Message from Founder Chairperson

CELBRATING 30 GLORIOUS YEARS OF SWAN

 

Dear Friends, Supporters, and Well-Wishers,

 

As we celebrate the SWAN’s 30th anniversary, I am filled with immense pride and gratitude for the journey we have shared. What began three decades ago in the humble village of Narayansthan, Baglung, has grown into a mission that now reaches countless disadvantaged people and marginalized communities across Nepal.

Our commitment to improving lives through education, healthcare, women’s empowerment, and infrastructure development has been unwavering. Over the years, we have provided scholarships to thousands of students, ensuring that poverty does not become a barrier to their future. We have constructed health facilities and schools in rural areas where access to basic care & education was once a distant dream. We have supported women in their pursuit of dignity, independence, and leadership roles within their communities. Through our WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) initiatives, we have ensured cleaner, safer environments for families, and our infrastructure projects have transformed villages, connecting them to opportunities that were once out of reach.

For the past 30 years, SWAN operates on the philosophy of “helping people help themselves,” empowering individuals and groups to take charge of their own development. By providing resources, training, and support, SWAN equips marginalized and disadvantaged populations with the skills and knowledge needed to overcome challenges independently. This approach fosters self-reliance and resilience, ensuring that communities can sustain progress long after SWAN’s direct involvement. Through initiatives in education, health, women’s empowerment, and infrastructure, SWAN not only provides immediate aid but also lays the foundation for lasting, community-led development.

SWAN has equally prioritized sustainability & inclusive approach in all its projects to ensure lasting impact in the communities it serves. By empowering local communities with knowledge and resources, SWAN ensures that the benefits of its projects—whether in education, health, or women’s empowerment—are sustained for future generations. These sustainability practices are vital to creating resilient communities capable of thriving long after initial interventions.

Moreover, SWAN’s inclusive approach is centered on actively engaging community members in every step of its projects, fostering a strong sense of ownership. By working hand-in-hand with local people, SWAN ensures that their voices are heard, and their needs are prioritized. This collaboration empowers communities to take responsibility for the upkeep and success of initiatives, from education to infrastructure. Additionally, SWAN works closely with local government agencies, aligning projects with national development goals and policies. This partnership with the government enhances the long-term sustainability of projects, ensuring that they receive ongoing support and integration into local governance systems for years to come.

This journey, however, has not been ours alone. It is a testament to the collective dedication and tireless efforts of SWAN team, our partners, supporters, and volunteers—both within Nepal and around the world. Our sister organizations, SWAN Austria and SWAN Germany, have stood by us, strengthening our capacity to serve and expand our reach. Together, we have faced challenges, whether it be the devastation of earthquakes, the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic, or the everyday struggles of those we serve. And together, we have risen to these challenges with resilience and hope.

As we look to the future, SWAN remains committed to its mission of building a more just, equitable, and prosperous society for all. Our work is far from done, and we are more motivated than ever to continue serving those who need us most. On behalf of SWAN, I extend my heartfelt thanks to all who have walked this path with us. Your belief in our cause, your generosity, and your unwavering support have made these 30 years possible.

 

Here’s to the next chapter in our shared journey of hope and transformation.

 

With deepest gratitude,

Krishna Karki, Founder Chairperson, SWAN Nepal

 Date: May 11, 2024

 

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CELEBRATING 25 GLORIOUS YEARS OF SWAN

A 25 year long journey from passion to impact-

 

2019 was an incredible year for SWAN Nepal. It was a year marked by a huge milestone of 25 years of serving those in need.  Right from its inception in 1994, we had a clear vision of giving needy children get an access to education, empowering women to reach their potential and capacitating health care services at the local level through small scale projects in Baglung district of Nepal.

In the first ten years,  SWAN was focused on sponsoring the children’s education, strengthening community health  and introducing livelihood programs, particularly in Baglung district. During the first decade the idea was to learn and understand the right working modality to approach and address issues such as poverty, inequality and ignorance of basic health necessities among local rural communities. These years were spent in allowing our passion to create impact – big and small and in the process, we were able to witness the transformations that could be brought upon even by small scale projects. And in the due course of time, we were able to hear from the communities and the local government, the existing problems and ideas they had to overcome them and based on their recommendations we introduced suitable interventions, one step at a time.

 

 Education and Child Development              

Poverty was a major concern for the locals who wanted access to quality education, health and well-being and resilient livelihoods. This was when I and a friend of mine, both driven by our passion for people knew it was time to translate this passion into action. This was when the idea of sponsoring needy children, giving quality education to to the students in community schools through infrastructure support, promoting early education, providing education/playing materials kits, teachers support and training, dawned upon us, and we embraced it. Over the course of time, sponsorship program changed the lives of thousands of impoverished children. They finally had the opportunity to pursue their academics and excel a transformation that was truly gratifying.

 

Maternal and Child Health

In 2010, we intervened the specific five-year-long maternal and child health project in Baglung which today has brought upon a significant difference in the capacity of health workers and birthing centers. This was made possible through trainings and provision of essential equipment – that almost Zero home deliveries while reducing maternal and neonatal deaths and strengthening referral mechanisms. This project was highly recognized by the Government  as well.

 

Livelihoods

In the initial years, our livelihoods projects were solely focused on encouraging women to get involved in income generation activities. However, today women are empowered with skills and trainings such as goat rearing, off-seasonal vegetable farming among others. They are being capacitated to move from managing household chores to take on more entrepreneurial roles in sectors including eco-tourism, hospitality, handicrafts among others which although not necessarily on a huge scale has certainly diversified their livelihood options.

 

Humanitarian aid

During the time of the  massive earthquake in 2015,  SWAN took an initiative of helping earthquake victims by supplying relief materials, rebuilding 5+ schools with 25 classrooms and 15+ health facilities reconstructed that benefited 50,000+ people.

After the earthquake, we have been able to expand our projects from Baglung to other new districts, including Sindhupalchowk, Gorkha, Nuwkot, Parbat and Humla. Thanks to the relentless support provided by our donors across the world who have played a stronger role in enabling us to become a stronger non-profit organization today.

 

As a part of this expansion, we took our project to Udayapur district in the eastern part of Nepal and replicated our education and child development and drinking water support project there and also introduced maternal and child health project in Humla in 2018. The maternal and child health care project in Humla has created a huge impact, upping the number of institutional deliveries to ten from zero in one year’s time. As a part of our mission, to improve the maternal health in remote regions of the country, we are now taking the project to lower Humla

Right from the very beginning, our aim has been to help people help themselves and we have been striving to achieve that through our thematic goals. At SWAN, we have a small yet powerful team, who have been serving our mission with Sustainability, Equality, Transparency at the core. Here the size of the impact has always overridden the size of the budget and this is what helps us press forward in our mission.

From giving quality education to children who deserve it the most to providing proper health care services for new mothers and newborns and eventually capacitating communities, SWAN believes in putting other’s needs before its own – a trait that continues to set us apart.

 

As we continue our 25 year legacy, we remain committed to our mission of achieving more milestones, creating more impact and adding to the number – for the sake of our people and the country as a whole!

 

With deepest gratitude,

Krishna Karki

Founder Chairperson, SWAN Nepal

Date: May 11, 2019