THE HARKA FUND

Harka Self-Sustaining Orphan Home was founded by Laxmi K.C. in 2005, following the Nepalese Civil War (1996-2006). While the initial orphanage was started as a relief to the war-related disruptions to families, the home changed over time and Laxmi continued to take in children until just a few years ago.

 

Children in Nepal can be considered orphans for any number of reasons, not limited to those that have lost both of their parents. Such reasons include: if one parent dies and the other parent cannot financially support their child(ren), if a parent remarries and the new parent rejects the child(ren) of the previous marriage, or if one or both parents have a terminal illness, like HIV, and cannot support their child(ren). Often children living in orphan homes in Nepal do have family-- an aunt, a grandfather-- that they are able to visit once or twice a year. In this case, the homes function more like group foster care facilities in the United States.

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Harka functioned in this way from 2005-2017. In 2017 however, many of the children had aged out of Harka’s care, causing a low enrollment that we were told did not align with government stipulations. Harka closed its doors as an orphan home in late 2017.  The Harka Fund board members worked alongside the remaining children and Laxmi to find safe and healthy solutions for each child. Brothers Suman and Sujan moved into their own apartment, living above one of our board members' family. They live modestly and smartly, despite being teenagers! The other children live mostly at Laxmi's home, often traveling to their home villages for extended periods of time. 

 

The Harka Fund continues to fully support the now young adults' education, as our mission identifies education as a vital necessity for their future and the future of Nepal. For the children in primary school, we continue to offer funding for a private school education and supplementary costs at Prerana Secondary English Boarding School, where they have been enrolled for the past eight years. As the older elementary students complete class 10, they decide if they desire to further their education. If they choose to do so, The Harka Fund will support them in their endeavors in Nepal’s secondary school system (“Plus 2”) which is the equivalent of the 11th and 12th grades in the US. 

 

The Harka Fund continues to raise financial support for both living expenses and tuition for eight students. 92% of the funds raised go directly to education and education-related costs, with just 8% going to the cost of international money transfer and registration fees to maintain our nonprofit status. We continue to stay deeply connected to Nepal, even when we cannot be there in person, and welcome any questions.