Recognition & awards

Karuna Foundation was established in 2007 by a Dutch entrepreneur. Betteke de Gaay Fortman is director. Together with social entrepreneurs Deepak Raj Sapkota and Yogendra Giri, Karuna Nepal was established and has grown into a local organization with 60 Nepalese professionals.

The community models developed by Karuna have proven to be (cost-)effective, innovative and sustainable. The following list shows these acknowledgements:

2018 Inspire2Care is in the top 10 ‘most scalable solutions’ of the Zero Project Impact
Transfer programme, a collaboration between Essl Foundation and Ashoka.
2018 Inspire2Care is selected as Innovative Practice on Accessibility by Zero Project.
2017 Inspire2Care is ‘effective, efficient and strategic, with significant impact’, shows
independent research in the Ilam district, commissioned by UBS Optimus Foundation.
2017 Inspire2Care is EVPA success story. The European Venture Philanthropy Association
developed a webpage with ‘Little funding stories, big social impact’.
2017 Best Wishes is one of eleven good practices in the book Everybody Matters
Matters’ about inclusion of people with disabilities in sexual and reproductive health
and rights programmes. Best Wishes is part of Inspire2Care.
2017 An extensive impact evaluation in the 6 pilot communities in Nepal has shown
the positive impact of Inspire2Care and Share&Care after the exit of Karuna from
the community.
2017 Inspire2Care is one of the Best Global Practices in Entrepreneurship during the
Zero Project Conference 2017 in Vienna.
2015 Inspire2Care is one of the five best practices in integrating people with disabilities
in their own communities, according to the Asian Pacific Centre for Development and
Disability in an investigation among 37 Asian countries. In 2015, Karuna presented her
results during an international congress in Tokyo by the World Health Organisation.
2014 Inspire2Care is, scientifically proved, ‘very cost-effective’ according to independent
research of the Dutch Royal Tropical Institute. The study was executed by Health
Economist Kelsey Vaughan.
2012 Share&Care wins the Jobena Prize 2012 for the project with the most appealing
practice for self-development as a method and goal. The Jobena Foundation supports
cultural and development projects.
2011 Briljant Failure award 2011 for the best learning moment ‘Quitting is an option’.
Karuna won the public’s award in the category of development cooperation.
Accessibility