Welcome to the Sherpa Education Fund Website
The Sherpa Education Fund provides scholarships for Nepalese children at a private school that integrates world class education with a respect for the preservation of Sherpa culture. To help give these children greater opportunities, the Foundation raises money for Sherpa children who are from remote areas of Nepal, where access to education is extremely limited. We believe that by educating their children, we are helping to develop their communities. The Alpine Ascents Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of indigenous people living the mountain regions of Nepal. Alpine Ascents Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporation. All donations are fully tax deductible.
Our Goal
It is our belief that by helping educate Sherpa children, we contribute to the development of their community. Our students are showing great academic ability. Many of them are plannning to attend University. Our vision is to enable that dream. We hope that once students complete their education, they will return home to help develop local villages.
How We Started
Alpine Ascents International, a Seattle based mountaineering company, established the Sherpa Education Fund in 1999 in order to give something back to the Sherpa communities where they work. In the beginning, the Foundation sponsored six Sherpa students at a private boarding school in Kathmandu. Today, we provide full scholarships (including tuition, room, board, books and uniforms) for sixteen students. We plan to continue to grow and extend our assistance to the Sherpa people.
About the Sherpa
The Sherpa people are an ethnic group who migrated to Eastern Nepal from Tibet, beginning in the 16th century. They retain many Tibetan facets in their own culture, especially in their songs, stories and architecture. However they have no written language and their traditions and history are largely passed down by word of mouth. Their culture is fragile and is threatened by the advancement of western "civilization".
The Sherpa and the Mountains
Ever since Sir Edmund Hillary first climbed Everest in 1953 with the invaluable assistance of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, climbers have developed close relationships with Sherpa people. It is widely recognized that without the Sherpa, westerners would rarely be able to climb the great peaks successfully. Because Sherpa guides and assistants became such an integral part of any successful team, westerners now use the word "Sherpa" to mean a local guide or assistant, sometimes without realizing that this is in fact a clan name.
Thank you for any assistance in helping to educate Sherpa Children! Please email us if you have any comments or queries.
