Himalayan Life International Annual Review 2019-2020
Dear Friends of Himalayan Life,
When Karina and I first arrived in Nepal 25 years ago, we settled in a small industrial town where I got busy very quickly. I was working in the field of design and implementation of small-scale hydro plants in rural areas.
Meanwhile, Karina scouted the neighbourhood. Not far from our house, she discovered a large shantytown where poverty, lethargy, and social dysfunction were overwhelming. As a teacher, Karina couldn’t help but notice the sheer neglect of the children and the fact that there were no schooling opportunities for them.
So we started a school in the slum. We named it ‘The Vineyard School’ with high hopes of a rich crop of fruit in terms of transformation within. We burned much midnight oil developing the curriculum and preparing lessons. Day after day Karina spent at the school in the slum, in the blistering heat of Nepal’s southern plain, investing herself in the lives of the children.
The school wasn’t successful. Poverty, with its ensuing material and social needs got in the way of education. The kids were too hungry to learn. They were simply too needy and too insecure because of broken family situations. We learned that education needs to go hand in hand with protecting and nurturing the children.
This is why Himalayan Life’s mandate is to protect, nurture, and educate children in the Himalayas. Aided by God’s grace, this is the path to transformation. Twenty-five years down the road, that’s who we are and what we do. Be it at our school in Yangri or the shelter for street children in Pokhara – we always strive for the children’s holistic development and, wherever possible, reach out to their entire families.
Within these pages of the Annual Review, you will find stories of children being protected, nurtured and educated in the framework of our Himalayan Life projects. I wish to thank you for your support and friendship, which makes it possible for us to help children in need on their journey from not-life to life.
I invite you to stay in touch by contacting me directly at [email protected].
With gratitude,
Daniel Burgi
CEO