Sir Edmund Hillary, on his many treks through the Annapurna Range of Nepal had come to hold a special place in his heart for the Sherpa communities living there.

Resources like schools and hospitals are scarce in this rugged mountainous expanse.  Through the Himalayan Trust, established in 1960, Sir Edmund Hillary and other supporters like Grand Circle Foundation have made a commitment to provide these resources to this remote are.  Since its inception, the Himalayan Trust has built 40 schools, 2 hospitals, 13 health centers and constructed drinking water systems.  It is dedicated to long-term solutions to the problems that confront the Sherpa people.

A grant from the Grand Circle Foundation helped to fund a novel teacher training program which supports primary school teachers who have little or no formal training.  The grant also funded the construction of a training center, curriculum design projects and teacher recruitment.

After the devastation of the 2015 earthquake, additional grants were made to the Himalayan Trust to help rebuild schools, toilets and pipelines accessing clean water.

Read more about our partnership and our newest project here.