AutismCare Nepal

Georgina Cooney is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Namaste and Hello,

I'm Georgie and I'm raising money for a charity called AutismCare Nepal Society (ACNS). You can find out more using their website: https://autismnepal.org/

They are not registered with crowdfunding sites due to regulations in Nepal.

ACNS is the only active autism organisation in Nepal that is run by passionate parents who care for people with autism. It is a non-profit, non-political, NGO in Nepal.

There is circa 1 out of 60 people with a diagnosis of autism in the world. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a very wide spectrum and although there is growing knowledge of ASD, there is still very little understanding of how to care for and educate those with severe autism. This cohort of ASD people could be non-verbal with several other complex needs. These needs have to be catered to and cared for especially if we believe we are living in a humane society.

There are roughly 30 million people living in Nepal today. Statistically, this means that it could have a population of 500,000 people living with ASD. With such a high population of needs, it is essential that training to care for people with ASD, particularly severe autism, is implemented and carried out urgently. Rural Nepal is very hard to reach and we need this training to be as far-reaching as possible.

Jude Ragan, OBE has dedicated her life to working with those with autism and part of that work has involved trying to raise awareness and to lead by example in her leadership and teaching. Jude spent many years as Headteacher of Queensmill School for Autism. She has kindly agreed to go out to Nepal in November 2023, to train those who can help those responsible for caring for and educating people with severe autism. Mahanta Shrestha (Monty) is very kindly hosting Jude and her husband in his hotel for the month (please see his details below).

Although Jude has kindly agreed to do this for free, there are huge costs involved for which we are fundraising. We need to raise at least £10,000 in order to ensure that Jude's training is successful, sustainable and supported. Any other money we can raise will also go directly to ACNS to ensure that education and care never stop.

As part of our fundraising, we have an event in Co Cork, Ireland, which will be live-streamed, meaning those who can't attend in person, will be able to watch it and enjoy it all online! The fabulous and wonderful chef - Rachel Allen (Ballymaloe) has shown passionate interest in this cause and is keen to learn all about Nepalese food and cooking. This will be done whilst she collaborates with Basanta Neupane from Thali Nepal Restaurant, Cork, Eire in a live cooking demonstration. We have also been very lucky to have access to Santosh Shah's (Masterchef) incredible recipe book - Ayla. Those attending in person will be able to see this live and get copies of their chosen recipes.