signature Program have emerged as successful community contributors.
Outside of Kathmandu our rural programs have provided over 100 children earthquake survivors with educational scholarships, allowing them to stay in school and greatly reducing the risk of being trafficking or forced into labor. In these rural, earthquake-affected districts, HCC has worked tirelessly to help support and rebuild local communities. The Library Project has collected over 2,000 books for two new school libraries. The Anti-Trafficking Campaign has printed and is distributing 10,000 educational comic books to raise awareness and help curb the alarming rate of child trafficking in Nepal. The WiFi Project has installed infrastructure that is now providing fast and reliable internet to six rural schools in the Dhading and Makwanpur districts. This project also provides enhanced curricula, including teacher training and digital educational content.
The HCC children and youth are on track to become successful adults, dedicated to improving themselves and their communities. Through our many educational programs and years of collaboration and networking, HCC is creating exceptional, goal oriented, high school, college and university graduates. We are greatly looking forward to watching them grow and continuing to guide them into successful careers as medical professions, engineers, teachers, public health workers, CPAs, social workers, and computer science engineers. HCC's graduates and young adults are already bringing their unique experience and perspectives to helping others, and there is no doubt that they will become leaders in the greater Nepali community.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
HIMALAYAN CHILDRENS CHARITIES INC
Board of directorsas of 02/12/2024
Bruce Keenan
no affiliation
Term: 2020 - 2025
Bruce Keenan
No affiliation
Susan Keenan
No affiliation
Lauren Hines
Consilium Partner Group
JP James
Leap Credit
Karen Cope
Mark Seal
Rithika Gaddam
Brandon Hatton
Chad Merrill
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/11/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.