« Protecting Nepal’s Vulnerable Children for 15 years »
— The Umbrella Foundation
The Umbrella Foundation is a non-profit NGO and registered charity in Ireland, Holland, Hong Kong, UK, and the USA that has worked for 15 years to alleviate the impact of trafficking, poverty and war on children and their families in Nepal. Established in 2005 in response to the growing number of illegal ‘orphanages’ neglecting children’s most basic rights – food, education, safe shelter, healthcare and love – Umbrella was a family-first, children’s charity which rescued over 400 vulnerable children with the help of the Child Welfare Board, and reintegrated many back with their families and rural communities. In 2019, it was decided that we would wind-down our operations in Nepal in March 2021, and hand over operations to our long-time local partner Umbrella Organisation Nepal as most of these 400 children had graduated and completed their education and are now adults. We have pledged to fund UON for the remainder of 2021 to make their transition to independence as smooth as possible and ensure the last remaining Umbrella children and youths are financially secure. Thank you to all our incredible supporters over the years for helping us achieve our goal!
Traffickers promise desperate rural villagers quality education for their children in Kathmandu, however, the reality is sometimes different and these children end up in unregistered, often abusive, ‘orphanages’ or displaced on the streets of Kathmandu.
We rescued children, sheltered them in our homes, and reintegrated many back with their families. We continue to care for these children in a holistic way, including supporting their education and overall health.
Volunteer ethically in our local NGO or become a child sponsor, support our fundraisers or simply donate to help our children and their families help themselves.
Irish international and British & Irish Lions rugby player, Jamie is a longtime ally of Umbrella. He has fully endorsed the annual ‘Umbrella 7’s’ rugby tournament and came to volunteer with us in Nepal in June 2011.
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In his book, Conor details his volunteer experience which became a life-changing commitment to reunite the families of trafficked children in Nepal. He explains his involvement with Umbrella, praising our child rescue programme.
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