Networking Education for Poverty Alleviation among Locals (NEPAL)

N.E.P.A.L.’s points of emphasis:

Educational Opportunities in the Khumbu:
Support and expand educational opportunities within the Khumbu especially those of poor and marginalized students though our scholarship program. We are currently involved in a fund raising campaign to add a 10 +2 degree facilities to the Mahendra Jyoti school of Chaurikharka in order to increase the educational opportunities for all children of the Solukhumbu region.

Environmental Education:
We recognizes the unique environmental concerns associated with our mountain home in the Khumbu.  For the sherpa people not only is it a matter of preserving our home for future generations but it is a matter of preserving our economic livelihood.  It vital that we impart this respect and stewardship of the environment to our future generations.

Cultural Education:
The exodus of students and young Sherpas to Kathmandu in search of better educational opportunities while economically beneficial has taken a toll on the culture of the Sherpa people.  When children grow up in boarding schools in Kathmandu speaking Nepali rather than the Sherpa language, and away from the traditional cultural institutions of the villages in the Khumbu they can lose their Sherpa identity, and the rich cultural heritage of the Sherpa people is not passed on to the younger generation.  NEPAL intends to improve cultural awareness among the young Sherpa community though improved educational opportunities within the Solu-Khumbu and cultural education programs.

Practical Education:
It is important that we also recognize the unique economic opportunities of the region provided by tourism.  We support and encourage educational programs which develop skills vital to success in this industry including instruction in Engilish and other foreign languages, mountaineering and basic climbing courses, and programs on sustainable tourism development.

Infrastructure to support Education:
For schools to educate children they need places for the children to meet and the teachers to teach, modern equipment such as computers as well as the electricity to run them.