Persons with a disability are now seen, accepted and supported in their village and villagers see their potential. Hence Karuna Foundation helps to form disability inclusive societies.

The Karuna Foundation is a Nepalese organization based in the capital Kathmandu and the city of Itahari in Province 1. Two Nepalese directors lead a motivated team of 80 committed professionals. Both have been involved since the program began in 2007. The organization has its own board and is responsible for the strategy and implementation of the program.

To support the activities of the Karuna Foundation, a foundation with ANBI status has been established in the Netherlands under the name KarunaNL. This foundation raises funds for the Nepalese program, supervises the correct and responsible spending thereof, and assists and advises the Nepalese foundation. dr Annet van den Hoek is the director of the foundation supported by Wilma Schaftenaar (accountant).  KarunaNL has a three-member board with Prof dr Geert Blijham (chairman), Rene aan de Stegge  and Charles Nijman.

Our partner organizations in Nepal are:

The provincial government has designated the Ministry of Social Development to implement the program. They have set up a Steering Committee, established guidelines for implementation, agreed on funding modalities, and selected the municipalities to start each year. The Steering Committee manages the implementation of the program, advises the Ministry of Economy and Planning on budget allocation, develops the Health Management Information System (H-MIS), and ensures that funds are transferred on time. In doing so, they mobilize local leaders and health institutions to work well together.

Municipalities are responsible for implementation and success. The elected mayors play an important role in this. Municipalities determine the quality of care, hire and manage CBR facilitators, and manage the local finances of the program. After two and a half years, they continue the program with their funds, when the support from Karuna stops.

Local NGO’s. Karuna works with several partners in Nepal for 1) complementary care and 2) support in collaboration with the government and further scale-up. The first group includes organizations such as Smile Train Nepal (harelip surgery), Biratnagar Eye Hospital, Global Fund for Children with Hearing Loss, Center for Autism, Koshish Nepal for psychosocial counseling, and Medic Mobile. Partners working together in further scaling up the program are UNICEF Nepal, One Heart World-Wide, Enablement and FAIRMED, For the latter, Karuna Foundation Nepal has a coordinating role in implementing their program in two districts.