Newsletter: June 2025
6/20/2025
Hi everyone,
Summer has arrived — and so has something truly special.
What started as a planned vacation to Nepal last November blossomed into another opportunity to improve lives, much like our earlier journey to Cambodia that sparked the English program there. Thanks to your generosity, we've accomplished something incredible together with this year's #BringASmile to Nepal project and it's a wrap for 2025:
$5,000CAD provided 500 Nepali students
with a full year of school supplies.
But you didn't just give school supplies. You gave confidence, and hope.
Each kit - filled with essentials like pencils, pens, notebooks, colouring pencils - became a reason for students to show up, stay engaged, and feel proud to learn.
This year, public schools in Nepal started much later due to the national public school teachers' strike that stretched nearly a month. But when Madu School finally re-opened in mid-May, students were welcomed with their supply kits - a small gesture that made a big difference. And it doesn't stop there: we've ensured there are enough resources to replenish supplies throughout the year, so learning can continue without the burden of scarcity.
"म विद्यालयका प्रधानाध्यापकको तर्फबाट तपाईँलाई धन्यवाद दिन चाहन्छु। गरिब विद्यार्थीहरूलाई उपलब्ध गराएको स्टेसनरीले उनीहरूको अध्ययनमा ठूलो सहयोग पुग्नेछ। तपाईँको यो सहयोग प्रशंसनीय छ र हामी यसको सधैं कदर गर्नेछौं।" / "I would like to thank you on behalf of the school principal. The stationery provided to the poor students will be of great help in their studies. Your support is commendable and we will always appreciate it."– Statement from Sham Dhami, School Principal
For transparency, you can view our financial statement for this project.
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Great News: We’re now an incorporated not-for-profit! 🎉
After listening to your feedback, we’re proud to announce that we’re officially incorporated in Ontario as Improve Their Lives Canada. This is the first step in becoming a registered charity in Canada — and yes, that means tax receipts are coming!
We've submitted our charity status application to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and are now in the 6–8 month waiting period. We’ll keep you posted on progress, and we expect to issue tax receipts on your next donation towards #BringASmile to Nepal.
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Let’s keep the momentum going! Here’s how you can help:
➡️ Share the impact. Spread the word by forwarding this and future updates to friends and family, and tagging @improvetheirlives on social media.
➡️ Grow our community. Invite friends and family to subscribe — every supporter fuels the mission.
➡️ Nominate someone inspiring. Know someone making a difference? We’d love to feature their story on our blog — just like Thao’s and Andrew’s.
Stay tuned for our next newsletter in August.
– Mark & Thai
