OUR PROJECTS
The Dr. Dick Harding Charity Fund for Nepal awards grants for innovative, time-bound, cost-effective projects which fulfill the Fund's purpose and objectives. Below are the areas of work we support, with links to specific descriptions and stories of funded projects.
​
Areas of Focus:
-
Education
-
Health & Environment
-
Livelihood Development
-
Support & Rehabilitation for the Elderly & Disabled​​
Education
The Dr. Dick Harding Charity Fund for Nepal (DDHCFN) has gradually moved from supporting children’s education to providing scholarships for post-secondary students. While vocational and technical training is a valuable asset for Nepali youth, many families cannot afford to send them to college.
​
In partnership with a respected Nepali organization specializing in this line of work, DDHCFN helps educate Nepal’s future health workers, agricultural specialists, and technicians in a variety of fields. The hope is that with practical skills and a degree, young people can find employment in their own country, rather than choosing to go abroad as migrant laborers.
Health
Throughout Dr. Harding’s career in Nepal and beyond, he passionately engaged in community health, emphasizing health promotion and disease prevention as well as primary health care and training.
He and UMN colleagues developed and implemented programs to train auxiliary health workers, midwives, nurses, and community medical assistants. Integrated health and development projects also promoted training of local practitioners such as traditional birth attendants and healers. Dr. Harding believed training to be one of the key factors in bringing about sustainable improvements in the health of Nepali communities.
​​
Livelihood Development
Many marginalized groups in Nepal struggle to make a living. Within any group, among the most disadvantaged are typically women, especially those who are illiterate, poor, widowed, abandoned, or disabled. Opportunities for them to improve their lot through skills training or animal husbandry are desperately needed.
Livelihood development projects aim to provide not only the possibility for income generation, but also a heightened sense of self-esteem. Several DDHCFN partner organizations bring change in people’s lives through training programs such as tailoring, bead jewelry design and craft-making, along with teaching basic business skills. Other partners work with community groups to select recipients of chickens, goats or pigs that will boost their income. Follow-up and support ensure that beneficiaries make the most of their new skills and opportunities, and can solve problems that arise along the way.
Support for the Elderly
& People with Disabilities
​Some of the most marginalized in Nepali society are those with physical or mental disabilities. These people are often forgotten or ignored and unable to access basic services. Slowly, more opportunities for education and vocational skill development are arising, but the challenges are great -- largely due to geography, superstition and poverty.
Likewise, challenges abound for an increasing number of elderly people in the country, especially in the urban centers, where the traditional support of the extended family is disappearing.
​