Sponsorship with Himalaya’s Children

15,000 euros – this donation total was raised at our employee bazaar in June 2022. As every year, we donate to the Himalaya’s Children Foundation, with which we have been working for many years to provide children and young people in Mustang, a remote area in Nepal, with schooling and a school education suitable for children. Nepal is a country full of contrasts and extremes – culturally, geographically and socially. Wealth and poverty exist side by side in the smallest of spaces. Street children, prostitution and people with alcohol problems are part of everyday life. Especially in the countryside, many people live under poor conditions – and especially during the Corona period, education became impossible for many children.

 

 

Donation 2022: 15,000 euros for Himalaya’s Children Hostel

In the Himalaya’s Children Hostel, students from the 6th grade onwards find accommodation during the school phases. Opened in 2016, the dormitory was originally designed to accommodate 60 children and teenagers. However, the demand for school places has increased significantly in recent years and children are turned away with difficulty – so single beds have already been exchanged for bunk beds and now 121 students sleep in the hostel. At the same time, the general infrastructure of the hostel is no longer sufficient or worn out – in every room, from the kitchen to the dormitories to the sanitary facilities, furniture or utensils need to be repaired or replaced. Thus, our donation will be invested in:

 

 

  • a new kitchen equipment: due to the increased number of children and teenagers to be fed, more kitchen utensils and shelves are needed, for example pans, thermos jugs or a pasta machine.
  • Repairs: There are defective electrical installations in the hostel and sanitary facilities, some of which have limited use, which can now be repaired.
  • Purchase of four solar water heaters for the water supply
  • Purchase of large shelves for the bedrooms and shoe racks
  • Repair of tables in the dining and study rooms and purchase of additional tables
  • Purchase of everyday items
  • also everyday things have become more expensive in Nepal, for example wood

 

 

Donation 2021: 10.000 Euro donation during the Corona pandemic

Last year we donated 10.000 Euro, which could be used directly for the effects of the Corona pandemic. After several lockdowns, the economy was – and still is – weakened and the health situation tense. Schools also had to close, and so also the children of the Great Compassion Boarding School had to be sent back to their families – which in turn was a great burden for the families, as on the one hand there was no money for the children’s travels and on the other hand additional family members had to be provided with food. With our donation, Himalaya’s Children Foundation was able to provide direct assistance to the families for transportation costs and living expenses during the pandemic. For example, we were able to support a 13-year-old boy from Dolpo, the poorest region in all of Nepal. In addition, salaries for school staff and teachers at Great Compassion Boarding School were funded during this difficult time.

 

 

History of Himalaya’s Children Foundation and Great Compassion Boarding School

In 2000, Lama Ngawang founded the Great Compassion Boarding School in Lo-Manthang in Mustang, which has continued to expand over the years. In 2016, the hostel was opened to provide accommodation for students from far away areas. Currently, Lama Ngawang is working to find private accommodations for some students with families in Pokhara to alleviate overcrowding at the hostel.

 

With the establishment of the Himalaya’s Children Foundation, the Swiss foundation focuses on supporting children from the Mustang region of Nepal. Over the years, children from other Himalayan regions have also been added, mainly from Dolpa and Grokha. The foundation is run by a volunteer team of 6 people, so that all donations go entirely to the children and are not used for salaries or expenses of the organization. The foundation board regularly visits the Great Compassion Boarding School in Lo-Manthang. There is also a local team on site.