About HYF
At Himalayan Youth Foundation (HYF) our mission is to provide a quality education, safe home, and lifelong happiness to underprivileged children.
An American based non-profit organization, HYF manages projects which serve disadvantaged children from remote regions of the Himalayas. HYF projects prioritize not only basic necessities including housing, food, clothing, and medical care, but also education and lifelong mentorship. The Foundation is committed to equipping our children with the learning tools and job skills necessary to elevate quality of life for themselves and for their communities.
While all of our children receive the best academic education possible, they are also provided a strong foundation in their historical traditions and crafts. This dual emphasis allows our alumni to be both self-supporting and successful in their adult professional lives and also able to pass along their unique cultural heritage.
Today, HYF cares for over 200 children in Nepal and Bhutan and with the help of generous donors has been instrumental in the construction of new facilities and creation of new programs at both locations. At present, the primary focus of the Foundation is to continue strengthening the quality of education while also expanding upon extracurricular activities and amenities for all projects.
HYF by the Numbers
20 Years
of involvement, investment, and stewardship in the Himalayan region with projects focused in Nepal and Bhutan.
Over 500 Children
housed, educated, and inspired since 2002. HYF Alumni are now college graduates and professionals worldwide.
450 Sponsors
from all around the world fostering and enjoying individual relationships with HYF children past and present.
100 Young Alumni
many with college degrees, currently living and working professionally in Nepal and Bhutan.
Less than $10/day
sponsors a child and provides for education, housing, and basic necessities while also establishing lifelong connections.
THE HIMALAYAN YOUTH FOUNDATION INC. IS A REGISTERED NOT FOR PROFIT CORPORATION, 501C3. A COPY OF OUR OFFICIAL 501C3 REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. REGISTRATION NUMBER IS CH14892.
Our Team
Micheline Kramer
HYF Co-Founder & President
Micheline is a graduate of The Solvay Business School in Belgium. After graduation, she managed the Convention Center in downtown Brussels until she was hired to oversee a major land development project in the suburbs. Starting with a raw land, the subdivision project would eventually culminate in the creation of a whole new village of 400 houses, known as Les Maisons de Noucelle. Attracted by the booming real estate market in Florida, Micheline moved to the United States in 1982.
She pursued a strong career in land development, but her need for a more spiritual and less materialistic life made her look into charitable work. She was both a Board Member and the President of the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach for several years. Her passion for mountains pushed her to trek extensively throughout the world until she found and fell in love with Nepal on her first of many trips to the country in 1993. During a trek through Mustang, David Bidwell and Micheline discovered their common love and passion for the children of the region and decided to devote their energies to help them. After almost 20 years of total devotion to Kailash Home, Micheline maintains the same enthusiasm and desire to give the children of Nepal a proper education.
David Bidwell
HYF Co-Founder
In 1997, David Bidwell, along with Tashi Gurung and help from the Greendale Foundation, established the Himalayan Children’s Foundation (HCF) as an NGO in Kathmandu. After meeting on a trek to Mustang in 1999, Micheline Kramer and David Bidwell decided to work together to expand HCF, and their efforts led to the creation of Himalayan Youth Foundation. David’s love for Nepal evolved from a nine month volunteer assignment with the International Executive Service Corps as Country Director for Nepal in 1993. He was instrumental in the development of Kailash Hostel in 1997 and was a personal friend of the Choki family in Bhutan for many years. Over the years, his tireless devotion to HYF and the children guided the continued growth of HYF projects around the region. David had a vision and a dream and the inspiration to make it all happen. He passed away in 2015, and is greatly missed by everyone in the HYF family.
HYF Administrative Staff
Finance Manager
Giuseppina Moriconi
Director of Marketing & Engagement
Simone Boos
The HYF Board
The board members of the Himalayan Youth Foundation are professionals committed to administering HYF carefully and efficiently with a balanced budget. They initiate new projects only as HYF is financially capable of honoring both new endeavors and all prior commitments. Each member of the board enjoys a prior history and dedication to the children of the Himalayas. Most members have traveled to the area, and apart from their generous support of the Foundation, each of our Board Members also personally sponsors at least one child at Kailash Home.
Anselme Baud
Anselme is a certified Mountain Guide, Instructor at the National School of Alpinism of Chamonix, France. He has written several books and produced movies on extreme skiing. During his 30+ visits to Nepal, Anselme has guided several treks and international expeditions. Anselme is the founder of a program offering training for Nepali guides. Anselme and Micheline worked together on the 2015 earthquake relief program for the Langtang Valley.
Brad Blum
Brad Blum is an influential visionary in the food & restaurant industry. Over his years traveling and living around the world, he has had the opportunity to experience and learn about a variety of cultures and living conditions. Brad is continually inspired by HYF founder Micheline Kramer’s vision and passion, and he believes that his Good Food for the Planet philosophy of providing food that both tastes amazing and is good for you, is something that can benefit all children, including those at Kailash. Brad has been sponsoring two children at Kailash since 2012.
Becky Bryan
In 1981, Becky launched Mom’s Best Cookies in the state of Florida. From the early days in her home kitchen, Becky’s cookies and other baked goods were distributed in delicatessens, ice-cream parlors, restaurants, and convenience stores all over the country by 1988. As a former professional baker, Becky is particularly eager to follow the progress of the students enrolled in our Bakery program at Kailash Home. Becky and her husband Bill have been strong supporters of Kailash Home since 2014.
