Foundation Nepal

Foundation Nepal is an Irish registered charity that operates in remote Himalayan villages in the poorest part of Nepal. It was founded by Nicky Deasy in 2006 to help the most vulnerable in impoverished Nepali villages to work their way out of poverty. The empowerment of women and low caste families lies at the heart of their approach. They support local communities with food production, micro-finance and micro-business, as well as healthcare and education. They are not into short-term gain. Instead, they assist communities to lay the groundwork for a self-sufficient future, which involves empowering local people and working holistically.
Catherine Burke was one of the students that went. She states, “despite the hard work involved and dealing with the many altercations we encountered, this has without doubt been a once in a lifetime experience. Having done this kind of work at such a young age has opened my eyes to the conditions people less fortunate than I, live in.”

Fellow volunteer John O'Shea had this to say about his experience,"the volunteering trip to Nepal required endurance, patience and dedication from all the volunteers. It in turn, however, rewarded us with fond memories. friendships and a feeling of self worth. It was truly a great experience."

Amanda Milne, volunteer manager with Foundation Nepal, feels, “they are exceptional students and a credit to both themselves and NUIG. It was an honour to get to know them and I wish them every success in their future careers. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed working with them, and we are hoping to run the programme next year with more engineering students all going well. It is an interesting experience for the students; it helps them to appreciate what we have, and how their technical skills can be used to solve problems in third world countries.” For further information see www. foundation-nepal.org