About

Who are we?

Founded in March 2011, Friends of Volunteers Initiative Nepal, Netherlands, is an SDO – a Social Development Organisation. Our work centers on putting the efforts for change in the hands of local people and we actively encourage local people to volunteer within their communities, aiming to unite all sectors of society in working together to set up and run local projects. We run these programs with our Nepal-based partner, Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN).

Stichting Friends of VIN, Netherlands is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel, KvK-52433706).

 

Ann Wilson is the founder and Executive Director of Friends of VIN, NL. After visiting the
country for the first time in 1995 where she immediately felt at home, she since then dreamt of
'making a difference for Nepal'. Ann started this foundation after returning from working as a
volunteer in Nepal in 2010. She lived with a local family in Jitpur Phedi, a community located outside
Kathmandu, and worked as an EDC (Early Childhood Development) teacher at a local school. 
This enriching and life-changing experience made her determined to continue supporting the 
ongoing development of this and other similar marginalized communities in Nepal.

 
 
Juna Shrestha is a co-founder of this organization. She is a Nepalese citizen, born and raised in the capital, Kathmandu. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Minnesota, US after which, she moved to Amsterdam in the Netherlands in 2009. She has always wanted to contribute to her homeland and was looking for opportunities. Meeting Ann became a great twist of fate for her, and with a mutual interest they decided to start FoVIN with the motivation of empowering the marginalized communities of Nepal. Juna hopes this step will lead her to help the country she belongs to. 

What do we do?

Poverty is a complex phenomenon; its causes and symptoms are complex and there is no one-fits-all solution. Education alone isn't enough, healthcare alone will not create positive lasting change nor will the sole support of women's and children's programs.
FoVIN's mission is to empower marginalized communities by co-creating healthy, self-sustainable communities where people have access to adequate sanitation, health care, education and economic opportunity. We focus on women and children through enhanced educational programs and community training to promote equality, economic well-being and basic human rights.

 

How do we do it?

In rural communities, the suffering caused by poverty can be overwhelming since the needs for basic amenities surpass the local resources.
We believe that the only way to create sustainable and lasting change is to involve and empower the local community. Firstly, together we define the priorities of the different areas that need attention. This is done by a thorough qualitative baseline survey that will aim to determine e.g. not how many schools are in the area but the level of quality of the education in those. Subsequently, we work hand-in-hand with the community role models and other leaders to develop and implement effective solutions to the challenges that exist in their villages.
Finally, after the community has reached a sufficient level of self-sustainability, we remove our active presence from the community and move on to another area and start all over again.

 

JOIN US in Empowering people in Marginalized Communities!