Volunteering and charitable work in Nepal
The Share the Load Foundation began as a way to promote the wellbeing of Himalayan mountain porters and to improve their overall working conditions. Porters form a large part of the backbone of the trekking industry and as a whole is a worthy profession for the many men and women that work in this field.
As our Foundation has progressed our focus has shifted towards development in rural and mountain communities, such as education and infrastructure development, not wholly just the wellbeing of the porter community.
Trekking throughout the Himalaya and through remote villages brings you face to face with harsh mountain living. We decided that we wouldn’t be able to operate as a responsible tour and trekking company without giving back to the communities we love so much.
Our Aims

Initially our aims were to provide support, clothing and equipment to porters and their families but this has evolved over the course of the last few years.
Our main objective is to work in conjunction with local communities to further their development and to assist with infrastructure development, such as medical facilities and running water pumps and promote viable educational resources (such as the re-building of schools and training of teachers).
The Share the Load Foundation are also pleased to be supporting two schools:
The Mandali Primary School in the remote Nepalese village of Baluwa. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas and in the heart of the Ghorka region, Baluwa is off the beaten track, far from the classic tourist trail. It is also KP’s home village.
The Shree Krishna Primary School in the remote district of Shirkhabesi VDC, Nuwakot, Nepal. This school was completely destroyed in the earthquake. The Share the Load Foundation funded its rebuild. Please see our ‘Updates’ section for more information.
Support Something Personal to You
We believe that charity can be an adventure. If you want to kick-start your own charity challenge or event, check out our Challenges and Events for Charity and start fundraising for your chosen cause now.
Photos
Click on the arrows below to take see some of our charity work and projects in Nepal.
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Work In Progress

April 2012 – Ran a teeth cleaning program at the Mandali Primary School, donated books, pens, sporting equipment and class room materials.
November 2012 – Donated 100 jumpers to help the pupils get through the harsh winter. Took boxes of classroom equipment from our generous donors as well as kitting out 4 porters in high quality outdoor clothing.
2013 – Raised £1400 towards building a sustainable piped water source to the village of Beluwa and distributed countless bags of clothing, school equipment and footwear from our clients.
January 2015 – we constructed a clean drinking water tank, ensuring that the villagers don’t have to go on a dangerous journey to collect their water.
April 2015 – On 25th April 2015 an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 hit the Gorkha region in Nepal. The effects of this earthquake lasting only a few moments, were devastating for a country we know and love so well. More than 9000 people died. On 12th May there was an aftershock of 7.3 which can only be described as an aftershock when in comparison to the first mammoth quake.
We matched client donations and sent £1300 to Nepal. Money was used to provide immediate relief to those affected close to the Langtang region, providing emergency food rations and temporary shelters.
June 2015 – Abseil for Nepal, Charity Fundraiser with Climber Jonny Dawes – In June we raised over £3000 towards rebuilding the Shree Krishna Primary School in Nepal. The one-day event saw us abseiling the height of Kathmandu (1500m) at Stanage Edge in the Peak District. The event was also supported by prolific climber, Jonny Dawes whom taught our supporters the fine art of climbing “no handed.”
December 2015 – Started delivering building materials to the Shree Krishna Primary School




They also bought and delivered 55 educational hanging wall displays for teaching geography, 7 world maps, 7 Nepal maps, 2 world globes, 120 whiteboard markers, 12 board erasers, 12 staplers, 12 rolls cello-tape, a volley ball net, 2 volley balls, 3 footballs, 12 shuttle cocks, 6 badminton rackets, 4 ball pumps, 7 calculators, 100 rulers and 20 skipping ropes. We also employed 3 men and a truck from the local area, 1 rickshaw in Kathmandu and some porters from Sikhar Besi.

The Share the Load Foundation sent £500 to Tato Khana Sewa, a grass roots initiative in Kathmandu providing hot meals for anyone who needs them.
You can follow their daily progress on their Facebook page Tato khana Sewa. Please share this with anyone who’d be interested and give what you can.
Thank you and Namaste.
Video
2 short films about our charity work in Nepal
Rebuilding Shree Krishna Primary School

This entire area was devastated by the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks in April and May 2015. Immediately after the earthquake we worked with local NGO’s to get emergency supplies to this area, including providing food rations and emergency shelters.
Shree Krishna Primary School was completely destroyed and for 7 months, the 40 students and their teachers had been learning in temporary shelters, underneath tarpaulin and corrugated iron walls. This was not an ideal or long-term solution.
The Share the Load Foundation and Lost Earth Adventures worked with local NGO, Nepal Cyclists Ride to Rescue (NCRR), as part of their 7-Schools in 7-Weeks Campaign. NCRR is comprised of members from the Nepali Mountain Bike Team and were some of the first people to reach this area post-earthquake. We’ve been lucky to work with these guys for the past 6 years.
After meeting with the NCRR as well as residents, local leaders, and school principals, we learned that long-term relief in the area required the rebuilding of 1 secondary and 6 primary schools.

Construction began on the 7th December 2015 and was finished in April 2016. The project employed local tradesman, engineers and workers. For the most part we used materials sourced from the local area. The school is built to be structurally resistant to further earthquakes/tremors.
You can see a short film documenting the rebuild of the school.
Why a School?
Nepali schools are an important part of advancing this developing nation because they provide kids with a safe place to pursue their education. When properly built with full cooperation from the local community, schools can also serve as community centers and safe houses from natural disasters.