NEPAL CHILDREN
OVERLACK FOUNDATION

Education shapes the future

We are the Overlack family from Rastatt. We sponsor scholarships for children and invest in the infrastructure of schools in the mountainous region around Pokhara in Nepal.
Since our start in 1993 with three students, we have been able to support more than 1,300 children with better education, thanks to the help of numerous friends and relatives. We are currently working with 11 schools. Over the years, we have invested approximately €1.2 million in school fees, buildings, renovations, or school equipment to provide young students with a better education.

About us

NAMASTE

Small deeds that we accomplish are better than great ones we plan!
(Erich Kästner)

In the spirit of “What matters is the DOING” our parents Dagmar and Jörg decided in 1993 to sponsor the school fees for three children from disadvantaged families in a small village nestled at the foothills of the majestic Annapurna range, enabling them to access a better education at a private school.

At that time, there was no compulsory education in Nepal and this was the only school within a two-hours walk radius. Even today, the public education system in rural areas is often still underdeveloped, which is why many communities have established private schools that offer significantly better educational opportunities. However, these schools charge tuition fees. Through our private partner schools, we award ten-year scholarships for students. With only €200 per year (as of 2024), a student can complete their education at a private school with higher quality education – an opportunity that many families otherwise could not afford.

It is rare in life to have the opportunity to change a child’s future so profoundly in a positive way for only €200 per year!

Additionally to the scholarships, we make individual donations to fund the renovation of schools and provide equipment such as computers, chemistry and science labs, and books for libraries. This applies to both public and private schools. We also finance the construction of new buildings when the condition of a school requires it, as is the case with our current project in 2024: The Hillside School.

We always work based on individual agreements with the schools. The schools contribute to 10-30% of the total project costs and also award a certain number of their own scholarships to students, or hire better-trained teachers. This concept has already been successfully implemented in ten schools, leading to greater accountability and a significant improvement in academic outcomes. The schools are closely supported by our Nepalese friends and partners and are regularly visited by our Foundation to monitor their progress.

We are proud of every student who achieves to finish school with a better education, and of every school that maximizes its potential to provide the best possible education to as many children as possible.

We are pleased to highlight our special achievements:

The Morning Star School in Naudanda developed from an elementary school into a secondary school and later into a comprehensive school with a high school diploma. The number of students increased from 60 in 1993 to about 850. The school has been one of the best in the Kaski district for several years.
The Morning Glory School and Morning Star School now both offer the 10+2 system, which is equivalent to the Nepalese high school diploma.
With our help, the public Brahma Rupa School was transformed into a school with an IT focus and is now one of the best schools in the Kaski region. The number of students there has also doubled within just a few years.
In Sikles, we were able to rebuild a school that was 80% destroyed by the earthquake in 2019, securing the school for the community.
Between 2015 and 2017, 75 homes of our students’ families, destroyed by the earthquake, were rebuilt through self-help initiatives.
Many of the students we have supported are now studying, some even abroad with scholarships. The first of them have even taken on sponsorships for other children themselves

Join us – we look forward to your support!

Sincerely,
The Overlack Family

HOW CAN I DONATE?

Ways to support us:

1. A student scholarship for 10 years (€200/year), which finances a child’s elementary school education from 1st grade through to 10th grade, and potentially an additional two years for the Nepalese high school diploma.

2. Individual donations to equip schools with labs, fund renovations, or construct new buildings, to ensure better infrastructure for education.

In both cases, you can always track how your donation is used. We guarantee that 100% of your donation will reach the schools. Our family covers all administrative costs!

We are always open to new ideas. Feel free to get in touch with us.

We are looking forward to meeting you!

Contact form

Sponsorship for a child

For just €200 per year, you can give a child in rural Nepal access to a better education. A scholarship is applicable for a period of at least ten years (grades 1–10) and typically ends with the completion of secondary school. For students with excellent academic performance, further support through high school (grades 11 and 12) is possible.

As a sponsor, you will receive information about "your sponsored child" at the beginning of the first grade. Over the years, the school will send you the child’s annual report cards, and you will receive a letter at least once per year. This allows for a direct exchange between the sponsor and the child.

Would you like to become a sponsor?

Donations for direct investments

Individual donations, without sponsoring a child, also help further develop our schools and/or include new schools in our support program. We support following measures:

• Renovation, remodeling, and construction of school buildings

• Construction of sanitary facilities

• Construction of solar systems to ensure school operations and provide sufficient lighting in classrooms

• Installation of lighting in classrooms

• Construction of laboratories for teaching science subjects

• Setup of computer rooms including acquisition of computers and necessary hardware

• Construction and furnishing of dormitories for students who have a particularly long way to school

• Teaching materials, books, computers, lab equipment, and furniture

• Professional development for teaching staff

• Hiring additional, more qualified teachers

Why donate to us?

Advantages of our Nepal Children Overlack Foundation:

100% of your donation goes directly to the child or school in Nepal! All administrative costs are covered by the Overlack family. This includes:
Personnel and administrative costs in Germany and Nepal.
Monitoring trips to the schools. Trust is good – but control is better: On our regular trips to the schools, we check the use of investments and the condition of the schools.
Our local network allows us to establish direct contact with the schools and students during the year.
Our Nepalese friend and colleague, Dr. Krishna Bhandari, has extensive knowledge of the Kaski/Pokhara region. He has helped us find many of our schools and maintains close contact with them. This direct access to school leaders often reveals potential and allows us to significantly contribute to educational success in the regions. A notable example is the Brahma Rupa School.
Each well-educated child is a success story and a catalyst for the development of Nepal as a country and society, given the still very high illiteracy rate in Nepal.
Help for self-help: Schools and communities contribute 15-30% of the total costs for larger investments themselves and commit to awarding their own scholarships to students with the funds we invest.