On November 1, Mountain Gurus Director Dennis Broadwell will be traveling to Nepal to distribute funds he’s collected through his aid organization, the Himalayan Outreach Project. He’ll be coordinating these funds with Kili Sherpa and the local school boards of the lower Khumbu region of Nepal.
“It’s been six months since the Gorkha earthquake hit Nepal, and the families and communities there need our help now more than ever,” said Dennis. “It wasn’t until I left Everest Base Camp that I understood the full extent of the damages. Now that we’ve been raising funds through the Himalayan Outreach Project for half a year, it’s time to return to these Nepali communities and do everything we can to help.”
Kili was born and raised in the Chaurikharka village and went to one of the same schools that he and Dennis will visit, along with schools near Phakding.
Kili is able to donate his own funds to the project with his successful business career in Nepali tourism through treks and expeditions, even though this industry was deeply impacted from the Gorkha earthquake earlier this year.
An incredible number of Nepali families rely on the country’s tourism economy, which took a hit after the April 2015 earthquake devastated many of the small villages that usually see hundreds of trekkers and climbers come throughout the Spring and Fall seasons. The lack of visitors and tourists in the area means that employees of the tourism industry must find other resources to support their families.
Aside from providing funds that will assist in repairing schools in the lower Khumbu, Dennis and Kili plan to help families with small scholarships that will allow their children to continue attending school while the economy rebounds.
Another way that Mountain Gurus is aiding in this relief effort is by using your donations towards in-home boarding for children who live too far away from their schools to walk each day. Sherpa families pay around 100 rupees or $1 USD per day to have their children spend Monday-Friday within a short, safe commute to better their education.
It’s not too late to help! Learn more about the Himalayan Outreach Project by visiting our homepage and seeing how your donations will make an impact.