Save a Child's Future
Chepang students holding up their origami and crafts behind a Save a Child's Future banner, with green hills behind them

Nepal · Since 2020

Every child deserves a classroom, even when the school doors close.

Save a Child's Future brings learning, life skills and care to children in Kathmandu's squatter settlements and to Chepang children in the hills, so that where a child is born doesn't decide how far they can go.

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40–45children in our Kathmandu settlement classes
2020first lessons at Sinamangal, by the Bagmati
450–500Chepang children served through Mission Chepang
17students on full scholarships, up to high school

Our story

It began with a walk through Sinamangal.

On the banks of the Bagmati river, in the Sinamangal squatter settlement, our founder Sanju Dhakal met children who were going hungry, living in homes without electricity, and spending long days alone while their parents worked.

“When I saw them, an unpleasant feeling washed over me… the real darkness of Kathmandu lies here.”

When COVID-19 shut Nepal's schools, these children lost the little formal schooling they had. Sanju reached out to organizations for help and found little support, so she decided to do it herself, gathering friends, trained volunteers and anyone willing to lend a hand. The first class had about 40 children; it soon grew to 40–45.

Parents were wary at first. Some asked how much money she'd received from abroad; others asked whether she'd pay them to send their children. She kept showing up, and over time the families came to trust the work. From there, the work grew to reach Chepang children in the hills through Mission Chepang.

We may not be able to change the whole world for every child, but we can change one child's world. Sometimes, a small act of kindness, a listening ear, or simply believing in a child can become the hope they carry into tomorrow.
— Sanju Dhakal, founder

Our programs

Two communities, one promise

Children from the settlement class smiling in golden party masks

KATHMANDU · SINAMANGAL & TINKUNE

Children of urban squatter settlements

Non-formal classes for 40–45 children at the Sinamangal settlement and Baneshwor Campus in Tinkune, covering reading, writing, skill building and a trusted adult to talk to. During the lockdown, donors provided lunches and local companies gave masks, sanitizer and face shields.

We have given fully funded scholarships, up to high school, to 17 students from the slum area, and our board members also teach children who work on the streets.

  • Non-formal education
  • Scholarships
  • Life skills
  • Counseling
  • Meals
Teachers at Shree Chhepang High School holding a Save a Child's Future banner, with hills behind them

CHEPANG COMMUNITIES · MISSION CHEPANG

Empowering Chepang children

The Chepang are among Nepal's most marginalized Indigenous peoples. Through Mission Chepang we have served around 450–500 Chepang children. Save a Child's Future provides the skill development: art and craft training, menstrual hygiene education, clubs, and professional and skill development training for teachers at Shree Chhepang High School. Our sister organization SAAN provides the materials, including uniforms, shoes, bags and stationery for about 370 students at Shree Chepang Basic School in Gajuri-8, Dhading, plus sports equipment and first-aid supplies for the school.

  • Advocacy
  • Education
  • Club activities
  • Teacher training
  • Menstrual hygiene

Supported by The Pollination Project and Accountability Lab

Voices from our team

Why we do this

Change begins when we choose to step forward. I joined my classmate's campaign because I believed in her vision, and I knew that together, our voices could make a difference.
Renu ShahCo-Founder
Sometimes, emotions are difficult to put into words. Through art and craft, we create a space where children can express what they feel, imagine freely, and let their creativity speak for them.
Gautam ShresthaArt & Craft Facilitator
Working with the children, we learned that sometimes they teach us more than we could ever teach them. Their creativity, courage, and little moments of joy reminded us to see the world with a more open heart.
Children's Program TeamSave a Child's Future

Videos

See the work

How Mission Chepang began

The first visits to Chepang communities, led by the youth of SAAN.

Watch on YouTube ↗

Mission Chepang

Social Activism Network Nepal's film about the project.

Watch on YouTube ↗

Nepal Press: the settlement classes

सुकुम्बासी बस्तीका बालबालिकाले पाएका छन् २० वर्षीय अभिभावक सन्जु. A news report on our Kathmandu classes (in Nepali).

Watch on YouTube ↗

Milestones

From one settlement to the Chepang hills

  1. 2020

    Lessons begin in lockdown

    With schools closed by COVID-19, Sanju and a small team of volunteers start teaching about 40 children in Sinamangal and Tinkune. The class soon grows to 40–45.

  2. Jan 2021

    Featured in Nepal Press

    Nepal Press profiles the work in print and on video.

  3. 2020–21

    SAAN is founded

    Young people in Kathmandu form Social Activism Network Nepal (SAAN) in 2077 BS to advocate for children facing inequality. Sanju serves as its chair.

  4. Apr 2021

    A New Year gift for Chepang students

    On the eve of Nepali New Year 2078, SAAN brings uniforms, shoes, bags and stationery to about 370 students at Shree Chepang Basic School in Gajuri, Dhading, along with sports and first-aid supplies for the school.

  5. 2021–23

    Mission Chepang grows

    Save a Child's Future runs art and craft training, teacher skill development training and clubs at Shree Chhepang High School, supported by The Pollination Project and Accountability Lab. In total, around 450–500 Chepang children served.

Save a Child's Future logo: two children in red leaping in front of a blue globe

Our founder

Sanju Dhakal

Sanju grew up watching children her own age working on the streets while she walked to school. “Many things would play in my mind,” she recalls. “I always felt that I should do something for these children, and this still continues.”

Although her family hoped she'd study medicine after completing +2 in Science, she chose social work, volunteering with organizations and going on to earn a BA in Social Work and Journalism at Tribhuvan University. She founded Save a Child's Future in 2020 and led it through 2023. Today she is pursuing a Master of Social Work at Grand Valley State University in the United States.

“It is not possible for me to continue this work alone. I look forward to everyone's support.”

Our sister organization

Social Activism Network Nepal (SAAN)

सामाजिक क्रियाशिलता सञ्जाल नेपाल (शान)

SAAN began with a group of young people in Kathmandu who saw the disparities children face every day and decided they couldn't stay silent. Founded in 2077 BS, it gives young people a way to speak up for children who are too often left out, and to turn that voice into action.

Mission Chepang is a SAAN project led by its youth. The two organizations share the work: SAAN provides the materials, such as school supplies, uniforms, shoes and bags, while Save a Child's Future provides skill development training for children and teachers. As chair, Sanju called the first distribution “the beginning, not the end,” with the aim of helping the Chepang settlement become self-reliant.

In the press

As featured in

  • Routine of Nepal Banda
  • Nepal Press
  • The Pollination Project
  • Accountability Lab
  • Chandrasurya Wani
  • Local Nepali media
Chandrasurya Wani

A New Year gift for the Chepang settlement

15 April 2021 (in Nepali). SAAN brings uniforms, shoes, bags and stationery to about 370 students at Shree Chepang Basic School in Gajuri, Dhading, coordinated by chair Sanju Dhakal.

Read the article ↗
Nepal Press

Dedicated to Squatter Children's Care: Sanju Dhakal

16 January 2021. How a young social work student began teaching children in Kathmandu's squatter settlements during the lockdown, with help from volunteers, donors and even passersby.

Read the full article ↗

Get involved

Help shape a child's future

Volunteer

Teach a class

Share an hour of reading, maths or a life skill you know well. Trained volunteers are the heart of this work.

Celebrate

Sponsor a lunch

Mark a birthday or a family occasion by feeding the children, a tradition our neighbours started themselves.

Donate

Give supplies

School bags, shoes, notebooks and pencils go straight into children's hands.

Get in touch

Message us on Facebook to volunteer, donate or partner with us.

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