History
Founded in 1998 by Trevor Patzer and Usha Acharya, the Little Sisters Fund started with a gift of education planted in the United States that is now blooming in the country of Nepal. 
It began with an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a boy in Idaho to attend one of the world’s top boarding schools, St. Paul’s School. At the age of 13, Trevor Patzer was offered full tuition by a family friend, Ric, if only he was accepted to St. Paul’s.
Not forgetting the generous offer, Trevor pursued application, and was accepted to St. Paul’s in the spring of 1988. True to his word, Ric paid for Trevor’s full high school education at St. Paul’s.
From the first day on campus, the experience transformed Trevor. “Ric’s generosity changed my life immeasurably. My three years at St. Paul’s were the best, most stimulating and engaging years of my life.”
Recognizing the opportunity he was given, Trevor had a burning desire to return the favor to others: to give the gift of education he’d received at such a prestigious educational facility. The problem? One year of St. Paul’s tuition is nearly $40,000 today.
That all changed in 1998 when Trevor was in Kathmandu after trekking to the base camp of Mt. Everest. Moved by the evident poor state of Nepalese education, he asked his host, Usha Acharya, if she knew of a way that he could help a child. Usha responded that “there was not a child, but a girl” and explained to Trevor the plight of young women in South Asia not in school which all too often include child labor, child marriage or child trafficking.
Trevor asked to meet this girl and Usha arranged it. Bindhaya was the oldest of three sisters with little opportunity and a bleak future. Usha asked Bindhaya’s mom to meet Usha and Trevor for tea. Trevor recalls, “When Bindhaya looked up at me with her big brown eyes, my heart melted. On the spot I committed to support the duration of her schooling expenses.”
Once Trevor returned home to the United States, people asked him what the highlight of his trip to Nepal was. They expected him to say something like, “Watching the sunrise between Everest and Nupse from the top of Kala Pattar at 19,000 feet.” But that wasn’t the highlight. Meeting Bindhaya was.
People began asking questions and would inevitably say, “How can I help?” The favorable responses led Trevor and Usha to found the Little Sisters Fund in 1998, with the widow of the man who provided Trevor’s education as the first person to offer financial support.
Since then thousands of other individuals throughout the world have committed to promoting female literacy and to saving female lives in Asia through the gift of education.
Today the Little Sisters Fund supports the education of over 400 girls on long-term scholarships in South Asia and the Fund will continue to grow proportionately with the commitment of additional resources.
By supporting the Little Sisters Fund, a sponsor insures one girl’s education for 8-10 years –the equivalent of a U.S. high school graduate – in her quest for knowledge. In doing so, the sponsor not only changes a girl’s life through the gift of an education, but they give the Little Sisters opportunity. And most importantly, hope.