Your gift will be matched by our Leadership Circle though December 31!
When widespread protests become violent in Nepal, I was greatly relieved when I got a video message from Shusma Pokhrel, our Center Director for Nepal, saying, “I feel safe thanks to my Kidpower training – and have peace of mind that the children and women we have taught are safer too.”
When political unrest caused violence in Nepal in September,
so many women and children were safer thanks to Kidpower skills.
I was safer, too!
– Shusma Pokhrel, Kidpower International Director of Nepal
We are deeply honored to support Shusma’s incredible work in very remote and impoverished rural municipalities in Nepal.
In addition to teaching thousands of children, teen girls, and women safety and self-defense skills, Shusma is also training hundreds of educators in how to teach these skills to their students.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are able to provide training and educational resources that make it possible for dedicated people like Shusma to bring these life-changing skills to those most in need.
Published: November 25, 2025 | Last Updated: November 25, 2025
Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director
Kidpower Founder and Executive Irene van der Zande is a master at teaching safety through stories and practices and at inspiring others to do the same. Her child protection and personal safety expertise has been featured by USA Today, CNN, Today Moms, the LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Publications include: cartoon-illustrated Kidpower Safety Comics and Kidpower Teaching Books curriculum; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Skills Handbook for Teens and Adults; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People, and the Amazon Best Seller Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels.