WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
We are not afraid to fail.
We thrive on a challenge and are not afraid to risk missing our targets meaning we are able to focus on tackling the most difficult entrenched problems.
We don’t want to conquer the world.
We want to make a big difference in one country rather than a small difference in lots of different countries, hence we only work in Nepal.
We want to be redundant.
We don’t want to be around for a long time – We want to be build lasting local capacity self reliance as quickly as possible so we can move on to the next challenge!
We maintain a balanced diet and fitness routine.
We work hard to remain slim, flexible and agile so that we are cost effective and can readily adapt to changing needs.
We don’t profess to know it all.
We actively encourage and facilitate wider collaboration between different individuals and organizations to ensure the best possible outcomes and avoid unnecessary waste and duplication.
We don’t aim to simply ease symptoms.
We put an equal, if not greater, focus on building local capacity to address underlying root causes and break negative cycles thereby enabling lasting change and ensuring more positive futures.
We are not impressed by big numbers.
Our aim is to create lasting change for the most vulnerable children, not to deliver short term material benefits to as many children as possible.
We offered superb tailoring.
We excel in creating tailored innovative intentions that closely match the needs of the most vulnerable children and families those that are invariably excluded from the benefits of a ‘one size fits all approach’.
OUR STRATEGY
Kidasha works to reduce the causes and impact of entrenched poverty and social exclusion to stop exploitation and violence against children in Nepal. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world with 1 in 4 living on less than $0.50 a day. Thousands of the poorest from rural areas are migrating to the cities in search of better opportunities, resulting in rapid growth in chronically poor slum populations. The majority are invisible to policymakers and struggle to survive outside of traditional community safety nets in a context of unemployment and high living costs.
Children living in urban poverty, especially those surviving outside of family care, are particularly vulnerable to long-term harm resulting from neglect, violence, abuse and exploitation. Without effective protection and support, these children will remain trapped in the cycle of poverty.
Recognising our unique understanding of the complex issues facing children and families living in urban poverty and our extensive experience of developing interventions to support them, in 2017 we decided to target all our work on the poorest urban settings.
Our goal is to increase the aspiration and resilience of children and adolescents growing up in urban poverty and increase their chances of moving out of poverty by:
- Improving physical and emotional wellbeing
- Reducing neglect, abuse and exploitation
- Increasing participation in learning and positive employment
To learn more about our approach see our Theory of Change.
WHO WE ARE
RECENT KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
- We’ve supported over 8,000 street, working, trafficked and at-risk children
- We’ve helped reduced child labour in Pokhara by 73%
- We’ve provided life skills training to 1,500 young people
- Almost 4,000 children have been supported into education
- 2,700 out-of-school children have received tailored non-formal education
- We’ve provided protective shelter for more than 300 girl victims of sexual abuse
- 1,400 children have been removed from the streets, labour or exploitative situations and returned home
Kidasha is a children’s charity that passionately believes that every child – irrespective of background, ethnicity or religion – should be safe from neglect, abuse or exploitation, and be given the best possible opportunities to fulfil their dreams.
For over 20 years, we have been working with local partners to improve the lives of some of the most marginalised and vulnerable children in Nepal, one of the poorest and most overlooked countries in the world.
We particularly support street children, child labourers and working children, victims of abuse, exploitation and modern-day slavery, and ‘out of school’ children living in urban slums.
Our support includes providing safe temporary shelter, access to learning, training and employment opportunities, life skills development, and group and individual guidance and counselling.
“Kidasha does extremely valuable work assisting some of Nepal’s poorest and most vulnerable children, through rehabilitation, education and support. I applaud this charity on the important work it does.”
Lord (Alf) Dubs
MEET THE TEAM
Janice Miller – Chief Executive
After more than 20 years working in a variety of senior roles in large multinational organisations within the private sector, Janice was inspired to change career after time spent volunteering in Peru. Using her prior experience she worked as a consultant, specialising in organisational restructuring and turnaround for smaller UK charities and social enterprises. She joined the Kidasha board in this capacity in 2010 and was made CEO in April 2011.
Jeremy Southon – Technical Advisor
After studying in Edinburgh, Jeremy originally went to Kathmandu for 6 months to develop an outreach programme with street-connected children, 15 years later he is still there. Initially working with VSO developing programmes for street children in Kathmandu, he went on to work with a number of international organisations, including UNICEF, on juvenile justice and child protection issues before joining Kidasha in 2006 and moving to Pokhara. Jeremy has authored a number of research articles on street-connected children for UNESCO and Save the Children.
Suneel Lama – Advisor
Suneel has spent the last 18 years in various areas of development and humanitarian work in Nepal and International experiences in Libya, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. He has held managerial responsibilities at DFID, UNDP, GIZ and a number of I/NGO’s. Suneel has a BA in Economics and a Masters in Anthropology.
