Australian Himalayan Foundation Ltd

Our mission is to improve the quality of life for people most in need in remote regions of the Himalaya. We work in partnership with the people of the Himalaya to help the most disadvantaged meet their priority needs through integrated improvements in education, health and the environment. AHF's geographic focus is in the remote areas of Nepal, Bhutan and the Indian Himalaya areas of Ladakh and Kalimpong. Projects are developed and managed in collaboration with reputable in-country NGO partners with a strong track record in community development to ensure that local communities are empowered to manage and support activities in an inclusive and sustainable manner. Since AHF's inc... read more Our mission is to improve the quality of life for people most in need in remote regions of the Himalaya. We work in partnership with the people of the Himalaya to help the most disadvantaged meet their priority needs through integrated improvements in education, health and the environment. AHF's geographic focus is in the remote areas of Nepal, Bhutan and the Indian Himalaya areas of Ladakh and Kalimpong. Projects are developed and managed in collaboration with reputable in-country NGO partners with a strong track record in community development to ensure that local communities are empowered to manage and support activities in an inclusive and sustainable manner. Since AHF's inception in 2002 the diversity of our organisation and programs has evolved in terms of the range and scope of projects, partners and operational capacity. This has been driven by the combination of a broad range of experience and networks within the organisation and the strong connections with Himalayan communities of our trusted partners. AHF has a strong focus on strengthening gender equality and social inclusion, a specific strategy of strengthening integrated community development approaches which aims to link multi-sectoral efforts to produce an amplified, lasting impact on people's lives. Our flagship Teacher Training & Quality Education program in the lower Solu Khumbu (Everest) region of Nepal continues to deliver on our long term goal of providing better opportunities in life for children, through improving the quality of education. This project aims to strengthen inclusive, child-centred education with a focus on teacher training and developing a cadre of Nepalese teacher trainers to provide ongoing quality education, and help retain children in school. Our other cost effective programs include *improving health outcomes, with a focus on child and maternal health, in a very impoverished area of the lower Solu Khumbu region of Nepal * providing access to school for vulnerable children in remote regions of Bhutan through financial assistance and counselling for families, * provision of ecology and climate change workshops to help local villagers in Ladakh adapt and monitor their changing environment, * livestock corral construction for remote communities in Ladakh, assisting in the preservation of the endangered snow leopard, * the promotion of Tibetan cultural and artistic traditions in Kalimpong, northern India * a new Everest Youth Climate Initiative in Nepal to reduce local peoples' vulnerabilities and conserve local biodiversity. AHF recently completed a major program to rebuild schools and classrooms in the Solu Khumbu (Everest) region of Nepal that were damaged and/or destroyed by the 2015 earthquakes. In total, 87 earthquake-resilient classrooms in 27 schools were constructed, repaired and retrofitted to meet earthquake safety standards structurally. AHF became a signatory to the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) Code of Conduct in 2009 and was accredited by the Australian Government's Overseas Aid Co-operation Program (ANCP) in 2012, one of only 58 NGOs in Australia to have achieved this accreditation and funding.