As there are many needy communities in Nepal, Graham also established a separate venture Samriddha Pahad, in 2010, which was aimed at securing access to finance for mountain communities, where banks never visited
KATHMANDU, JUNE 12
It was in 1981, Sir Graham Wrigley KCMG, at the age of 19, met legendary mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary in Khumjung village of the Everest region.
The 45-minute conversation with Sir Ed energised Graham to collect funds for a cause. The fundraising continued for over eight years.
"Then, Sir Ed introduced me to George Lowe and together with Mary Lowe and my father Ian Wrigley, the Himalayan Trust UK was created in 1989," Graham recounted.
Talking exclusively to The Himalayan Times in Kathmandu, Graham, Chairman of the Himalayan Trust, UK said that the trust's main motive was to serve the Himalayan communities.
"In Khumbu region, the trust, together with Australian and New Zealand support rebuilt 166 classrooms in 47 schools," he said.
The trust has also been providing the George Lowe scholarship to students in the Everest region.
Remembering Joe Brown and George Band who first scaled Mt Kanchenjunga in 1955, most of the trust's programmatic work has now moved to the Kanchenjunga area of Taplejung district. "We have been working in the Kanchenjunga area since 2005 and we look after 35 schools and four health clinics," Graham said, adding that the Kanchenjunga area was less developed in comparison to the Everest region. According to him, the trust has now been working in Yamphudin, Taplethok, Lelep, Ikhabu and Olangchunggola, targeting a total population of over 7,000 in remote Taplejung district.
Sharing his experience in working with Nepali communities for over four decades, Graham described that Nepalis were wonderful people.
"Mountain people are so hard-working and generous," he said, "It's very hard to retain teachers and health workers in the remote areas of the mountain region." Emulating the work of Sir Ed in Khumbu, the trust also introduced a health programme in 2013 to the Taplejung area to transform community health by encouraging healthier lifestyles and better use of the available medical care.
Talking about the impact of the trust's support, Graham, who is also former chairman of British International Investment PLC, said that besides rebuilding schools, hostels or health posts as well as providing training to teachers and health workers, the Himalayan Trust's work is all about building human capital. "In the last 20 years, we provided training to over 750 teachers and improved the quality of around six million lessons benefiting more than 20,000 children in the mountain region," he said. This work is carried out by their trusted local partners – REED, AFN, and Himalayan Trust Nepal, providing education expertise, rebuilding a health post with birthing centre, and scholarships for local women to train as midwives and health workers.
As he looked at the other needs in the mountains of Nepal, Graham also established a separate venture called Samriddha Pahad, in 2010, which was aimed at securing access to finance for mountain communities, "We said we should go to areas where there is no bank but there is the potential of livelihood," he said. Thirteen years later over 25,000 people in over 120 communities have now received access to finance. Now Samriddha Pahad is working closely with KCMA to help develop sustainable tourism in Kanchenjunga – bringing high economic impact, but low environmental impact tourist to this beautiful, but economically poor area.
After quitting a lucrative business career, Graham has shifted his vision to social services.
"Ever since I came to Nepal in 1981, I was inspired by Sir Ed as well as the generosity and humility of the Nepali people. I feel very lucky to be in this field as business and development sectors are interconnected," he said.
Graham also recounted that when he was the chairman of British International Investment they created the first Nepal office. "BII had not made any investment in Nepal 10 years ago, but now $150 million has been invested," he shared.
As part of its annual lecture series, the trust is hosting the 70th anniversary lecture tomorrow (June 13) at the Royal Geographical Society where Peter Hillary and Jamling Tenzing will reflect on their fathers' remarkable international partnership that took humanity to the Earth's highest reaches. Besides, Stephen Venables, Kenton Cool, Dawa Yangzun Sherpa, and Hari Budha Magar will explore the impact 1953 has had on their climbs and ambitions, why 1953 was so pioneering, what Everest is like today and how it inspires people to 'climb their own Everests'.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 13, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
