Faces of Nepali Children

The Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation (NYOF) is a beacon of hope for the children of Nepal. NYOF is a U.S. based nonprofit organization devoted to bringing hope to the most destitute children in the beautiful but impoverished Himalayan country of Nepal. With a personal touch, NYOF provides them with what should be every child’s birthright – education, housing, medical care, and loving support. Empowered to reach their potentials, these children blossom, enriching the world we all share.

NYOF’s partners in this work are private foundations and individuals around the world and non-governmental organizations in Nepal. Because dollars go far in Nepal, NYOF can literally change lives for pennies a day.

How NYOF Works

It costs only $75 a year to send a village child to school, $100 to rescue a little girl from bonded labor and pay her school expenses for a year, and $340 to restore a starving baby to health and educate the mother so the problem doesn’t recur. The opportunity to help is simply irresistible.

NYOF respects the knowledge of its dedicated, professional Nepalese staff, which carries out all of our programs. They are supported in this task by NYOF’s administrative office in Sausalito, California, on the edge of the San Francisco Bay. Thousands of individual donors and volunteers, private foundations, and corporations donate to NYOF. Tens of thousands of children benefit.NYOF receives no funding from the U.S. government.

NYOF’s Programs in Nepal

Through an integrated approach, NYOF addresses the multitude of challenges facing destitute children in Nepal and empowers them to fulfill their dreams. NYOF’s programs include:

• Freeing Girls from Indentured Servitude
Thousands of girls are sold into virtual slavery every year. The pioneering Indentured Daughters Program rescues them, sponsors their education, and gives each family a piglet or goat to replace the money from selling their daughter. This project is now very close to eliminating the tradition of child bondage from Nepal.

• Saving Children from Severe Malnutrition
NYOF’s innovative Nutritional Rehabilitation Homes restore the health of youth who are so malnourished that they can’t walk or talk. The organization also educates their mothers about nutrition and child care, making the program’s impact sustainable.

• Loving Homes for Destitute Children
J and K House are NYOF’s two excellent homes for children who are orphans, disabled, or abandoned. Former street kids and beggars who slept in doorways in the rain now have loving, supportive environments and unimagined opportunities.

• Schools and Scholarships for Impoverished Youth
Education is the key to breaking free from poverty. NYOF gives scholarships to children who would otherwise be uneducated. The organization supports these students, many of whom are disabled, for the long term – from grade school through college.

• Psychological Counseling for Needy Children
Many disabled, orphaned, and homeless children suffer from emotional trauma, which is usually ignored. The Ankur Counseling Center is breaking new ground by providing therapy for disadvantaged youth in Nepal.

• Vocational Education and Career Counseling
Unemployment in Nepal is around 50%! This pioneering program helps needy children explore their strengths and identify careers where they can excel. NYOF also sponsors children in vocational courses and helps them find jobs.

• Empowering Girls of the “Untouchable” Caste
“Untouchables” in Nepal suffer from brutal discrimination. NYOF’s Empowering Dalit Daughters program gives scholarships to highly talented and motivated girls of this caste. They will break down barriers about the roles of women and “untouchables” in Nepali society.

• Random Acts of Kindness
NYOF reaches out to help the needy in Nepal, wherever they are found. Sometimes the simplest act can radically change a child’s life.

More information about all of these programs can be found at www.NYOF.org.