On this page we attempt to address the following question:

Why are we even doing this? It seems like everyone involved with NCEF is perfectly capable of leading an extraordinarily successful life without bothering with this charity.

One certainly cannot, and should not, hope for something without doing anything to help bring it about.

We hope that one day, everyone in Nepal will be literate.

Every one of us at NCEF believes in doing whatever we can, when we can, to help those that are disadvantaged. Regardless of what kind of changes any well-wisher, brilliant or otherwise, implements in a place like Nepal, without basic education in some form, it cannot be maintained, dying as quickly as it was implemented. Certainly, echoes of the fisherman's dilemma in either giving a poor man a fish, or spending some time teaching him how to fish resound as you read this. Indeed, it is a widely accepted fact that education gives people the capacity to develop. Further, that without it, true development is not possible. It all begins with education. (The most notable example being Singapore)

We discovered that a mere hundred US dollars in Nepal could put a child, otherwise completely unable to attend school, into school for a year! On our part, it simply meant a little bit of work, committing what change we had in our pockets, and collecting what our friends could spare. Startlingly, this was all it took to raise the potential of the child significantly, and in this way, help her to rise above an uncompromisingly vicious yet disconcertingly common poverty of education.

Firmly convinced of our ability to be a life altering benefit to a child, we felt we should do what little we could. Literally, we have come to believe that our change can change lives immeasurably. In short, given these convictions, we thought it would be wrong not to do this.

Interestingly, we found that we did not have to do very much, compared to the suffering of the youngsters we aim to sponsor, in order to put into place a mechanism that would make it much easier for those with open hearts and who are eager to help. Hence NCEF. It is also our way of giving you the chance to make a difference with a few dollars.

We were fortunate to understand from the very beginning that we need to make a substantial commitment to the child. Therefore, if NCEF sponsors a child, we will continue to sponsor her, given that she continues to need our help, all the way through the tenth grade. Secondly, we believe unwaveringly in transparency, because this is the only way you, the donor, can be sure that your money is going to the right places. Thirdly, that giving you regular updates regarding the effect of your money is not only helpful, but essential. We have accepted that in the best case, you would be there to hand over the money to the child, asking questions, monitoring progress, supporting the child, as it were, as you saw fit. Therefore, we try to approximate this as best as we can by letting you see where your money is going, making sure your money is effective, and letting you see what effect your money is having in real life.

Through NCEF, donations are transparently bundled up into scholarships for poor children to study in school. Our commitment lasts until the child completes the tenth grade. You can see where your money is going, how it is spent, and what it results in.

We like to think of NCEF as a magnifying glass, magnifying the effect of a few dollars into something life changing. Not just this, the positive effects of your contributions play out throughout the course of the child's life. It is not an immediate gratification, but a gradual and consistent one from knowing that your help today has given something priceless to a child and essential to the community: the gift of education. Your gift lasts lifetimes.

We sincerely hope that you will not only see the potential in educating children but also see your own potential to make this difference. And we invite you to join us in hoping that one day everyone will be able to read and write.

NCEF is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization.
US Taxpayer ID: 51-0424140
© Copyright Nepalese Children's Education Fund 2004.