Newsletter: August 2025
8/16/2025
Hi everyone,
Hope your summer has been amazing! It's August - which means many of you are gearing up for the back-to-school shopping season.
Here's something to think about:
According to Retail Council of Canada, the average back-to-school spend is $600-$750 CAD per child.
Now, let's put that into perspective:
In Nepal, just $10 CAD provides one student with a basic set of school supplies - including books, pens, pencils, colouring sets, sharpeners and erasers, and even geometry sets and calculators for students in senior grades. The same $10 CAD is also budgeted for replenishments throughout the school year, so students can focus on their studies.
For comparison, we checked Amazon and found the same items costing nearly 8x more in Canada (before tax and shipping!).
While we aren't launching our next fundraiser just yet, we'd love for you to keep us in mind as you shop for your kid's back-to-school lists. Even setting aside a small amount could provide a student in Nepal the tools - and the hope and the smile - to keep learning. You can also read about this year's school supplies distribution in our June 2025 newsletter.
Update: Our Charity Registration
We're excited to share that our application for charitable status with the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) is in progress, with a target review completion date of February 2026. Once approved, we'll be able to issue official tax receipts for your donations toward next year's Nepal school supplies drive.
It's a time-consuming and costly process, but we know this is a critical step to strengthen and grow our mission.
Help Us Spread the Word
We're looking to grow our community of thoughtful, generous and kind-hearted supporters - just like you! Here's how you can help:
Invite your friends, family, or coworkers to subscribe to our free newsletters.
Referral Giveaway: By September 15, 2025, if you engage 10 or more new subscribers/followers, you'll be entered into a draw for a $25 Cineplex gift card! The winner will be identified in our next update.
Don't forget to email your referral list to info@improvetheirlives.com.
Nominate Someone Inspiring
Do you know someone making a positive impact to improve lives in their community? We'd love to share their story on our blog — just like we did with Thao’s and Andrew’s.
Send us their details at info@improvetheirlives.com.