Khiraule Education and Health Project (KEHP) - Nepal

KEHP is a registered Charity in England to advance the Education and Health of the people of Khiraule, which is a very remote Sherpa village in eastern Nepal. It works closely in conjunction with the people of the village to identify what is needed and assist them in the work they are doing.  For example, the villagers assist with the building work and provide their labour for free.

Lhakpa Sherpa and his wife, Pat Steel-Sheep have been raising funds and supporting Khiraule School with buildings and funding for teachers since 1995.  In 2011, with the help of other volunteers, they set up KEHP as a formal charity in the UK.

KEHP is unique in that they have no overhead - all donations go directly to the project as they are 100% volunteer led.

Khiraule  is a remote area in the Sagamatha (Everest) zone of Nepal.  Previously, KEHP have funded a clinic and health workers as well as school building and teachers salaries. At present they have a particular project of funding metal bridges over ravines as the wooden ones rot in the monsoons and the local wood is very soft and there are deforestation issues. About twenty are needed and they have provided two and their chairman, Lhakpa Sherpa has funded one in memory of his father who died recently . This is a basic infrastructure project which has all the benefits for the whole community of being better connected between neighbours and with the school and clinic as well as Bung the regional centre. This is particularly needed during the monsoon season.

There are about 95 families in the immediate region but also these bridges are on the route to Everest and Mera regions so thousands of people would use them in a year. Indeed, this is on the route to Everest which was taken by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, Edmund Hillary and party in 1953! The cost of a bridge is £950 for assembly, transportation and construction.

http://www.khiraule.org.uk/