Our Story
The vision for Rising Lotus Children’s Village began in 1990 when co-founders Tracy Toregrossa-Brandt (American) and Hari Prasad Sharma (Nepali) befriended each other on Tracy’s first visit to Nepal. In their travels together, Tracy and Hari were struck by the dire living conditions of children they encountered both in remote villages and on the streets of Kathmandu. They vowed together to do something to make a difference in helping Nepali children transcend poverty. See Tracy’s vow made in her 1989 journal at the bottom of this page.
After over a decade of hard work,Tracy and Hari’s dream of helping Nepali children was realized in 2005 when together they founded the Nepali-American foundation ‘Children Off The Streets’ Nepal, or COTS. It was at this time that Hari was able to dedicate his full time career to leading the organization from Kathmandu. Helping Nepali children in dire need was always Hari’s calling having grown up without a father, in poverty his entire childhood, then transcending poverty through a resolute commitment to education and resilience.
COTS initially provided a home for six boys and girls subject to extreme poverty and no access to education. Through the support of Tracy’s business, international donors, and local Nepali support COTS was able to provide a permanent nurturing environment for children delivering access to quality education, nutritious meals, leisure and school clothing, and a home to call their own; what we still provide for our children to this day. It was and remains essential that the children maintained close relationships with their relatives, paying at least bi-annual visits to their home regions.
Soon after, in 2006, the organization’s American branch changed its name to better reflect the nature of the children which it supported. This name is Rising Lotus Children’s Village (or simply Rising Lotus or RLCV). Lotus flowers are a symbol of purity and strength, developing in and rising through muddy waters. The same applies for our children who rise above their circumstances with strength and perseverance, blossoming into radiant young men and women.
Since 2005, Rising Lotus has blossomed in numerous, beautiful ways. We have seen 10 children “graduate”, raised through our program. They have been able to pursue higher education and earn careers both in Nepal and abroad in fields such as videography, business management, nvironmental science and computer science, and language teaching. See the ‘Our Graduates’ page
In 2017, our directors shifted the organization’s forcus to support solely girls from Nepal’s most remote regions. Nepal is a historically patriachal society. Women were and are still subject to life in the home, often confined to cooking, cleaning and child rearing and raising. This is especially prevelant outside the urban centers.
In acknowleding this, Rising Lotus now provides the nurturing home and the access to a high quality English medium education for 27 girls from across Nepal, from Hula in the far West, to Chitwan in the South, Rasuwa in the North, and Sindhuli in the East.
At Rising Lotus Children’s Village, we are dedicated to breaking cycles of poverty and gender inequality by providing opportunity for Nepali girls most in need through education and a nurtuting home environment.
