Friends of Arhaus - Nepal


Challenges:
In this region, people are generally engaged in seasonal jobs such as farming or working as porters for trekking industries in supplying foods, equipment, and trekking baggage during the trekking season. Within already adverse conditions, the 2015 Nepal earthquake brought overwhelming destruction to homes, schools, and families; jobs were lost, and children were orphaned with no hope of returning to school.
Therefore, The Small World has initiated this special project to provide for children, especially those who are orphaned and vulnerable, i.e., at high risk of trafficking, forced child labor, and abuse, a safe place to live; educational opportunities; and life skills training such as farming, employment in tourism and business sectors, and finding and creating new opportunities.
Sustainability:
Our project has deep connections and bonds with local community members and the area’s culture and geography. We are working together with local community members to protect and educate children as well as deepen their relationship and respect for their people, culture and land; in essence, during their education, they are not alienated from their social background, language, or culture. In fact, they are given support to value it.
This project will help to build a strong community and, in the long term, these children will give back and support the local community with new ideas and opportunities. Community responsibility will be more developed and activated to improve or even end the problems faced by children today. In support of this, we have involved local community members from the beginning in all of the projects. By using their resources, providing jobs, and with their active participation in other projects such as growing foods and continuing to sustain projects for which we train them, these communities develop more pride and self-respect and take ownership, ensuring their continued success and accomplishment.
Long-term Goal:
The Small World builds our own schools to provide free and quality education in remote Himalayan regions; we invite other children from the Everest region as well. We will provide free education to other underprivileged children, receive costs for those who can afford to do so, and provide all education in English and as the basis for learning international languages; this helps to prevent people moving to the city for their children’s education. Being educated locally in English can help to create more opportunities at the local level. Children can be inspired with opportunities in their own local community and the land they love and remain to benefit everyone.
The problem in the Everest region is that wealthy families send their children to Kathmandu for a better education. The unfortunate result is that when these children are removed from their culture, the consequent detachment causes many of them not to return to their communities, which are sadly deprived of their educational advantage and potentially beneficial contributions. We can provide a very good scope of quality education in English, at schools to communicate with the world and provide opportunities through tourisms & non tourism sectors, such as teaching, and grow and improve tourism in the Everest region with improved guiding for trekkers, climbing business, opening businesses such as restaurants and lodges for accommodations, and providing food through organic farming.