Members of the Board

WILFRIED VAN DEN BOORN (CHAIRMAN)

Has been visiting Nepal regularly since 1996. After the two devastating earthquakes that shook Nepal he felt the urge to do something more than just visit and leave again. It seemed a logical step for him to give something back to the people of this beautiful country. The principles of the foundation corresponded with his opinion that it should be run only by volunteers. It took him little consideration to agree to taking a place on the board. “All of us will work together to improve the lives of people in the country we love so dearly.” In his daily life he is an artist making oil paintings. You can see his work at: www.wilfriedvandenboorn.nl.

Jan Hertogh (Treasurer)

From the same village of Loon op Zand as me. Has a lot of previous experience with other foundations. He made it possible to form the board needed to start Micro-Care Nepal.

PIM HORVERS (SECRETARY)

Me. What to say about this guy... I took the initiative to found Micro-Care Nepal. I love Nepal and keep going back. I wish many people there a better life and just wants to help out. I'm a photographer so I will capture great moments while being there. You can also buy my photographs of Nepal and support the foundation.

BOARD OF ADVICE

Samjhana Bishankhe

Samjhana grew up in a village in the Kathmandu Valley just outside of the city, so she knows about both village and city life. While studying for her Bachelor of Sociology, Samjhana had many different kinds of jobs but all in the social field. Samjhana is aware of the problems facing her country and is determined to help the poor, the socially marginalised and the dispossessed.

“It’s great to be able to do something for my country by supporting the poor people. Unfortunately, there is still much caste discrimination in Nepal. Dalits are not only discriminated for their “untouchable” status, but they're also economically marginalised. We need to do something about this.

Education is not really developed in either the Dalit community or many mountain villages and this needs addressing too. Systems of bonded labor, Haliya Pratha in the hilly region and Kamaiya Pratha in Terai region, are still alive. These people work as slaves in rich people’s homes. While some bonded labourers have been given land through government rehabilitation programs, many remain trapped in the Haliya and Kamiya systems, generation after generation. We need to raise awareness amongst these modern day slaves and in particular provide assistance and encouragement to them to educate their children. I really like to study and help the core part of Nepali society. Micro-Care Nepal is setting a fine example of the way to do this.”

Anne Taylor

Anne started travelling in Asia in 1989 and from that moment on she has spent most of her life on the road. Pim has travelled with her on different occasions through India and Nepal.

Anne is a Registered Nurse and is a great source of travel and cultural information. She's also passionate about traveling around Asia, especially in Nepal and India.

Danja Raven

Went to Nepal for the first time in 2013 and it was love at first sight. “Nepal has a special charm to me; it’s unlike any other country I’ve ever been to. When I heard about the earthquakes I knew I had to do something to give back.” She got to know Pim after joining one of his presentations about Micro-Care Nepal after he returned from Nepal following the earthquakes. Danja joined Micro-Care Nepal as a volunteer giving courses in first-aid to local schools and women groups. Danja would like to keep giving support to Nepal on the long term. She also helps Micro-Care Nepal by contributing articles for the website and proofreading website and paper copy.

Rohit Phuyal

Met Pim and Wilfried in 2010 when he was assigned to guide them into the Manaslu region. Coming from a remote mountain village he knows how basic life can be. “The way people farm there is great but there are not many possibilities to increase the standard of life for our families.”

At the age of 17 Rohit came to Kathmandu with no means of support. Eighteen years later he is still struggling with his life as he has had little work as a trekking guide since the earthquakes. Rohit is glad to do something more for his country by supporting the work of Micro-Care Nepal.