Our People

After studying in Edinburgh, I originally went to Kathmandu for 6 months to develop an outreach programme with street-connected children, 15 years later I’m still there. Initially working with VSO developing programmes for street children in Kathmandu, I 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. I have authored a number of research articles on street-connected children for UNESCO and Save the Children.

I have spent the last 18 years in various areas of development and humanitarian work in Nepal. I also have international experiences in Libya, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.  I have held managerial responsibilities at DFID, UNDP, GIZ and a number of I/NGO’s. I have a BA in Economics and a Masters in Anthropology.

I am a qualified Chartered Accountant in both Nepal and the UK, with more than 29 years of experience in finance and administration. I have successfully overseen the financial management of numerous bilateral and multilateral projects within the NGO sector.

I have been working in the field of child, youth and community development since 2005 and joined Kidasha in 2008. My experience includes: facilitating sharing and learning across consortium project for street, working and at risk children; driving learning forums with management and frontline workers; development and implementation of surveys with street, working and at risk children; safeguarding assessments; supporting and facilitating NGOs in developing policies and guidelines for placement of international experts. I am married and have a 9 year old son. I enjoy outdoor sports and still actively play basketball in a veterans group .

I have worked as a Public Health professional for over 17 years. I have a Master’s Degree in Public Health (MPH). I am experienced with project evaluation including the UNSCN country policy analysis. I have been part of various research and field activities on behalf of Population Services International (PSI Nepal) JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc (JSI R&T), World Health Organization Country Office, Kathmandu, Nepal and other various organizations. I am enthusiastic learner and participate in trainings, workshops & seminars to keep up with the latest practice related to research, health and development.

For the past 25 years, I have been involved in development and humanitarian activities in the urban and rural area of Nepal. I have worked in diverse roles spanning from grassroots community work to managerial leadership within various I/NGOs. I have extensive experience coordinating with the government, resource mobilisation, designing and leading training sessions. I have also worked within women and child health care services, HIV/AIDS, water and sanitation, microfinance, adolescent health/wellbeing and child protection. I have participated in both national and international workshops, seminars, conferences, and training sessions. In 2016 I joined Kidasha as a Project Manager, overseeing projects related to Life Skills Education and Community Based Child Protection.

I am a development professional with over 2 decades experience working with national and international NGOs in Nepal. I have worked extensively in the areas of volunteer mobilization and management, youth and community empowerment, political party development, electoral reforms and parliamentary strengthening. Working with a multi-year USAID-funded ‘Policy Dialogue’ programme, I supported capacity building of federal parliamentarians and strengthening of parliamentary committees and federal parliament secretariat. Has also successfully implemented EU-funded Reproductive Health Initiative (RHI) and Reproductive Health Initiative for Youth in Asia (RHIYA) projects in urban slums in Nepal’s major cities. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce (B.Com.) and a Master’s Degree in Sociology (MA).

I have a diverse professional background with experience in various roles. I began my career as an Office Assistant, gaining valuable administrative skills before becoming a Marketing Manager for a company that specialised in software development, hardware maintenance, and software education. I later held the position of Jr. Officer at Kaski Finance, where I contributed to financial operations before joining Kidasha as an Admin & Finance Officer. I possess sound knowledge in accounting software, computer hardware, networking, and graphic design. I have several hobbies, including creating papier mâché sculptures, video and photo editing, and photography.

I have been a sincere worker for Kidasha since 2009. I look after the office in many regards including cleanliness, serving tea or coffee, gardening and anything that comes up.

I worked as driver for many agencies and local NGOs for over 10 years before joining Kidasha. I now have an impressive 10 year tenure at Kidasha as a driver and office assistant. During my time with Kidasha I have acquired basic office maintenance skills and I support our programme staff as needed.

As CEO of Kidasha, I bring over 25 years of experience from both the private and not-for-profit sectors, including in international development. With expertise in financial management, operations management, and fundraising, I am results-driven and commercially astute with exceptional strategy implementation and change leadership capabilities. I have extensive experience in implementing overseas development programmes, partnering with government and local NGOs, and managing complex teams of 100+. I have a hands-on approach and strong problem-solving skills, and my pragmatic and flexible style allows me to overcome barriers and ensure rapid benefit delivery.

