KATHMANDU, APRIL 20
Captain Um Hong Gil, a South Korean mountaineer and philanthropist, inaugurated a newly renovated building of a primary school in a rural area of Okhaldhunga district today.
During a ceremony held at Pikey Phapre Primary School in Khijidemba Rural Municipality, Captain Um handed over the school building to the school management committee. The school, which was damaged in the 2015 earthquake, was renovated with support from the Um Hong Gil Human Foundation (UHGHF), according to the foundation's advisor, Ang Dorje Sherpa.
"UHGHF provided financial assistance to renovate the school building and also covered teachers' salaries for a year," Sherpa said.
He added that the foundation also constructed a well-designed dining hall along with a kitchen.
The school currently has 71 students and six teachers. UHGHF's support really brought happiness to the school family, Pemba Sherpa, a local, shared.
"I feel very honored to support the rural mountain communities in the Pikey region," Captain Um said during the inauguration.
The event was attended by over 120 people, including Ward-9 Chair of the Rural Municipality Nawang Furi Sherpa, Professor Kwon-ha Ryu from the Department of Media and Communication Studies at Jeonbuk National University, Korea, and UHGHF advisor Mahendra Kant Mainali, among others.
According to Sherpa, the team also trekked to an altitude of 3,350 meters in the Pikey region and held a friendship golf tournament.
Captain Um Hong Gil has scaled 16 of the world's highest peaks above 8,000 meters, 10 of which are located in Nepal. He pledged to build at least 16 schools to support physical infrastructure in Nepal's rural areas.
Since 2009, UHGHF has been operating as an international non-governmental organization (INGO) in Nepal's education sector and has already constructed 20 schools.
The foundation's primary objective is educational development, particularly in rural Nepal. It has also been involved in health and heritage preservation initiatives, according to Captain Um, who has been awarded honorary Nepali citizenship.
