Who We Are

Himalayan Village Fund was founded in 2011 by a group of former schoolteachers who have travelled extensively in the Himalayan areas of India and Nepal. We are animated by a love of those mountains and the resilient but often impoverished people who live there.  

 
Spending time in Himalayan foothill villages inescapably confronts you with neediness and deprivation at very fundamental levels. You see in a hundred ways how much good could be done with very little money by First World standards. We will be looking for small village-level projects that address basic needs—medical, educational, nutritional, etc.—of poor villagers. We will favor projects that with moderate investments can bring immediate, measurable, sustainable benefits to some of Asia’s neediest people.

 
 
Why We Are Different
No overhead.  We pledge that 100% of donations we receive will be used to fund the projects we identify. No member of our organization will receive a penny in compensation. We will personally bear any expenses we incur in traveling to India and Nepal to identify projects or in fund raising.  


Direct, painstaking, on-site investigation of all projects we fund.  We will recommend for funding only those projects that members of our board have carefully researched, firsthand.  


A resolutely small size and simple structure.  We started small and will stay small. Complicated projects funded and implemented from a distance will not interest us. We will confine ourselves to funding modest projects that will provide immediate, demonstrable benefits to those villagers we serve.  


A simple, personal approach to running our organization.  Because we are small, we can readily make ourselves accessible to anyone interested in our projects, and we can provide help to villagers whom we have come to know personally. Previous person-to-person contact with some Indian and Nepali villagers has led quite directly to the formation of this non-profit. Such personal interaction will be foundational to who we are.

Projects

Current and completed projects funded by HVF.
Stay up to date on our projects.
See more
Eduation Scholarships Currently Funded
Villages

The Board

Meet the team who keeps the Himalayan Village Fund running.
Milton Burke
Milton Burke

Retired; English teacher at Fayetteville High School in Arkansas for 31 years; volunteer English teacher to Tibetan exiles in Dharamsala, India, 2009-10.

    John Remmers
    John Remmers

    Retired; Secondary Art, Special Education, and Science teacher for 30 years.

      Mimi Burke
      Mimi Burke

      Retired; Montessori pre-school teacher for 20 years; volunteer English teacher to Tibetan exiles in Dharamsala, India, 2009-10.

        Greg Thoma
        Greg Thoma

        Bates Teaching Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Inaugural Director for Research and current Senior Advisor for The Sustainability Consortium; former Peace Corps Volunteer.

          Jonna Hussey
          Jonna Hussey

          Licensed Certified Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist; works with children, adolescents, and families in private practice and with public schools in Northwest Arkansas.

            Stephen Ironside
            Stephen Ironside

            Certified Professional Photographer focusing on commercial, travel, and non-profit work. Native of Fayetteville and University of Arkansas honors graduate. Lover of Indian food, Nepali mountains, and Tibetan smiles.

              Robert Cochran
              Robert Cochran

              Professor at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, with interests in American Studies, American Literature, Folklore, and Outsider Art.

                Donate Today

                100% of your charitable contribution goes directly towards funding the proper education of a low-caste Nepali child. We can't do it without your help. We currently fund 57 students in two villages in Nepal, with an average cost of approximately $217-288 per child, for a total of almost $16,000. Currently, we are about $8,400 short of our funding goal for the year. Click below to make a tax-deductible donation today!

                Contact Us

                We'd love to hear from you.
                Mailing Address
                1532 W. Cleveland Fayetteville, AR 72701 USA