Basanta Parajuli – Financial Controller
A qualified Chartered Accountant in both Nepal and the UK, Basanta has more than 18 years of experience in finance, and has successfully overseen the financial management of numerous bilateral and multilateral projects within the NGO sector.
Board of Trustees:
Nick Barry (Chair)
Nick is a proud Welshman who has been married to Anne for 38 years and has two wonderful children. Throughout his career he has worked in public service either through working for the DHSS/DSS/DWP or through private sector contracts to the DWP. His interest in Nepal increased considerably after volunteering and living in Kathmandu for two years. He is passionate about providing the children of Nepal with as much support as possible. He says “My personal experience has shown me how hard life is for the vast majority of Nepali young people and I am humbled to be able to help support an organisation that strives to offer protection and hope.” Nick joined the board in Spring 2016 and became chair of the board in December 2016.
Alun George (Treasurer)
Alun is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ corporate finance experience with blue chip companies including Smith & Nephew and Reckitt Benckiser. His roles have covered a broad range of finance-based activities including strategic planning, financing, and mergers and acquisitions. He has a degree in Law from Oxford University. Alun joined the board in the summer of 2017.
Elizabeth Waterman
Elizabeth is an Occupational Therapist with nearly 40 years professional experience covering a range of specialties including paediatrics. She has broad business experience having built and then run the largest independent Occupational Therapy practice in the country. This combined with being a chartered company secretary gives her a unique range of business skills. She is a past trustee and Vice Chairman of the College of Occupational Therapists. Elizabeth has been involved with her husband John in fundraising for Kidasha since the charities inception and has visited Nepal on three extended trips visiting many of its projects. Elizabeth joined the board in March 2016.
Anthony Levy
Anthony has combined a career in business and business education with a breadth of experience in charities and the NHS. He has served as Chairman and non-executive director in a range of private, public and not-for-profit organisations and was until recently Chairman of Self Management UK. Anthony has been a keen supporter of Kidasha for many years and has visited the Himalayas several times including Nepal. He lives in London with his wife and two grown up children. Anthony joined the board in March 2021.
Nidhi Mittal
Nidh has over 15 years experience working across the private sector such as KPMG Development Advisory Services and Ricardo Energy & Environment, INGO’s and policy think tanks. She has been a frequent traveler to Nepal since 2011 having designed, managed and supported a number of UK Government funded projects and programmes related to child protection, education and poverty alleviation. Nidhi joined the board in September 2019.
Andrew McKee
Andrew is a global equity investor who has spent more than a decade covering Asia and Emerging Markets. Returning to the UK after 5 years in Hong Kong, he continues to support corporates and non-governmental organisations in long-term value creation and sustainable development. He is an experienced philanthropist, guiding impact investments since 2012, and has supported Kidasha since first visiting Nepal in 2016. Andrew joined the board in March 2020.
Rosie Hazeldine
Having become a fellow of Charityworks, the UK non-profit sector’s leading talent programme, Rosie is currently working in research and policy within the social housing sector. Before studying languages at the University of Exeter, she spent a year living in rural western Nepal where she taught English in a small village primary school. Rosie has since spent two further years abroad working with children in Peru and France. She has been involved in fundraising for Kidasha since January 2021 and became a trustee in October 2022.
We are always looking to meet enthusiastic and committed Trustees who would like to join our team. Contact enquiries@kidasha.org for info.
UK AND NEPAL STAFF
Kidasha has team members in the UK and Pokhara, Nepal. We have a registered address in London and our small UK-based team provides overall governance, management and fundraising support. They work remotely to save on overheads and ensure they remain agile. Kidasha’s programme teams are located in Pokhara and are made up of locally recruited staff. They have in-depth, firs-thand knowledge of the situation on the ground in Nepal. Further, some of our employees are former beneficiaries with direct experience of the issues we work with and the impact we have.
Our location within the heart of the communities we work with in Nepal, allows us to conduct firsthand research to inform our work with partner organisations, to build quality projects which have a sustained impact. At a grassroots level we directly provide support to children and families. At a national level, we work to influence and improve government policy. Internationally, we are members of the Consortium for Street-Children dedicated to realising the rights of street children globally.
London office:
Janice Miller – Chief Executive Officer
Caroline Emlyn Jones – Fundraiser
Emily Ghazarian – Fundraising & Communications Manager
Pokhara office:
Jeremy Southon – Technical Advisor
Suneel Lama – Advisor
Basanta Raj Parajuli – Finance Controller
Sachin Shakya – Programme Officer
Ramesh Bastola – Programme Officer
Sanjaya Atreya – Project Manager
Sabin Udas – Admin & Finance Officer
Shanti B.K. – Office Helper
Tanka Prasad Shrestha – Driver/Office Assistant