Who we are

Mahadev Baniya - Founder/Director
Born in a western mountain village of Gorkha Nepal, Mahadev was brought to Kathmandu to attend school at a young age.  One day when he was 7 years old, Mahadev was brought to a local underground church by his uncle. He developed desired to learn Bible and later, when he was in high school, he had an opportunity to attend Bible training in Nagaland, India.  “After studies and prayers, Lord God gracefully opened my eyes” says Mahadev. Mahadev has completed Master’s Degree in Social Work and Conflict Management. Mahadev also has Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LLB) and has recently passed Nepal’s Bar Exam.  He has been serving in various ministry roles with Bethlehem Kathmandu Church as the pastor’s assistant, liaison for the Children Rescue Mission, and as a legal advisor. Mahadev has a desire to serve marginalized communities of Nepal by becoming a voice for the voiceless and rescuing young children who are at risk of being trafficked.

Rebecca Moore - Founder/Social Services Adviser - Rebecca has a bachelors in International Studies from Lewis & Clark College and a master's degree in social work from the University of South Carolina.  She is a social worker specializing in adoption and foster care.  Rebecca has worked in the US for both public and private foster care and adoption agencies for over twenty years.  She spent five years working with families and children in Romania and most recently spent three months in India at Vathsalya Charitable Trust. Rebecca and her husband Jeffrey have six children, both birth and adopted, and have provided therapeutic foster care to twenty-five children.  She currently works as and adjunct professor at Southern Wesleyan University and case manager for Family CARE Services. 

Jeffrey Moore - Founder/Sustainable Livelihood Adviser - Jeffrey grew up in Europe (France, Germany and Switzerland).  He graduated with his bachelors from Witworth University and and MBA and PhD in Business in France at the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis.  Jeffrey worked in Romania with World Vision International where he started a christian business school and where he met Rebecca.  He has done consulting work in Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Kenya, Cameroon, and India.  He has taught seminars in many other countries, most recently Brazil.  Jeffrey is currently Associate Dean and the Director of the MBA program at Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina where he teaches, administrates the MBA program and conducts research on international business, organizational development and ethical decision making from a Biblical perspective.

How this project came about:

Although this journey began in 1993 when I (Rebecca) went to Romania for five years and participated in a program which developed foster care in that country, five years ago God told me to focus on Nepal and I began studying the country and the issues faced there by children and families. My three months in India were designed to help me learn about foster care in a very similar culture from an organization which had successfully implemented it for 22 years. New Hope Nepal program is born of those experiences and pulling from other successful programs around the world as well as those I have worked with here in the US.