KPAD – Disability Inclusion
The Khagendra Raj & Piyush Priya Ability Development Endowment Fund (KPAD) is the Rotary Club of Patan’s flagship disability inclusion programme. It helps persons with disabilities become self-reliant through education, livelihoods, vocational skills, rehabilitation and community inclusion.
How KPAD works
KPAD is an endowment. Donations to the Trust Fund are invested and the principal is preserved; all investment income goes to the Programme Fund, and all of the Programme Fund is used for disability programmes. Rotary Club of Patan members provide their professional services voluntarily, keeping administrative costs to a minimum.
History
The club has served persons with disabilities since 1997, including Rotary Matching Grants and a Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grant project (2008–2012). In September 2018, Rtn. Rabendra Raj Pandey pledged NPR 10 lakh to found the endowment, named in memory of his parents, Late Mr. Khagendra Raj Pandey and Late Mrs. Piyush Priya Pandey. In 2019 the Ability Development Society of Nepal (ADSoN) contributed NPR 5 lakh, matched by Rtn. Pandey and then by The Rose International Fund for Children (TRIFC), USA, with NPR 10 lakh. KPAD’s first assistance, in December 2019, provided educational materials to twenty visually impaired students of Karnali Secondary School.
Partners and programmes
KPAD’s livelihood programme began in April 2021 under a five-year agreement between TRIFC, ADSoN and the Rotary Club of Patan. ADSoN has led implementation since 2023. Current activities include:
- STAR project, Bandipur Municipality (Tanahun): organic vegetable growing, animal husbandry and vocational skills for persons with disabilities
- Club-to-club Rotary matching projects
- Distribution of assistive devices and technologies
- “We Are All Able” (हामी सबै सक्षम छौँ), a weekly radio programme on Radio Sagarmatha (see below)
- Relief and rehabilitation for flood-affected persons with disabilities in Bethanchowk
- Seed funding for graduates of organic vegetable and poultry farming training
STAR Livelihood Programme
STAR helps persons with disabilities build economic independence through livelihood opportunities, entrepreneurship and skills development. It is delivered in partnership with ADSoN, which implements the programme, and TRIFC (USA). In Bandipur Municipality, Tanahun, activities include organic vegetable growing, animal husbandry and vocational skills.
STAR also introduced a club-to-club model for other Rotary clubs to join: it started in 2024–25 with the Rotary Club of Birgunj and has since extended to the Rotary Clubs of Hetauda, Himalayan Golfers and Kathmandu Heights. Rotary clubs interested in taking part can contact us.
Source: RCP Annual Report 2025–26 and KPAD Annual Report as of 16 July 2026, Lalitdhara Souvenir Vol. 41.
STAR training in 2026
Mushroom-cultivation training batches implemented by ADSoN, with support from TRIFC and the Rotary Club of Patan through KPAD. These entries record training; we report livelihood outcomes separately when follow-up evidence is available.
- 3rd batch, 29 June – 8 July 2026: 15 persons with disabilities completed ten days of training in Devghat Rural Municipality, Tanahun. Read the activity report · District record
- 4th batch, from 27 July 2026: 15 persons with disabilities trained at Kushadevi, Panauti, Kavrepalanchowk; graduation on 5 August 2026. Read the story · District record
- 5th batch, from 9 August 2026: 15 Deaf and hard-of-hearing participants in Banepa, with the Kavre Deaf Association providing the venue and sign-language interpretation. Read the activity report · District record
- 6th batch, graduation 3 September 2026: 12 participants, including women with physical disabilities and parents of women with intellectual disabilities, completed ten days of training in Banepa. Read the activity report · District record
- 7th batch, September 2026: seven-day mushroom-farming training at T21 Cafe, Baluwatar, Kathmandu, for 15 participants comprising persons with Down syndrome and their parents. District record
ADSoN confirmed on 11 September 2026 that the first seven STAR training batches had completed. Training completion is distinct from subsequent employment or income outcomes.
Sources: RCP project records on the Rotary District 3292 project register, 2026–27; ADSoN project update dated 11 September 2026.
Radio: “We Are All Able” (हामी सबै सक्षम छौँ)
A weekly radio programme on disability inclusion. It is a partnership of the Ability Development Society of Nepal (ADSoN), The Rose International Fund for Children (TRIFC), the Rotary Club of Patan through KPAD, and Radio Sagarmatha, which broadcasts the programme.
On air: Every Tuesday, 7:30–8:00 AM, Radio Sagarmatha FM 102.4 · Presented by Nirmala Gyawali
Selected episode: Episode 36 (18 August 2026), with Mr. Netra Prasad Koirala, a Section Officer in the Government of Nepal, on the barriers he overcame in education and employment and why accessibility, rehabilitation and equal opportunities matter. District record
Listen to original recordings
Recordings published by the Ability Development Society of Nepal (ADSoN):
For women’s stories and leadership, explore our other radio initiative: महिलासँग रोटरी with Rtn. Maheswari Bisht Rawal.
More programme and project updates from ADSoN: YouTube · Facebook
KPAD Committee, RY 2026–27
Coordinator: the President Elect (ex officio) · Programme Manager: Rtn. Rabendra Raj Pandey · Finance Manager: Rtn. Bijaya Mallapaty · Members: IPP Dr. Khadak S. Bisht, PP Mahendra S. Rawal, PP Kedar B. Shrestha, Rtn. Sunil Gupta, Rtn. Bishnu Sigdel, Rtn. Shikha Prasai · Ex-officio member: President Shiv Khemka
Support KPAD: make a pledge or email rwm@rotaryclubpatan.org.np.
Source: KPAD Annual Report as of 16 July 2026, Lalitdhara Souvenir Vol. 41. Read the 2021 KPAD story.
“We Are All Able.”