Nepal

We are acting here

Up until 1993, Upper Dolpo was a restricted area and only since then foreigners are allowed to visit it. The Dolpo borders Tibet in the north and is one of 77 districts in Nepal. In terms of area, with almost 8,000 km2, it is the largest district with approx. 36,000 inhabitants (in Upper Dolpo approx. 8,000 inhabitants). All the villages of our schools are above 3,700 meters altitude. Saldang, the first school location, is an eight-day walk from Juphal. Besides Humla, the Dolpo is the only district in Nepal without roads and road connections. The villages of Nyisal and Lhuri follow after another five or eight hours hike. To get to the Upper Dolpo, you have to overcome 5,000 meter high passes. The Upper Dolpo is one of the most isolated populated mountain regions in the world and is known for its wildness and remoteness. Dunai in Lower Dolpo is the seat of the district administration and has about 3,000 inhabitants. From the second day of the journey to Saldang, the infrastructure we are familiar with, such as electricity, telephone and internet, no longer exists. Many people see the Upper Dolpo as the real preserver of the core Tibetan culture, since in Tibet the Chinese government is trying to destroy Buddhism and Tibetan culture. The Dolpo-Pa – as the inhabitants of Upper Dolpo are called – are mainly active in agriculture. Potatoes, corn, wheat, millet, Tibetan barley and local crops are grown in the Dolpo. Local agriculture is vital to have enough food over the long winter. Life in winter is very hard. A detailed description of all projects can be downloaded as a pdf file (see download button).

Saldang

Operation of a winter school

(Upper Dolpo)

The Solution

We offer a winter school so that the children can reinforce the material they have learned or may have missed in the summer. At the end of the school term, the children take an exam.

“Winter School Saldang”: Since the winter of 2016, 60-70 children have been attending the newly founded winter school. Although there is a formal ‘compulsory schooling’ of 5 years in Nepal, there is no control over it. In eight small rooms, the children from Saldang can attend classes 1-6 in addition to the ‘kindergarten/playgroup’ and the ‘pre-school’. A total of 80-90 children go to school. Some families leave the region in winter, so the number of students is reduced by 10-15% in winter. What does our project do for the children and the people in the Dolpo region?

Nyisal

Operation of a winter school

(Upper Dolpo)

The Solution

Similar to Saldang, we offer a winter school. Here, too, the aim is to deepen the material of the summer school, but also to preserve the culture, history and Tibetan traditions. Students have to pass an exam.

“Nyisal Winter School”: Since the winter of 2019, around 45 children have been attending the newly financed winter school with the support of the HUMAN Foundation. Aiming to take advantage of the remaining six winter months and improve the overall success of the children’s education, which often suffers in the summer due to the students’ household and farming duties, residents in Nyisal are very happy that their children are able to take advantage of the opportunity . What does our project do for the children and the people in the Dolpo region?

Lhuri

Construction and Operation of a School

(Upper Dolpo)

The Solution

A new school including sanitary facilities will be built in 2022 and 2023/2024. A school operation with nursery/kindergarten up to class 5 will also be set up.

“Lhuri school operation”: From 2022 we will finance the entire school operation. This includes financing the salaries of the teachers and a cook, the purchase of school materials and school clothes, the provision of meals for the teachers, the care and maintenance of the school building and the entire – not inconsiderable – annual transport costs of all goods from Kathmandu to Upper Dolpo.