Supporting Nirmala’s Mission in Nepal

In 2024, Step Three Construction Director, Charlie Rivers, travelled to Nepal through the UK charity New Futures Nepal. During that visit he met Nirmala Bhandari, a young woman whose story left a lasting impression on everyone who heard it.

Nirmala grew up in Kathmandu in the Hope Centre, home to orphaned young people living with disabilities. Whilst she lost both her parents and her leg at a very young age, she never lost her determination.

Against the odds, she became a national para-athlete and is now the founder of the Nirmala Foundation – an organisation led by lived experience, working to create opportunity, visibility and inclusion for people with disabilities across Nepal. Her mission is simple but powerful: to ensure no one with a disability is left behind.

The Journey So Far

In 2025, with the support of clients, friends and partners across our network, Step Three led a fundraising campaign that raised over £30,000. This allowed Nirmala to travel to the UK and receive a new high-performance prosthetic leg from leading prosthetics specialists Ottobock. It was a life-changing milestone and a crucial step towards Nirmala’s dream of one day trekking to Everest Base Camp.

That dream is still alive but rehabilitation has taken longer than originally expected. Learning to walk again with a new prosthetic takes time, strength and patience. Nirmala continues to work closely with the team at Ottobock and will return to the UK later this year for further follow-up treatment. But what stood out most during her visit last year wasn’t just Nirmala’s personal story, it was her determination to use that experience to support others.

“Meeting Nirmala in Nepal was one of those moments that really stays with you. Her determination, and the way she’s using her own experience to help others, is incredibly powerful. As a team we felt strongly that if we could help support her work, then we should. What she’s building through the Nirmala Foundation deserves to be seen and supported.”
Charlie Rivers, Director, Step Three Construction

Continuing support for the Foundation

The initial campaign helped Nirmala take an important personal step forward. This next phase is about helping her bring others with her.

Step Three is now supporting a new campaign to raise £15,000, which will help cover the Nirmala Foundation’s core operating costs for the coming year. These funds will support the day-to-day work behind the Foundation’s programmes – from coordinating activities and supporting the local team, to continuing initiatives like the Voice and Visibility podcast, community outreach, school education sessions and inclusive sport.

Put simply, it helps sustain the steady, long-term work that makes real change possible.

Why This Matters to Us and How You Can Help

For Charlie and the wider Step Three team, this cause has become deeply personal. Having seen first-hand the work being done in Nepal, and the determination behind it, supporting Nirmala’s mission felt like something we had to stand behind.

This isn’t simply about a fundraising campaign. It’s about backing someone who is working tirelessly to ensure others growing up with disabilities have more opportunity, more visibility and more support than she did.

If you would like to support the work of the Nirmala Foundation, you can donate through the official Just Giving campaign page, link below.

Every contribution, large or small, helps support the Foundation’s work in Nepal.

A Joint Effort with New Futures Nepal

For over 20 years, New Futures Nepal has supported children like Nirmala, helping to break down barriers and create brighter futures. Today, they are proud NGO partners of the Nirmala Foundation, backing this campaign alongside Step Three Construction.

This campaign is managed by New Futures Nepal (UK Registered Charity 1142984), long-term partners of the Nirmala Foundation, ensuring funds are handled transparently and tax-efficiently.