I am a busy mum of two originally from California, USA. I am married to a Brit and have lived in NW England for 20 years. I’ve worked for a variety of charities supporting families, arts and even a leading animal conservation charity with projects across the globe. I also have extensive experience supporting businesses in a marketing, PR, events and business development capacity. As Fundraising & Communications Manager for Kidasha I bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to this international development charity. I was drawn to Kidasha because of their in depth understanding of the challenges facing families living in urban poverty and the long term impact they have improving families day to day quality of life and future prospects.

I started my career in the travel industry working for an upmarket tour operator specialising in tours to the Indian subcontinent.  After having 4 children, I moved over to the third sector and worked for two children’s charities prior to joining Kidasha 6 years ago.  Having travelled extensively in Nepal, I was charmed by the Nepali people and their resilience to cope with whatever major catastrophe gets in their way.  It is an honour to work for Kidasha and to see how many children’s lives have been changed  by our brilliant and hardworking  team in Nepal.

I am a proud Welshman and have been married to my wife Anne for 45. We have two wonderful children. I have worked in public service through working for the DHSS/DSS/DWP and private sector contracts to the DWP. My interest in Nepal increased considerably after volunteering and living in Kathmandu for two years. I am  passionate about providing the children of Nepal with as much support as possible. 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. I joined the board in 2015 and became Chair of the Board in December 2016.

I am a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ corporate finance experience with blue chip companies including Smith & Nephew and Reckitt Benckiser. My roles have covered a broad range of finance-based activities including strategic planning, financing, and mergers and acquisitions. I have a degree in Law from Oxford University. I joined the board in the summer of 2017.

I am an Occupational Therapist with nearly 40 years professional experience covering a range of specialties including paediatrics. I have 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 me a unique range of business skills. I am a past trustee and Vice Chairman of the College of Occupational Therapists. Along with my husband, I have been involved in fundraising for Kidasha since the charity’s inception and have visited Nepal on three extended trips visiting many of Kidasha’s projects. I joined the board in March 2016.

I have combined a career in business and business education and have a breadth of experience in charities and the NHS. I have served as Chairman and non-executive director in a range of private, public and not-for-profit organisations including UK health and educational organisations. I have been a keen supporter of Kidasha for many years and was attracted to the charity not just because of the extraordinarily effective support we give to deprive and at-risk children and young people, but also the building of local capacity to help communities take the lead in the care and development of these children. I joined the board in March 2021

I have 18 years of experience working across charities such as the Trussell Trust and Save the Children, policy think tanks like the Coalition of Urban Transitions and development arms of management consultancies including KPMG and Ricardo Energy & Environment. I have been a frequent traveller to Nepal since 2011 having designed, delivered and/or evaluated key UK Aid funded programmes and child-centred initiatives related poverty, hunger, education and local governance. I have been involved in fundraising for Kidasha since 2016, am a great admirer of the work that Kidasha does in Nepal, and joined Kidasha’s board in 2019.

I am an equity fund manager with more than a dozen years’ experience investing across the Asia Pacific. I manage the sustainable Asian equity strategy at DPAM, one of Belgium’s oldest asset managers. I have travelled extensively across Asia, including the remote Himalayas. Having worked across the UK, Hong Kong and EU, I brings financial and corporate insights and expertise in managing philanthropic partnerships across Nepal, Myanmar and other developing Asian nations. I also serves as a Trustee for the Royal Society for Asian Affairs

Having become a fellow of Charityworks, the UK non-profit sector’s leading talent programme, I am currently working in research and policy within the social housing sector. Before studying languages at the University of Exeter, I spent a year living in rural western Nepal where I taught English in a small village primary school. I have since spent two further years abroad working with children in Peru and France. I have been involved in fundraising for Kidasha since January 2021 and became a trustee in October 2022.