Anne Zrenda
Founder, President & Executive Director, Chicago IL, USA
Anne is a Chicago based attorney who took a sabbatical to follow her dream of volunteering with children internationally. She discovered a perfect fit with Nepal Orphans Home located in Kathmandu, Nepal. Anne invited Joanne Moore and Steve Moore to join and they graciously accepted! Anne, Joanne, Steve, and Melanie Paul met Aakriti while volunteering. Aakriti is a special needs orphan with cerebral palsy. She was blind, deaf, and could not walk … at least at the time! A sweet and spunky girl, they fell in love with Aakrti’s contagious laugh and endless potential, committing to her ongoing care upon their departure. Aakriti is now hearing, undergoing speech therapy and nearly walking. Anne is committed to providing continuous financial support for orphaned children with special needs through the Aakriti’s Kids Foundation.
Shivani Chhetri
Local Program Director, Kathmandu, Nepal
Most recently, Shivani was the NOH Volunteer Liaison Officer in Kathmandu. She has since volunteered her time with AKF to ensure that the children we support receive the benefits and specialized care required for their ongoing development. Shivani maintains the budget, keeps an account of expenses, and ensures that Shivahari has everything he needs to provide the best possible care for the children.
Shivahari Poudel
Blind-Deaf Specialist, Kathmandu, Nepal
Shivahari is an extremely kind and gentle man with a beautiful family who works at a local center for blind and deaf children in Kathmandu. When the facility was unable to accept Aakriti for full time care, Shivahari kindly offered his services for three hours per day, six days per week. He ensures that the children in our care are provided with nutritious food, clothing, medical care and accompanied to numerous specialist appointments including a physical therapy. He has said that his true passion is supporting children with special needs and as we expand our vision and fundraising efforts, Aakriti’s Kids Foundation has enabled Shivahari to provide specialised care to additional children with special needs at the orphange.
Joanne Moore
Secretary, East Lyme CT, USA
Joanne Moore is a physical therapist who has 30 years experience in working with children who have special needs. She visited Kathmandu to volunteer in the Nepal Orphan’s Home. While there, a side trip led her to another orphange, where she found children with vision and hearing impairments, and others with cerebral pasly or other developmental delays. While some of the children had significant disabilities, others needed just a little help to get them walking. Joanne believes that we are called to be where our talents meet the world’s need. She is thrilled to be connected now to these wonderful kids, and invites other people to join her in lending them a hand.
Steve Moore
Treasurer, Chicago IL, USA
Steve Moore visited Nepal in spring of 2010 and found it to be an eye-opening experience. As expected, some of the conditions in the orphanages were less than ideal, but what was shocking was the realization that these kids weren’t all that different from the ones he knew back home. They still loved to play and laugh – and they made him question some of his priorities in life. Steve is thrilled to be a part of this organization and is looking forward to making a real difference in the lives of these kids. Professionally, Steve is a member of the Director’s Guild and has worked on films like The Bucket List, Hangover 2, & Transformers as a 2nd Assistant Director. He ignored his mother’s request to become a doctor and he sends his apologies…although he has played one on TV.
Megan Newell
Board Member, USA
Megan Newell is a poet and carpenter who has dedicated nearly fifteen years to the non-profit sector across the United States. Her time and passion has been focused mainly on housing issues, working for New Sunrise Properties, Second Step Housing and Habitat for Humanity. Having two children of her own, Megan took our mission to heart and generously offers her wisdom and advice.
Charlene Usalis
Board Member, USA
Charlene Usalis is a first grade teacher in East Cleveland, Ohio where she educates children every day! She is also a member of the Junior League of Cleveland where she volunteers her time to many local causes. She has expressed interest over the years in volunteering with children and did not hesitate to become involved in our small but growing organization. Her heart pours over with compassion for our little ones, approaching our children as if they were her own. A Board could not ask for a bigger heart!
Board Members
Anne Zrenda, President
Megan Newell, Vice President
Joanne Moore, Secretary
Steve Moore, Treasurer
Pamela DeGeeter
Barbara Salsbury
Katherine McNair
Charlene Usalis
