One Year Without Olga Murray

A letter from NYF’s U.S. Team

As we near the one year anniversary of Olga Murray’s passing, our small U.S. team at the Nepal Youth Foundation (NYF) has been reflecting on the incredible life and legacy of our beloved founder. Olga’s vision, compassion, and unwavering belief in the potential of Nepali children have guided us through this past year as we continue to carry forward her life’s work.

Click here to visit Olga Murray’s memorial page to make a legacy donation in her honor, write a tribute message, and read more about her life and legacy.

What we’ve learned from Olga’s legacy of love and action

Earlier this year, in preparation for this letter, our team sat down together to share what we learned from Olga. Our discussion was long and varied, but one teaching sat unanimously at the top of our lists: “You’re never too old to pursue your passion.”

Olga founded the Nepal Youth Foundation in 1990, as she concluded her legal career in the California State Supreme Court. Already in her 60s, she embarked on what would become an extraordinary journey of service and passion, expanding her life in ways only few imagine. Just two years ago, during her last trip to Nepal in December 2022, she helped to launch NYF’s Caste Equality Project to fight caste-based discrimination in Dalit-majority villages in eastern Nepal. She was 97 at the time. 

The mere existence of NYF will forever serve as a reminder to us all that it’s never too late to pursue a passion—and make a profound difference in the world at the same time.

Values we carry forward from Olga

One of Olga’s greatest gifts was her ability to see every individual she meets as a whole person—each with their own unique set of dreams, motivations, strengths, and quirks. Whether she was engaging with beneficiaries, staff members, or donors, Olga made genuine connections with each person. She understood that even from an organizational point of view, each person was more than just a number, or a donation, or a success story. To this day, we are determined to carry this philosophy forward in our continued work. It’s what makes NYF’s approach to our work so unique.

From the very beginning, Olga emphasized the importance of locally-led, community-driven programs. As she wrote in Olga’s Promise: “Perhaps most important of all is our conviction that the success of our undertakings depends on the buy-in, expertise, wisdom, and enthusiasm of the Nepali people themselves.” This principle continues to anchor our work. Every initiative we take on—whether at Olgapuri Children’s Village, through the Caste Equality Project, or our Nutritional Rehabilitation Home—is deeply rooted in the needs and leadership of local communities. 

“Olga was a master storyteller, an optimist who believed everything would work out as it should. She was someone who embraced life’s twists and turns with confidence and grace. She taught us to lead with compassion and determination, to finish what we start, and to never lose sight of the joy in the work we do.”

Ryan Walls, U.S. Executive Director

Sustainability, compassion, and the long game are at the core of everything we do. Olga so often reminded us that small actions, when aligned with purpose, can create lasting change. When we speak of these values, we often reflect on the Empowering Freed Kamlaris program, which NYF launched in the early 2000s. Spanning over two decades, this program helped eradicate the harmful Kamlari practice, providing education and leadership opportunities for thousands of formerly indentured girls.

The Freed Kamlari Development Forum (FKDF)—established by the young women who once participated in the program—continues to thrive today, leading advocacy efforts and community development work. This sustainable, community-led model has become a blueprint for future initiatives like the Caste Equality Project, which is already making strides in dismantling caste-based oppression and expanding access to education and legal advocacy for Dalit communities.

We’re combining the lessons learned from Empowering Freed Kamlaris with our strong reputation as a committed scholarship provider to support young Dalit students in their journey to become human rights lawyers. By investing in the next generation of Dalit leaders, we remain focused on building a future rooted in justice and equality.

Over the past year, we have taken each of these values and lessons to heart, ensuring Olga’s legacy continues to shine brightly. From our work at Olgapuri Children’s Village to our Caste Equality Project, Nutritional Rehabilitation Homes, and beyond, we have remained focused on empowering Nepali children and communities. These programs honor Olga’s vision of creating opportunities and fostering hope, and there’s so much more to come.

Thank you to the NYF Community!

In 2024, we also saw an incredible outpouring of love and support from our NYF Community. Your belief in our mission and in Olga’s dreams have been our strength this past year. Every child we empowered, every family we uplifted, and every community we supported since last February is a testament to Olga’s enduring legacy.

