NYF Update: Catastrophic Flash Flooding

You may have seen news coverage of the catastrophic flash flooding that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on August 26. The disaster, triggered by a glacial collapse and landslide near Rasuwa district, has killed hundreds, left nearly two thousand missing, and affected communities across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts. Preliminary estimates indicate that 17,000 children have been affected. NYF is ready to mobilize. Read our letter below as we share what we know and how our team is planning to respond. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at info@nepalyouthfoundation.org.

August 28, 2026

Dear NYF Community,

We are writing this letter with heavy hearts as we continue to learn more about the catastrophic flash flooding that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on August 26. Triggered by a glacial collapse and landslide, this disaster has devastated communities across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts.

First, thank you. So many of you have reached out to members of our team both in Nepal and the United States to ask how everyone is doing. Your messages of concern and care have meant more than we can express.

We want to share what we know at this time. We are grateful to report that all of the children, students, and staff at Olgapuri Children’s Village are safe. Our U.S. team remains in close contact with our team in Nepal as they navigate the situation in real time while continuing to check in with children, young people, staff, and communities connected to Nepal Youth Foundation (NYF) programs and scholarships across the country.

We know that the impact of this disaster extends far beyond NYF’s programs. NYF’s mission has always centered on helping Nepal’s children and young people build healthy, educated, and empowered lives. And when Nepal faces moments of extraordinary need, we do what we can to support the country we care so deeply about. This time is no different.

Building on decades of experience in Nepal, including lessons from the 2015 earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nepal team has developed a four-point response plan that puts NYF’s existing facilities, staff, and programs to work for children and families affected by this disaster. You can read more about the response plan on our website.

With so much still unknown, we know this response may need to adapt as needs and priorities change in the weeks ahead. NYF will continue to focus on where our resources and deep roots in Nepal can fill critical gaps, while ensuring those already connected to our programs remain safe and supported.

Even as we respond to this extraordinary moment, NYF’s ongoing work continues. The children and young people who rely on our programs every day will continue to need our care and support in the months ahead. Our response to this disaster is an extension of that commitment, not a replacement for it.

We will keep our NYF Community updated as we learn more. In the meantime, you can read the latest information about NYF’s four-point response plan and our ongoing efforts on our website here.

Our hearts remain with the people of Nepal, all those affected, and families around the world waiting for news of their loved ones. In the difficult days ahead, we will continue to stand alongside the children, families, and communities we have been privileged to serve for more than three decades.

With Nepal in our hearts,
The Nepal Youth Foundation U.S. Team

A Gift that Outlasts a Lifetime

Make A Will Month 2026

Every August, Nepal Youth Foundation (NYF) marks National Make-A-Will Month. It’s an annual reminder to think about the people and causes you love, plan for your future, and ensure your wishes are recorded exactly the way you want them.

Planning for your future is more important, and much easier, than many people realize. We hope you’ll take this time to reflect on your estate plans—and consider making a legacy gift to NYF.

Why Estate Planning Matters

Estate planning isn’t just about money. It’s about love and the peace of mind that comes from caring for the people and causes you cherish most.

Depending on your state’s laws, the absence of a will may result in your estate being distributed by a court system that does not understand your values or your relationships. It may also increase the tax burden on your heirs. This process can be slow, costly, and out of your family’s hands, with assets frozen the entire time. An up-to-date estate plan spares your loved ones extra time, money, and stress during what is already a difficult and emotional time.

Whether your estate is large and complex, or small and simple, all adults should have a will!

Including a gift to NYF (or another nonprofit) in your will

When creating or reviewing your will, you can choose to leave a part of your estate to a nonprofit like NYF. Sometimes, leaving a “legacy gift” is a great way to reduce estate taxes for your heirs. It also costs you nothing during your lifetime, but will make a tremendous impact on causes close to your heart for years to come.

At NYF, a legacy gift doesn’t need to be large to make an incredible, lasting impact. A bequest of $10,000, for example, can keep a 6-year-old girl in school for 12 years. That means her education can be secured from her first day of primary school all the way to graduation. This is the impact a single gift, planned today, can have on a child’s entire future.

When you include NYF in your will, your legacy gift goes directly toward programs that protect and empower children and youth in Nepal:

• At Olgapuri Children’s Village, legacy gifts ensure the kids in our care can continue to be loved, nourished, educated, and cared for in a family-style environment—in perpetuity.
• Through our vocational education program, bequests allow hundreds of teenagers and young adults to access the skills and resources they need to put food on their tables and dignity in their hands for the rest of their lives.
• A planned gift guarantees that a child being raised by extended relatives through our Kinship Care program never has to leave the community that knows and loves them the most.
• A gift in your will ensures that children experiencing malnutrition continues to receive all the care they need at NYF’s Nutritional Rehabilitation Home to grow into healthy adults with empowered futures.

And above all, planned gifts secure the future of NYF’s programs. They help us withstand unexpected disasters, like pandemics and earthquakes, and give us the stability we need to keep serving Nepali children well into the future.

Olga’s Own Commitment

Our founder, Olga Murray, was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Legacy Circle. The Legacy Circle is our way of saying Dhanyabad, or Thank You, to those who remember us in their estate plans. She became its first member by including NYF as a beneficiary in her own estate plans, helping ensure her life’s work would continue beyond her lifetime.

Today, NYF’s Legacy Circle has grown to almost 60 members. Each member has made a personal and generous decision to protect the children in NYF’s programs for generations to come. Among them is Arlin, from California, who first fell in love with Nepal in 2002 while hiking:

“I’m very pleased to be able to support NYF now, but I want to continue after I’m gone. There is so much need, and the US dollar goes a long way in Nepal. I know what I’m leaving will help NYF continue its essential work helping the Nepali people have better lives.”

Every Legacy Circle member has their own story of how Nepal, and NYF, found a permanent place in their heart. What they share is a decision to make that generosity and love last well beyond their lifetimes.

Ways to join our Legacy Circle: It’s simpler than you think!

There’s no minimum bequest required to join NYF’s Legacy Circle. All you need to do is let us know you’ve included NYF in your estate plans.

Thankfully, there are many ways to include a gift to NYF in your will. Some popular ways include leaving a specific amount, leaving a percentage of a donor’s total wealth, or designating the remainder of a donor’s estate after other bequests have been paid. Many of these options may also lower the tax burden on your family. Visit our Planned Giving page to learn more!

Additionally, if you decide to designate a charity as a beneficiary, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can always decide to leave any percentage you wish to one or multiple charities.

Already included NYF in your estate plans but aren’t sure we know about it? Please let us know so we can properly welcome you into the Legacy Circle and say thank you.

Let’s chat!

If you’d like to have a no-pressure, no-obligation chat with a member of our team, we’d love to sit down with you and help you think about what your legacy at NYF could look like. Because at the end of the day, a will isn’t just a legal document. It’s one of the most personal, hopeful things you’ll ever write. And we hope this is the year you write it—no matter where you are in your life.