The Barbara Foundation denied having any financial ties to the youth group Hami Nepal, calling the claims “baseless propaganda.” Issuing a press release, the foundation said it worked with Hami Nepal during the COVID-19 response but has no financial relationship with the group or its leaders.
The foundation began its release by expressing sorrow for the young protesters who died during Nepal’s recent Gen-Z uprising and by pointing out the damage done to historic national assets. It warned people not to let false information get in the way.
Barbara Adams, an American who made Nepal her home and later died as a Nepali citizen, started the organization with her own money. Its aim includes giving out investigative journalism awards and fellowships on culture, heritage, and the environment, as well as hosting public talks. The foundation said it had honored 87 health-care personnel for their work on the front lines during the pandemic and given awards to journalists for their investigative work.
The foundation said the Social Welfare Council’s standards govern how it handles its money. It said it had received about Rs. 2 crore 88 lakh (Rs. 28.8 million) from Adams’s estate so far, and that its total resources over the past eight years, including interest, were about Rs. 7 crore 82 lakh (Rs. 78.2 million). It also said its annual budget was about Rs. 50 lakh (Rs. 5 million), it spent about Rs. 3 crore 64 lakh (Rs. 36.4 million) on programs and administration, and it currently had bank deposits of about Rs. 3 crore 95 lakh (Rs. 39.5 million).
The statement added, “The foundation has no financial ties” to Hami Nepal or its officials, while noting that the two groups worked together throughout the pandemic.
Similarly, regarding a viral video on social media in which Hami Nepal said “we ask Sanduk Ruit about everything and follow his guidance,” the Foundation’s chairman Sanduk Ruit has also denied this, speaking at a press conference.
“That is a video from the time of COVID. At that time we had provided support. Now that same old video is being spread. Currently there is no relationship with that organization. At some point I was a mentor to Sudhan Rai,” Ruit said at a press conference.
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