Putting Education Within Reach for Sherpa Students

Sir Edmund Hillary, on his many treks through the Annapurna Range of Nepal, came 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. In 1960, Sir Edmund made a commitment to provide these resources by establishing the Himalayan Trust. Since its inception, the Himalayan Trust has built schools, hospitals, and health centers; and constructed drinking water systems. It is dedicated to long-term solutions to the problems that confront the Sherpa people.

Grand Circle Foundation has a long history with the Himalayan Trust. Since 1992, we have donated more than $929,000 to support the Trust’s 60 schools in improving access, literacy, and retention among the poorest regions; training hundreds of teachers in remote areas; providing safe drinking water; and recovering from the earthquake that devastated parts of Nepal in 2015.

In 2021, with the help of our travelers, we began raising funds for the construction of a 24-bed girls’ dormitory, toilets, washrooms and a dining hall at the Shree Birenda Jyoti Secondary School. Also known as the Sotang School, it is located in Nepal’s Solukhumbu District, best known as home to Mount Everest and the indigenous Sherpa population who Sir Edmund held so dear. While students who live within a two-hour walk can travel between home and school each day, other students live up to seven hours away and cannot walk the daily distance. Before hostels were constructed, these students were forced to rent rooms in nearby villages if they wished to continue their education after primary school. Since many come from poor farming families that cannot afford this added expense, they had no choice but to drop out. Hostels also prioritize students who are physically disabled and unable to walk.

During the first phase of this project, we repaired extensive structural damage caused by the 2015 earthquake. Now, phase two of construction is underway, which includes an additional hostel building funded by the Foundation. Although this project was approved in 2025, the onset of construction was delayed due to severe winter weather. We are thrilled to finally see progress, and hope to have this completed in the next several months.

We thank all our generous travelers and donors who have helped make this work possible. Together, by bettering the lives of the Sherpa people, we continue to honor the memory and legacy of Sir Edmund Hillary.

Visit a school supported by Grand Circle Foundation during Nepal & the Mystical Himalayas. To learn more about the Foundation or to donate to any of the projects we support, visit www.grandcirclefoundation.org.