Our Story

Tribute to my mother – Late.  Mrs. Damber Kumari Karki  (SWAN Founding Member)

From my childhood, I saw how my mother used her voice for women’s rights, taught her neighbors to grow vegetables for healthy living, and encouraged them to send their children to school for education. My mother, a visionary woman, who always wanted me to do something for my community and the country sent me to India for a quality education. Through SWAN, I did my best to carry out her legacy for giving back to the community. Likewise, my cousin, Late. Mr. Poorna Singh Khatri played a key role in establishing SWAN and he always wanted me to expand SWAN to help more people and communities in need. As I carry forward their vision, I am reminded every day of the immense responsibility entrusted upon me. With unwavering determination and a dedicated team by my side, I am committed to expanding SWAN’s reach and making a lasting impact in remote communities of Nepal.

I was raised in a remote village of Naryansthan in Baglung district of Nepal. My first memory of a school was under the shade of a tree, where the local school master taught a handful of students to write and read. Later, I travelled to India, where I received a good education. I further had the opportunity to travel to the United States in my early age and being in Travel Trade as a responsible Tour Operator travelled intensively throughout Nepal, Asia and Europe to gained wide ranges of experiences and met amazing people supporting my ideas and thoughts. Whenever I returned home, I was always struck by the need to do something for my village and felt responsible for Nepal. I always compared my birthplace with other places and felt a need to do something to develop it. It is always one of the foremost things on my mind.

SWAN was founded in 1994 with support from family, friends, and like-minded people around the world. Over the course of time, we’ve seen how remarkable changes can be brought when we work together with the government and the communities. Looking back, SWAN’s sustainable and holistic interventions have made a significant impact on disadvantaged communities across the country.

So far, we have helped over 10,000 mothers and children in distant communities by implementing the Maternal and Child Health Project. We reached out to 15.000 children through Education and Child Development Projects. We have further empowered rural women and enhanced their social status through Livelihoods projects. Most importantly, we aided 50,000+ people during the emergencies.

SWAN saw a big leap when we established SWAN Deutschland e.V.   in 2014 with the support of my wife Dr. Barabara Dyckhoff-Karki and other friends. Since then, we have carried out several life-changing projects with the financial support of SWAN Germany. Likewise, like minded group of friends established SWAN Österreich in Austria in 2016 which helps us to reach out to the many vulnerable children and disadvantaged women. In addition, SWAN has been working with inspiring partners and supporters around the world to continue our impactful projects. Furthermore, we were able to respond quickly, even in the time of crisis during the Nepal Earthquake 2015 by establishing health centers, rebuilding schools, providing relief support and thus helped in creating resilient communities. Likewise, we supported Nepal Government in its fight against COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude towards all the past and present partners and supporters. We wish to continue our journey of transforming communities and building a future we can all be proud to share.

Thank you for your continued support.

Krishna Karki
Founder Chairperson