Giving back - Kate van Doore's story

The orphanage co-founder

Kate van Doore, 29

Day job: Lawyer in Hervey Bay, Qld

Five years ago, van Doore's friend Lars Olsen asked her to help him set up an orphanage in Nepal. Six months later they opened the Forget Me Not Children's Home in Kathmandu, with van Doore as the Australian-based president.

"My friend witnessed terrible corruption and abuse in Nepal, and returned wanting to set up his own charity. He came to me because I was just out of law school," she says. "I did all the legals, which would otherwise have cost us thousands.

"My involvement now is on the ground in Australia, doing all sorts of things like fundraising. I also go to Nepal once or twice a year to conduct the audit, check that everything's running well and forge a relationship with the children. We've tried to be conscious of not creating a colonial environment where an aid agency walks in and takes over. We want the kids raised in a culturally aware environment. So when we're there we just visit and encourage."

"Just" isn't quite the word, though: van Doore's work is a huge part of her life. "Even though it's only been five years, I can't remember a time when the orphanage wasn't in my life... It really has formed a large part of my emotional wellbeing. Going to another land and connecting so deeply with the people there has been a spiritual awakening, too."

The orphanage has grown quickly - and successfully. It provided a home for six girls when it opened, and now looks after 21. "It's been amazing; better than we ever imagined," says van Doore. "We're now building an eco village in Nepal; and we've recently picked up a project in Uganda. We've now got 39 kids there."

One of the most satisfying things, says van Doore, is seeing the transformation of from traumatised young children to well-adjusted kids. "We can chart it now - after about 18 months they're blossoming. That's from having a stable environment and knowing they're going to have their next meal."

It's not just the Nepalese and Ugandan communities that are benefiting, either: van Doore's hometown of Hervey Bay has also been inspired too. "Everyone's involved," she says. "The local community has really rallied. People get really involved. Many of them are child sponsors and they create a really personal relationships with the children. I think people appreciate a different outlet apart from work and their daily routine."