Thank you for a successful Founder’s Day 2026!
On May 14, 2026, more than 130 NYF friends gathered at the Golden Gate Club in San Francisco to celebrate our annual Founder’s Day event. The evening was as joyful and moving as we hoped it would be. We had delicious food, our very first signature cocktail, an exciting silent auction, inspiring stories that stayed with us long after the night, and a shared sense of pride in everything we’ve accomplished together in Nepal.
Bright Futures at Home
The theme at Founder’s Day 2026, Bright Futures at Home, isn’t just an event tagline for one evening—it’s the thread that runs through everything we do at NYF. Through vocational training, we provide teenagers and young adults with opportunities to stay in Nepal with high-paying careers. Through nutrition education, we empower caregivers to integrate good health into the family home. And at Olgapuri Children’s Village, we provide children who have nowhere else to turn with stability, love, and a permanent home.
Founder’s Day was our opportunity to come together as a community, celebrate what we’ve already accomplished, and look ahead to all bright futures still waiting to be built. And we did that!
Fundraising Goal
This year, we set an ambitious fundraising goal of $250,000. As of now, we’ve raised just over $230,000. Thank you, and dhanyabad, to every single person in the NYF Community who helped us get there. Whether you purchased an item from the Olgapuri Market, participated in the silent auction, or donated through the Fund-A-Need, you are the driving force behind NYF’s continued success.
We came in just below our goal, but we’re absolutely thrilled with the momentum this amount still gives us as we finish out the year. Our Founder’s Day 2026 campaign will remain open for a little while longer. So, if you couldn’t attend (or if you did attend and are feeling extra generous!), you can still help us cross the finish line. You can click here to donate online.
NYF President Som Paneru’s Powerful Remarks
We were so grateful that Som Paneru was able to make the trip from Kathmandu to be there with us. As it is every year, his speech that evening was a powerful one. Som touched on the political upheaval that rocked the country back in September, and highlighted how it was connected to Nepal’s migrant labor crisis.
Som shared a statistic that’s hard to sit with. Every year, more than 750,000 young Nepalis leave the country to find work abroad. They leave with no knowledge of when, if at all, they’ll return.
“Nearly one in four households in Nepal now has a family member working overseas. Think about what that means for a child growing up. A father who is absent. A mother who is far away. A family held together only by remittances wired home from their children each month. Those remittances now make up one-third of Nepal’s entire GDP. We have built an economy on the sacrifice of our own people.”
This is exactly why NYF’s work of providing Bright Futures at Home matters so much. Our vocational training school offers a different path—one rooted in dignity, skill, and opportunity at home. Olgapuri Vocational School is NYF’s nationally accredited training facility in the Kathmandu Valley. We bring together classes of 20 men and women for 3-month certification programs in electrical, plumbing, carpentry, welding, and more. Som shared that thanks to our direct partnerships with employers, more than 86% of graduates find work within three months of completing their training. OVS now trains over 1,000 young adults every year. This year, we are on track to train 1,200!
“These are young people who might otherwise be among those leaving Nepal every day. Instead, they are staying home. They are building something. They are the future of a new Nepal.”
The Inspiring Stories of Dinesh & Pushpa
The venue was buzzing with energy all night, but the true highlight of the evening was hearing directly from Dinesh and Pushpa. These are two individuals whose lives had been transformed by generosity from NYF supporters. Through a beautiful video created by volunteer filmmakers Roy Cox and Robin Mortarotti, we heard Dinesh’s and Pushpa’s stories, and how NYF’s vocational training program gave each of them a way to build a brighter future right at home in Nepal.
We’re excited to share this powerful video here:
Olgapuri Market
For the very first time, our Founder’s Day event included the Olgapuri Market—a table full of beautiful handmade wooden bowls, plates, coasters, and more. These products were crafted by carpentry students at Olgapuri Vocational School. Every purchase went straight back into OVS, helping even more students receive the training and resources they need to build their own bright futures at home.
NYF is coming to a city near you this summer… through the Olgapuri Trek-a-Thon!
Near the end of the program, Angela Pal (Vice Chair of NYF’s US Board of Directors) and Sean Murray (Olga Murray’s grandson and member of the US Board Member) took the stage to share a very exciting announcement: NYF is launching our very first Olgapuri Trek-a-Thon!
On September 26th, we’re lacing up our walking shoes to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Olgapuri Children’s Village. NYF will organize local walks in cities and towns across the globe. Just like a walkathon, we’ll all be rallying our friends, family, and colleagues to sponsor our treks. Together, we are hoping to raise $30,000 for Olgapuri and NYF.
Since sharing this announcement at Founder’s Day 2026, teams have already popped up in San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, Des Moines, Chicago, Miami, Santa Barbara, and the Washington DC Area. More are joining every week! Click here to find out more about the Trek-a-Thon.
Honoring dedicated NYF friends
Finally, we were incredibly honored this year to recognize five extraordinary NYF champions: Roy Cox, Stu Harden, Robin Mortarotti, Gina Parker, Elizabeth Share, and Yat-Ping Tong. These long-time NYF supporters have championed our work for decades, and this past year especially, they’ve stepped up with even more heart and leadership. Each recipient was awarded a beautiful wooden plaque and was honored on stage at Founder’s Day 2026.
Dhanyabad to all of our supporters!
Every year, Founder’s Day would not be possible without our dedicated volunteers, our auction donors, generous sponsors, and, most importantly, you. Thank you to all those who showed up and gave generously.
The momentum continues: Let’s build brighter futures in Nepal
Founder’s Day might be over, but our work continues! Over the coming months, our team will be putting every dollar raised to work building more bright futures in Nepal.
Want to stay involved? Here’s how:
- Make sure you’re signed up to receive our email blasts, so you never miss an update.
- Join the Olgapuri Trek-a-Thon—either as a participant, or a City Captain!
- Become a monthly donor to help us grow our transformative work sustainably, year after year.
On behalf of everyone at Nepal Youth Foundation, thank you again for your belief and generosity in our mission. Together, we are building bright futures at home in Nepal!