In the same year the first school was established in Tilganga with two classrooms, 22 pupils and 4 teachers. The first students had to study under difficult conditions as necessary things such as tables, chairs and boards were still missing. In the first year of SPOWC's existence, the first Free Health Camp with doctors from the KMC hospital in Nepal was carried out.
In 2006 a doll making and tailoring training, as well as a polio health program was provided. In the same year Rajesh Regmi met Anneli-Sofia Raecker from Germany, who shares his deep desire to help the very poor in Nepal. After returning from her trip to Nepal in 2006, she founded the non-profit organization KETAAKETI, whose objective is to support underprivileged children, women and their families through a variety of different projects reaching from free schools, free health camps to micro-finance while promoting and maintaining and dignity and trust of those affected. The idea is to provide primary school education for the poorest children of Nepal and to sustain and stabilize it by offering micro-finance to the students’ parents.
Only because of her continuous and dedicated effort in promoting the innovative idea of a partnership on equal terms between KETAAKETI and SPOWC, raising funds and acquiring new supporters, the growth of KETAAKETI SPOWC was possible. The ongoing cooperation, which involves a continuous exchange of ideas is what makes this alliance so special. Instead of persisting in a beggar-giver-relationship between representatives of the ‘poor’ country and those of the ‘rich’ country, which seems to be a common custom in other organizations, KETAAKETI and SPOWC pursue the ideal of a truly equal partnership. This essentially includes mutual respect and appreciation, transparency and autonomy of decision. Since 2007 SPOWC and KETAAKETI are working closely together in order to improve the current and future lives of the very poor in Nepal by providing initial help (through education and micro-finance programs) allowing them to help themselves instead if entering a relationship of dependence with the helping organization.
Through the close cooperation with KETAAKETI Germany, the exchange of ideas and the development of new concepts the number of students reached 120, while the number of teacher rose to 6 in 2007.
In the same year KETAAKETI SPOWC started the first micro-finance projects in Kathmandu. The basic idea behind these programs is to enable and empower women to build their own and sustainable livelihood by granting them a loan in order to start a small business (e.g. pig farming, chicken farming, vegetable farming, small retail shops) by themselves. This not only enables women to provide for their families, but to do so in an independent and self-determined manner while upholding their dignity and pride.
On top of this development, a new school in Goldhunga was established while support of another school in Dhading started.In 2009 the micro-finance program was further extended with the objective to help women to independently raise their living standard (Initial amount distributed = 10000 Rs. each). In total 27 women from Kathmandu participated in the program. In the same year a teacher training by Ivo Betty from the USA was carried out.
The following year, in addition to the projects and activities mentioned above, water guards for water purification were distributed to the families of each student. Besides, a healing and story telling workshop took place. Additionally, a meal program including one hot meal per day could be started for the children of Tilganga and Goldhunga. In total, support for four additional schools in Chitwan, Baglung, Dang and Humla could be initiated.
In 2012 the micro-finance program could be expanded on the Dang and Okharpauya regions. Besides a free health check up was offered by Bal-Balika Nepal. On top of that, computer classes could be incorporated into the syllabus for the first time. Four additional projects in Pokhara, Baglung II, Dang II and Nuwakot (Okharpauwa) were initiated. Following 2012 another micro-finance project in 2013 in Kavre started.
In 2014 the number of projects was increased by three, all in the Kavre district.
At the beginning of year 2015 a Free Health Check Up with the help of German and Nepalese doctors was conducted. In the same year another three projects in Chitwan II, Rupandehi and Rupandehi II were initiated.
In April 2015 Nepal was hit by a severe earthquake that not only leads to great damage in Kathmandu as well as more rural areas of the country, but caused more than 10000 deaths. Through the tireless effort of Anneli-Sofia Raecker in raising awareness about the events in Nepal, substantial funds could be used for immediate relief measures, reconstruction measures as well as long term measures in order to secure and stabilize the sustainability of all ongoing projects. For example, in June and July 2015 KETAAKETI SPOWC distributed earthquake relief (e.g. blankets, jackets, stationary) to various affected areas such as e.g. Nuwakot, Sindhupalchwok and Kavre.
In 2016 thirteen addition projects in Kavre IV – VIIII, Dhading II, Sindhupalch I – II, Gorka, Thankot and Nuwakot could be initiated. As of today more than 9000 students benefit from the education programs initiated by KETAAKETI and SPOWC. Additionally, over 1500 family members are supported by the organizations' micro-finance projects.
In our exchange with people and organizations from various countries we want to assist Anneli-Sofia Raecker in internationalizing the KETAAKETI-Philosophy by spreading the word about the innovative principles that we follow in our close partnership with KETAAKETI, namely development cooperation based on mutual respect and autonomy instead of a hierarchical beggar-giver-relationship. It enabled us to not only continuously exchange our ideas with dedicated professionals from KETAAKETI Germany, but receive new input and inspiration to launch new projects and improve the existing ones while remaining self-determined and autonomous in our decision.