Dhulikhel, November 7:

Four couples from Munich, Germany, have pledged their properties for the development of rural areas of Nepal posthumously.

All their properties will be deposited at the Namaste Stiftung, which was established by these couples to help better the conditions of the Nepalis living in rural areas, said the president of the Stiftung, Horst Schmel. Horst, who hails from Gilching, Munich, and has visited the country 35 times so far, told this daily today: “We have decided to keep all our properties in the name of the Stiftung.”

According to him, those donating properties beside him and his wife are the couples of Rosi Friedl, Erna Schenermann, and Gisela Haberkorn. They are all medical personnel.

The Stiftung, which was established in 2001, has already spent nearly 1 million Euro in running a community hospital in Dhulikhel and a health project in Kavre’s Bolde Fediche VDC. The Stiftung has assisted us in improving the physical infrastructure of the hospital, said Dr Ram Kant Shrestha.

Tilak Lama, a social worker of Bolde, said the Stiftung had opened a well-facilitated health centre.