As we look ahead, we remain laser-focused on the children who were always at the center of Olga’s heart. Her legacy is built through love and action, and it’s one we will honor by staying true to her vision of creating a brighter future for every child in Nepal.

Thank you for standing with us this year as we continue to celebrate Olga’s life by carrying her torch forward. Together, we are making her dream a reality and ensuring her story continues to inspire generations to come.

Plans for February 20, 2025

Our Nepal team has planned an entire day of loving celebrations to take place on February 20, 2025 at Olgapuri Children’s Village—so that students, staff, children, and other community members alike can come together on the one year anniversary of Olga’s passing to commemorate her life. This special day will include prayers, flower offerings, award distributions, and lots of opportunities to share stories. We’ll be sending out another email following this event with photos and more reflections about how the day went. (If you’d like to receive this email but haven’t yet subscribed to our list, please click here!).

NYF Update: Regarding USAID

At NYF, we know our supporters value transparency, and up-front, frank clarity on the issues we, and the Nepali children we serve, are facing. We’re honored by your trust in our organization. It is your trust and support that have helped us transform the lives of over 60,000 children in Nepal—and it is that same trust that will strengthen us through this new period of uncertainty.

USAID

You may have heard that over the last several weeks, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has begun undergoing some dramatic changes.

USAID, established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, is an independent federal agency, responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and developmental assistance. It is one of the largest official aid agencies in the world, and has historically focused on disaster relief, poverty relief, socioeconomic development, and more.

As the Trump administration makes sweeping changes to this agency, including a near-total freeze on all foreign aid, the international nonprofit world is deeply concerned about the future. At NYF, we are also concerned. However, when it comes to our work, we are also full of hope, determination, and stubborn optimism. And when it comes to NYF, we think you should be, too.

Reasons for Confidence

1) NYF does not and has never received funding from the US government, including USAID. (We also do not receive funding from the Nepali government.)

Organizations who do receive USAID funding will soon be working to make up for any changes to come. This may put these organizations in competition with NYF for funding sources. Our team is watching closely to track any changes in our fundraising success. As of today, our organization is maintaining our steady pace forward thanks to our incredible community of loyal supporters.

2) Our on-the-ground team in Nepal has decades of experience providing life-changing programs during unprecedented times. NYF was founded during an incredibly dynamic time in Nepal’s history. Since 1990, Nepal’s system of government has changed from a monarchy to a democracy. Nepal experienced a civil war between 1995 and 2005. We provided critical, immediate rescue and rebuilding resources after the 2015 earthquake. We provided robust, life-saving support during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lessons learned and expertise developed during these crises have made our programs stronger.

3) NYF’s global team is drawing on wisdom shared by our beloved late founder, Olga Murray. Our organization is deeply rooted in Olga’s practical, hard-won optimism—a trait she developed over a 98-year lifetime filled with political turmoil and change.

When she founded NYF in 1990, Olga knew that no matter what changes come, the best way to fuel sustainable transformations is by empowering the rising generation of children. We follow her remarkable example every day at NYF.

4) Our incredible community of supporters and friends has never let us down. Back in 2020, during the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic, our team had no way of knowing what was in store. In partnership with you, our loving donors, we navigated those years of uncertainty together, determined to continue providing world-class care to the children we serve.

We are so grateful to our incredible network of supporters for the ways you circled around us in love and trust during those challenging years—and we are confident that together, we will weather these new changes with strength as well.

Our Commitment

NYF’s team is prepared to share updates with you if we find that our funding is being negatively impacted during the coming years, as well as insight into our responsive strategies. We’ll use the same frank, forthright messaging you’ve come to expect from us.

No matter what, our shared promise to Nepal’s children remains the same.

We are empowering Nepal’s next generation of forward-facing leaders. Generous support from friends all over the world has made this work possible for almost 35 years. At NYF, we have every intention of continuing this transformative journey for decades to come.

Thank you for meeting the moment with us.

With gratitude and determination,

The NYF US Team

Questions?

P.S. Please feel free to reach out to our team with any questions or concerns you may have about the ways NYF is impacted by current events.