On International Women’s Day 2026, we celebrate the power of education and the importance of creating opportunities for girls everywhere. At HCC, our mission is simple: to improve the lives of girls in Nepal through education and empowerment.

In many communities across Nepal, girls still face significant barriers to education. Poverty, social expectations, and limited resources can prevent girls from staying in school and reaching their full potential. At HCC Nepal, we work to change that.

HCC has played a very important role in shaping me into the person I am today. As a woman, I feel grateful for the opportunities and trust it has given me. HCC trusted me with a great investment by supporting me to go to dental school. This opportunity has empowered me to build my career, become independent, and move closer to my dream of becoming a successful dentist. HCC has never made me feel limited because I am a woman. Instead, it has encouraged me to grow, learn, and take responsibilities with confidence. Supporting the education of girls in Nepal helps us build a better future.  – Rina, HCC Peak Program student

Our programs focus on supporting girls’ education and providing empowerment training that builds confidence, leadership skills, and independence. By helping girls stay in school and equipping them with practical life skills, we give them the tools they need to create brighter futures for themselves and their communities.

Namaste! I am Ambika and I am proud to introduce myself as a confident young woman. I have been with HCC from when I was a young child. The support, love and care from HCC has helped me build my own identity and has given me the support to be able to choose who I want to be. Providing education for girls in a country like Nepal is very important as it helps us overcome poverty and other social issues. For me, I am now studying in Bachelor in Veterinary Science, and my aim is to be a good veterinarian and well known to people for my work towards animals. HCC has helped me turned my love and compassion for animals into my future. – Ambika, HCC Peak Program student

Education is one of the most effective ways to break the cycle of poverty in Nepal. When girls are educated, they are more likely to earn an income, make informed decisions about their own lives, and contribute positively to their families and communities.

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the strength and potential of the girls we work with every day. With the support of our partners and donors, we are helping build a future where every girl in Nepal has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.

HCC’s PEAK Program supports motivated, high-achieving students who lack financial and family resources for higher-education in Nepal. The holistic youth-empowerment program blends academics, life-skills training, leadership development, internships, and community service, to build confidence and independence.

Our PEAK Program offers the stability and opportunity young people need to focus on their studies and thrive – preparing them for meaningful careers and a future of giving back.

This year, the Program has expanded enrollment to include students who are equally motivated and academically strong but who do not require full-time housing. These students are still disadvantaged enough to need scholarship assistance and can benefit from HCC’s mentorship, guidance, and supportive community environment.

Eleven new students going in October 2025 and we will be sharing a bit about each students over the next few months. Stay tuned!

Our rural Rise Program supports nearly 100 students in rural districts about 50 miles west of Kathmandu. Our HCC team in Nepal, who is based in Kathmandu, regularly travels out to these rural areas to check on our students welfare and distribute aid and funding. However, during monsoon season in Nepal heavy rains can wash out roads and make the the more remote parts of the district completely inaccessible for cars and vans.

At the beginning of this year, HCC hired a new staff member who lives full time in a rural area near the majority of our Rise Program students. On foot, bike or motorcycle, Mr. Pradip can now check in on our Rise students when our Kathmandu team cannot. He also supports our Kathmandu team when they visit for welfare checks and student mentorship. We are very excited to welcome him to the team!

In March Mr. Pradip, visited the boarding school in Nuwakot where 10 HCC students live. During the visit, he met with each student and he observed that all students were doing well, in good health, and happy in their environment. He also spoke with the school principal and was updated on each students academic progress.

• Dipsan is preparing for his Grade 11 final exams. He regularly completes his homework, attends all classes, and plans to join extra sessions for additional support.
• Ganga & Jamuna (UKG students) are excelling in their studies. As per Bijaya Sir, they secured a 4.0 GPA in their last internal exam.
• Other Students: All remaining students are actively preparing for their upcoming exams. Along with their regular coursework, they are attending morning and evening tuition classes to enhance their understanding of subjects.

After their final exams, all students plan to visit their homes for a short vacation. They will return to the hostel before the start of the new academic session.

Manika joined HCC in 2012 when she was just eight years old. After years of hardwork and dedication, she is now in her senior year of a Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design. In March, as part of her senior project, she designed looks for a public fashion show. (Manika center right in photo above.)

In her own words…

In December 2024, the official date for the IEC designers runway, also known as The Graduation Show, was announced for 29th of March. This announcement shook our hearts and let us ride the roller coaster of emotions. All our learnings of the past few years would be showcased in the show. 

We were matched in small groups to work together and started by researching for the inspirations and themes for our show. After going through many processes, we decided to go with the theme “Celestial Tides” which represents the waves and the sparkles of the night sky. The beauty of the sea lets us explore the world of the ocean. Our theme was blue and the shades of blue.  Our principal agreed on he theme and we started working on the designs. We roughly sketched 50 designs and discussed thoroughly with our teachers. 

All the designs and theme works took us a good two months. We then went for fabric hunting and we visited every single store on New Road in Kathmandu. Getting a good fabric that could match our vision took us a week. Once we were only two weeks from the show, we were working day and night without rest. Sometimes, the raw materials would get finished or would need more or more ideas to grow and we would divide into two teams and one team would go to a new road to take the materials and one team would work on the patterns. On the 15th of March, we had a prejudgment day where the judges would check our final designs on the garments and check the fittings on the models. After, we received many feedbacks from our teachers we had many adjustments to make before the show. Working without any rest and so much pressure on our head, we were working so hard we would lose track of time and forget to have our meals. 

HCC’s Benighat Student Relief Project began in 2021 to help families in the rural and impoverished Benighat community of Dhading, Nepal. The Project provides children with school supplies, clothing, hygiene materials and food relief packages for their families. Since the start of the Project our team in Nepal have completed over a dozen supply distributions helping over 300 children in five different elementary schools.

Last month, HCC began working with a new elementary school in the area that supports a large number of children from the marginalized, indigenous Chepang community. In mid-February we distributed warm clothing (socks, sweaters, wool hats), school supplies (language & math workbooks, writing utensils and a geometry box), and personal care items (toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap & shampoo) to 310 new students.

Students and their families expressed heartfelt gratitude for the support provided. HCC extends sincere thanks to all participants, including the school administration, local authorities, and dedicated team members, for making this project a success. Together, we continue to empower students through education and holistic support.

During the field visit, the Team:

• Distributed warm winter clothes, woolen caps, socks, mufflers, stationery, and personal care items.
• Collected of written updates and photographs for program records.
• Discussed recent exam results with students and their teachers.
• Conducted counselling sessions with students to support their academic and personal growth.