On 10 June 2026, Mr. Hari Pokhrel, Director of Finance (Punya Foundation, Australia), together with Mr. Mohan Niraula (President, Punya Foundation, Nepal), visited the office of the Blind Women Association Nepal (BWAN) in Kathmandu for a monitoring and evaluation visit. The purpose of the visit was to assess the progress and impact of the scholarship program funded by Punya Foundation, which supports blind and visually impaired female students pursuing bachelor-level education across Nepal. The project was initiated by the fund-raise commitment from Mr Indra Rizal, Manager Punya Foundation, Qld Australia.
The BWAN team warmly welcomed Mr. Pokhrel and Mr. Niraula and provided an overview of their ongoing activities, along with detailed updates on the outcomes achieved through the scholarship support. During the visit, three scholarship recipients were present and shared their personal journeys. They expressed heartfelt gratitude, noting that the scholarships enabled them to pursue their educational aspirations. Importantly, two of the students have now secured employment. As they shared, without the support of Punya Foundation, they would likely have remained in remote villages in far-flung Nepal without access to higher education or meaningful opportunities.
Mr. Pokhrel and Mr. Niraula also discussed the challenges faced in implementing the program, documenting key issues for further consideration by the Punya Foundation Board of Directors. The scholarship project, initiated in 2022, is concluding this year after successfully supporting visually impaired female students across Nepal.
Moving forward, BWAN and Punya Foundation Nepal are exploring ways to expand empowerment initiatives and diversify the use of funds from regular donations. The Foundation sincerely thanks Mr. Hari Pokhrel and Mr. Mohan Niraula for their dedicated voluntary service.