Naomi Koyabashi
Naomi Kobayashi is a Managing Partner of Capital Group Private Markets. Prior to joining Capital Group, she was with the law firm of Latham & Watkins as an associate in the Corporate Department. Naomi received her BA from Columbia College, Columbia University and her JD from The Yale Law School where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Journal on Regulation. Naomi served on the board of directors of the Los Angeles Center for Law & Justice from approximately 2002 to 2012 and in addition to long involvement with CTAS, has also been a regular foster volunteer for Saving Shibas, Inc. Naomi was born and raised in Webster, Texas and currently resides in Huntington Beach, California.
Monica Mackey
Monica is delighted to serve on the board of HYF because of the powerful transformation the foundation makes in the life of every Kailash Kid. Her career is dedicated to improving the lives of others including twenty-five years experience working with non-profit organizations as a manager, board member, and consultant. Professionally, she was a senior development officer at Stanford University and Williams College, and she is now Senior Principal Gifts Officer at Mayo Clinic. Monica is an honors graduate of Wellesley College and earned her MBA with honors from Babson College. Her visits to Nepal and Bhutan have brought her joy and reinforced her dedication to HYF.
Don McCammon
Don McCammon is a senior manager and the head of Global Trade Business Execution at Raytheon Company. He has built his career by helping various Fortune 500 companies obtain timely U.S. government approvals for international contracts. He is also an accomplished marathon and Triathlon athlete. He particularly enthuse to share his enthusiasm and expertise with the Team Kailash, the children selected each year to run the Everest Base Camp Marathon.
Kevin M. Miller, CPA
Kevin serves as the Treasurer of Himalayan Youth Foundation. He earned a master’s degree in accountancy and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Stetson University in DeLand, FL. For the past ten years, Kevin has served as chief financial officer for Atlantic Center for the Arts and Images, A Festival of the Arts. He also runs a financial services firm with clients in various industries, holding over $100,000,000 in assets managed. Kevin is the founder and executive director of the Florida Surf Film Festival and is married with five kids from 23 to 4 years old. As an avid traveler, and in an effort to contribute back to those who are most in need of education and support, he became the HYF sponsor of Pema Chodin, a girl from the Mustang Valley in 2013.
Charles Platt
Charles was born and educated in England before emigrating to the United States in 1976. He worked at a large Boston law firm, before joining Fiduciary Trust Company, a privately-owned, wealth management company, as in-house counsel. Charles later moved to the investment side of the firm and, for 35 years, provided investment, philanthropic, and estate and financial planning advice. Charles discovered HYF through a longstanding professional connection & friendship with HYF co-founder David Bidwell. In 2019, Charles traveled to Nepal for the inauguration of the two newest campus buildings at Kailash Home, and he is currently sponsoring a 9-year old boy from the Humla region. Charles has extensive experience with non-profit boards and has served as a board member of three different schools and several other charitable organizations.
Frederick A. Raffa, Ph.D.
Dr. Fred Raffa is a resident of Maitland, Florida. He received his MBA in Finance and a Ph.D. in Economics from Florida State University and was a faculty member in the Department of Economics at the University of Central Florida for 29 years. He currently serves as the Senior Economist and President of Raffa Consulting Economists Inc., an economic consulting firm located in Orlando, Florida. Fred and his wife Jeanie, an author, have been actively involved with the Himalayan Youth Foundation for many years. They were sponsors to one child, Sonam Dolker Sherpa, supporting her from the second grade through her first few years of college. They visited Nepal in 2007, and in addition to visiting Kailash Home, they also spent a week trekking with other HYF sponsors in the beautiful Annapurna range. Fred and Jeanie have experienced tremendous satisfaction in watching the growth and impact of the HYF over the years.
Oriol Ribas
Oriol is President of the Mountaineers for Himalayas Foundation (MHF) based in the Principality of Andorra. He is himself a high altitude climber and has accomplished a number of major successful climbs in the Himalayas. His deep love for Nepal and its people, especially the children, developed during those climbing experiences. In every village after each climb, he would receive the same answer when he asked the people what they needed the most — education for our children. Oriol is a lawyer and a senior banker in his country and has been a strong supporter of the foundation since 2002, when MHF and HYF started working together on their joint project Kailash Home.
Christina Sherry
Christina’s career has spanned experiences as a reporter, editor, and motivational speaker, as well as roles in sales and marketing including in her current position with Novo Nordisk. She holds an MA in Journalism from The University of Miami and a BA in English from Catholic University. Her board and activism includes organizations like World Wildlife Fund and The Junior League of Boca Raton. The five years she corresponded with a boy at Kailash led her to not only sponsor a child but also to visit Nepal. Frequent video chats, calls, and texts from the children at Kailash inspire and brighten her world.
Our Partners
The global work of HYF would not be possible without the support and partnership of these international organizations
Choki Traditional Arts School
in BHUTAN
The Government of Andorra
in ANDORRA
The Greendale Foundation
in SWITZERLAND
Himalayan Children’s Foundation
in NEPAL
Mountaineers for the Himalayas Foundation
in ANDORRA & SPAIN