The Himalayan Children’s Charities Team
Himalayan Children’s Charities Founders
Bruce Keenan
Co-founder and President
After a successful entrepreneurial career in IT and real estate, Bruce has dedicated his life to philanthropy and service. In 2000, Bruce and his wife, Susan, established Himalayan Children’s Charities, and he has served as its president ever since. He has also serves as an advisor and board member of several other international charities. In 2006, he established The Keenan Foundation which supports the care and education of children around the world, as well as providing aid for at-risk animals. Bruce graduated from Ohio State University with a BS in Theoretical Mathematics in 1976.
Susan Keenan
Co-founder and Board Chair
Susan co-founded one of Atlanta’s premier convention services companies and served as president for over 12 years, delivering event production and personnel services to national corporations and associations. She discovered her passion for helping young people succeed in life when she volunteered at a non-profit organization from 1993-99, mentoring students to access their inner resources and develop leadership and communication skills. After a trip to Kathmandu in 2000, Susan witnessed the challenges and terrible conditions faced by abandoned children in Nepal, and with her husband Bruce, established Himalayan Children’s Charities. As co-director, she has worked to provide educational and life-skills training opportunities to serve the needs of at-risk children in Nepal. She has fostered effective scholarship and mentoring programs for HCC students, including a program to bring wifi technology and e-learning to remote schools, and the most recent initiative, the HCC Youth Ambassador Council, connecting US and Nepali-based high school students via social media to promote a stronger understanding of each other’s cultures. Susan graduated with a BA from the Newhouse School of Communications, Syracuse University.
Himalayan Children’s Charities – U.S.A Team
Sumir Keenan
Executive Director
As the eldest daughter of the HCC founders, Sumir has volunteered with HCC for many years, making the first of many trips to Nepal in 2007. Sumir began full-time with HCC in 2016, working in all areas of the organization, from grant writing to managing data, to fundraising and project development. Since 2022, Sumir has served as HCC’s Executive Director, and is passionately dedicated to helping children in need reach their full potential. She has a PhD in Evolutionary Biology and Psychology from the University of St-Etienne, France and the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.
Sadie Green
Endowment & Grants
Sadie is a non-profit consultant who is committed to working toward social and environmental justice, with a focus on women, children, and global development issues. She joined the HCC team in 2015 as the Director of Nepal Program Development based in Kathmandu to directly serve with HCC students and staff. In 2020, her role shifted to focus on fundraising, marketing, research and development, but she continues to provide support for program and staff management, community outreach and advocacy, and organizational capacity building. She currently lives between the USA and Nepal, and enjoys spending her free time outdoors, amidst music and dance, and with kindhearted people. She holds an MA in South Asian Studies from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where she graduated as an East-West Center scholar in 2015.
Sarah Dodds
Marketing & Communications
Sarah is a Brooklyn based writer and wine professional. She manages the various social media accounts and New York based fundraising and event planning. She graduated Cum Laude from Florida International University in 2003 with a BA in Creative Writing. She joined the team in 2018.
HCC 2024 Board
Chair: Bruce Keenan
Treasurer: Bruce Keenan
Secretary: Susan Keenan
Members: Karen Robinson Cope, Rithika Gaddam, Brandon Hatton, Lauren Hines, JP James, Chad Merrill & Mark Seal
Himalayan Children’s Charities – Nepal Partners
Dinesh Raj Sapkota
In-country Director, Creating Possibilities – Nepal
Dinesh was born in Bhojpur, an Eastern hill district of Nepal. He graduated in 2005 with his masters degree in English Literature from Tribhuwan University and now lives in Kathmandu with his wife and two sons, 11 and 4. Dinesh serves as HCC’s In-country Director in Nepal and has been working with HCC since 2009. His work includes ensuring the smooth operation of all aspects of HCC’s work in Kathmandu, and overseeing HCC’s financial operations. He also plays a major role in the lives of HCC students, providing much needed emotional and physical support and advocacy throughout their childhoods and into young adulthood. His passions include travel, spending time with family, and working on behalf of the underprivileged children and women in Nepal. He believes in teamwork and cooperation.
Hira Sapkota
Director of Student Programs and Hostel Services, Creating Possibilities – Nepal
Hira Niraula Sapkota is HCC’s Director of Student and Hostel Services and has been working with HCC since 2009. She is the house mother at Khushi Ghar, HCC’s youth home in Kathmandu. She looks after the day to day needs of the home, plans different activities for the children, and most importantly, serves as a counsel and guide to them as they grow and develop into adults. Hira provides much needed, daily stability in the lives of the children, and teaches them the necessary skills required to be a part of a family and part of society. She also plays an enormous emotional role in the lives of the children and youth, and takes on the role of college counselor when students are preparing to go to a university, guiding them to programs fit their dreams and academic goals. Hira grew up in the small town of Inurawa, in the Terai, and now lives in Kathmandu with her husband and two sons. She graduated with a degree in Sociology from Tribhuvan University (TU).
Mun Maya Rawal
Executive Director, HCC-Nepal
Mun Maya Rawal is HCC-Nepal’s Executive Director. She joined the HCC team in 2016 and is integral with the development, implementation, and evaluation of HCC programs and projects, namely HCC’s Peak Program in Kathmandu and HCC’s Rise Program in rural Dhading. She is also the primary social worker for HCC’s rural students, ensuring their care and safety. Mun Maya was born in the remote Jumla district, and has been living in Kathmandu since she was admitted into the orphanage at age 7. She grew up as an HCC student and was one of the first admitted to HCC’s program in 2003. She graduated the program in 2015 with an undergraduate degree in Business Studies and has since earned her Master’s degree in Psychology with a focus on Child Development. Mun Maya currently lives in Kathmandu with her husband and daughter.
Laxmi Karki
Administrative and Finance Officer, HCC-Nepal
Laxmi Karki is HCC’s Finance Officer. She joined HCC’s team in 2015, and her main roles and responsibilities include helping to manage HCC’s finances, organizing HCC programs and providing administrative assistance to HCC staff and volunteers. She has also been instrumental is HCC’s post-earthquake initiatives, including the Rise Program, which currently serves nearly 90 orphaned students throughout the devastated Dhading district. Laxmi graduated from the HCC signature program in 2016 with an undergraduate degree in Business Studies (BBS) from Southwestern State College. She has since earned a Master’s degree in Business Studies (MBS). Laxmi lives in Kathmandu with her husband.