The organization, originally established as Kandel Foundation, was actively engaged in humanitarian response work, including emergency relief operations during the 2015 Nepal earthquake. These early interventions formed the foundation of our commitment to community resilience and crisis response.

In 2018, the institutional structure evolved with the establishment of DKI as a think-tank–based organization. During this transition, the programs, mission, and field experience of Kandel Foundation were strategically migrated into DKI, aligning them with a broader long-term vision of empowering Nepalese society through structured development approaches.

A key shift in this evolution was the adoption of sports as a tool for social transformation, positioning development not only through emergency response but also through youth engagement, leadership building, and community empowerment. This expanded the organization’s scope from immediate humanitarian relief to long-term social impact and systems-based development.

Within this evolved institutional framework, the Disaster Response Department retains the legacy of early humanitarian action while operating under a more structured and resource-conscious model. It focuses on:

Coordinated emergency response during disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and health crises

Activation based on available financial and operational resources

Collaboration with government agencies, local NGOs, and community networks

Mobilization of trained volunteers and partners when required

Support for vulnerable populations, including cross-border and diaspora communities when affected

Today, disaster response is not a standalone vertical but an integrated component of the broader institutional ecosystem of DKI, which combines humanitarian response, youth empowerment, and development innovation. This ensures that emergency interventions are both immediate in impact and aligned with long-term societal transformation goals.