DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS

Eco Himal's Support in Himalayan Region

Eco Himal was established in Nepal in 1992. The organisation's main objective is to exchange knowledge and skill on technical and cultural aspects, and helps promote tourism for the development of local communities. Eco Himal mainly focuses on four sectors- small hydro-power and promotion of solar energy, poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation, sustainable tourism and human resource development, and cultural co-operation and heritage conservation. "All projects of the organisation take care of ecological, economic, social and cultural sensitiveness as they are implemented in partnership with the local communities," said Phinjo Sherpa, Country Director of Eco Himal. Over the past 10 years, Eco Himal has been assisting rural communities of the Himalayas to improve living conditions on a long-term basis. Some 70,000 people have directly benefited from Eco Himal’s various projects till this date. "The primary beneficiaries are the local people in the target project region that varies in each project," said Sherpa. The organisation has its headquarters in Austria. At present, Eco Himal is running some projects through its "Co-financing project" scheme. About 75 per cent of the fund required by the projects is funded from its headquarters and the rest is contributed by private donations and partners.

• Rural Health Development Programme- The aim of this project is to improve health status of the most vulnerable groups of Pawai and Bakachol VDCs of Solukhumbu and Khotang districts respectively. The project targets to benefit about 7, 000 people.

• Children Education Scholarship Programme- Through this project, Eco Himal has been providing scholarships to 22 marginalized, socially excluded and orphan children studying at primary and lower secondary levels at Arounodaya English Boarding School at Swayambu, Kathmandu.

• Health and Education Programme- The programme provides curative, preventive, promotional and rehabilitative health services. Eco Himal, through its Gerda Charitable pharmacy in Shahid Gangalal Heart Hospital has been providing free medicines to the poor patients. Also, under the programme, the organisation has been providing scholarships to selected Auxiliary Nurse-Midwife (ANM) and Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) students.

• Khumbu Mountain Centre- This centre is a Multipurpose Mountain Training Centre established in Thame village of Solukhumbu district. It provides capacity building and skill development trainings to the mountain communities.

• Saving Mount Everest-Waste Management Project- The major goal of the project is to save Mount Everest and remove all garbage from the base-camp and surrounding areas by 2012. More than eight tons of garbage was removed from the area and its trekking trails during the spring of 2011. "A sustainable mechanism for responsible waste management in the region is being developed. The Government of Nepal is also implementing new regulation for responsible solid waste management in the Everest region," informed Sherpa.

With the funding from its headquarters in Austria, Eco Himal has constructed a Small Hydropower Plant with capacity of 620 kW in Thame-Namche Bazar. The power station supplies electricity to 16 Sherpa villages in the region. Eco Himal along with the local people has been operating the power station. About 85 per cent of the share in the project belongs to the local user groups and the rest with the stateowned Nepal Electricity Authority. In 1994, 'Khumbu Bijuli Company' was established so that the local people could run the power plant. Since 1999, Khumbu Bijuli Company has been fully responsible for the operation and management of the power plant. Eco Himal has several other projects. It conducted its “Basic Needs Project” in the remote villages located between southern belt of Solukhumbu and northern belt of Khotang district to uplift the life standard of local communities. Likewise, it has been conducting Rolwaling Ecotourism Development Project in the northern part of Dholakha district and also in some part of Sindupalchowk district. Rural Development Project in Arun valley and its Buffer Zone, Mountaineering School and Rural Development Project in Thame valley of Solukhumbu district, restoration and conservation of Keshar Mahal garden in Kathmandu, Cultural Cooperation Programme between Nepal and Austria and Health Care project in Shahid Gangalal Heart Hospital are the other projects of the organisation. Eco Himal closely works with the Government of Nepal. The major donors of Eco Himal are Austrian Development Cooperation and Austrian Development Agency. Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), Postkod – Sweden, TMI, SNPBZ, and Community Development Committees (from the target communities). As Eco Himal is well-known for its successful project activities in the grassroots level, it plans to continue its existing project in the Eastern Himalayas. "With further financial support from donors, we will replicate our successful programmes to neighbouring region and villages," said Sherpa.