The moments after a catastrophe determine what comes next.

Nepal is facing a devastating national crisis. Floods and landslides have destroyed communities and livelihoods, leaving families confronting an uncertain future. For thousands of young people, the consequences will extend far beyond the immediate emergency: when a family suddenly loses its ability to earn a living, education becomes unaffordable.

A student who is forced to drop out of university due to disaster may lose far more than a semester. They may lose the opportunity to complete a degree and build the future they have spent years working toward. U-GO created The Nepal Futures Fund to make sure that a family's sudden economic crisis does not become a young person's permanent loss of opportunity.

U-GO is seeking $2 million in philanthropic commitments to protect university students now while building educational security for the years ahead. The Fund will provide emergency assistance to students at immediate risk of dropping out, expand U-GO's scholarship program for 200 more ambitious and promising young women, and establish a long-term university scholarship trust for children orphaned by the disaster.

This is more than an emergency appeal. It is an opportunity for a group of philanthropic partners to help determine what happens to Nepal's next generation in the aftermath of this catastrophe.

The Three Pillars of The Nepal Futures Fund

1. Retain: Emergency Grants to Keep At-Risk Students enrolled in university (open to male and females)

2. Expand: 200 new long-term university scholarships to young women in need of financial assistance

3. Secure: Protect the futures of those who have lost everything with a dedicated University Education Trust for children orphaned by this disaster

Towards a Fast Start

Thanks to four generous families, all donations received by September 30 will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $350,000!

Special thanks to Graves Tompkins, Colleen Tompkins, Jennifer Steans, Jim Kastenholz, Tim Caflisch, Karou Fujie, Laura Howard and Dieter Turowski. The first $350,000 in additional eligible gifts can therefore unlock another $350,000 for Nepal's students and young people.

100% of Your Donation Goes to Nepal
U-GO operates under a “zero leakage” model. Members of the executive team work for no salary. The Board of Directors funds every dollar of administrative and fund-raising expenses. 100% of your contribution to the fund will therefore find its way to the place its most needed – Nepal.

About U-GO

U-GO is the second social venture founded by former Microsoft executive John Wood. The first, Room to Read, launched in Nepal in 2000 and grew to become one of the world’s largest education NGO’s, reaching over 30 million children in 26 countries. John and his wife Amy co-founded U-GO in 2022 in order to help a generation of ambitious and promising young women to achieve their dream of a university education and a promising career. John is the author of the best-selling memoir Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and served four years on the Advisory Board of the Clinton Global Initiative.

U-GO Nepal is led by John's Room to Read co-founder, Dinesh Shrestha. Dinesh has over 40 years of experience working in international development including for the Canadian International Development Agency, the GTZ and the World Health Organization. He is probably best known for his role as co-founder of Room to Read where he played a critical role in the success of the organization spearheading growth in Asia as Country Director for Laos, Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. Dinesh and his team at U-GO Nepal bring decades of experience as well as a deep knowledge of Nepal's infrastructure and government systems that allow them to act swiftly to deliver needed support to students. U-GO existing mentorship programs also ensure that scholars receive the life skills support they need to succeed beyond the financial scholarship.

Driven by the purpose of making opportunity as universal as talent, U-GO envisions a world where all women have access to higher education, whatever barriers they face. To achieve this, U-GO's funds higher education scholarships for talented young women in low-income countries at scale, by partnering with ambitious donors. Operating across 9 low-income Asian and African countries through a network of 14 world-class NGO partners, U-GO has to date funded scholarships for 6,715 young women, delivering life-changing impact for scholars, their families, and communities.

For more information on U-GO, please visit our website at www.ugouniversity.org. For inspiring stories from some of the many incredible U-GO scholars, visit our story page or Youtube channel.

Give with Confidence. Charity Navigator, the premier charity evaluator in the U.S., has awarded U-GO its four-star rating—the highest possible—for its financial health, effectiveness and reliability.

U-GO: The Nepal Futures Fund

Restoring hope. Protecting education. Securing the future.