Our Story

In October 2022/ Kartika 2079, in rural Gorkha, Nepal, a 6-year-old boy named Pawan Chepang contracted tuberculous meningitis, developing hydrocephalus. His family, facing enormous economic and logistical challenges, was fighting for his treatment at the country’s only public pediatric hospital, in Kathmandu.

Pawan’s plight reached the ears of one of Nyano Angalo’s future founders Anjila Thapa, who, along with her partner Gina Shakya, began raising funds to help Pawan’s family. As they got involved, they realized the alarming shortage of pediatric resources in Nepal.

Driven by this case, they decided to found Nyano Angalo, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support and equal access to health to children in rural areas of Nepal. This is how Nyano Angalo was born, with the mission of providing the opportunity to have access to the only public pediatric hospital and reduce the health inequalities that the country is experiencing.

Nyano Angalo’s name means warm hug in Nepali, it refers to the feeling of warmth and love that is felt with the hugs of people who love us.

The reason we exist? 

We exist because the world is unjust, and not everyone enjoys the same rights, and unfortunately, vulnerable groups tend to be the most invisible. If it is challenging to have a seriously ill child in a developed country with access to public healthcare, imagine living in this situation as an isolated family, both geographically and often socially due to ethnicity. Having to understand that your child will die simply because of where they were born and accepting that as life’s reality can be one of the toughest challenges a family can face. Our efforts do not promise survival to anyone; life is as it is, and we believe in making it beautiful while it lasts. What we aim to do is provide the opportunity for treatment, to try, and to accompany families. We seek to build a community and provide support in harsh realities for the child and their families, so that the process can be as compassionate as possible, and regardless of the outcome, reduce the feeling of condemnation.