Namche Bazaar, June 21

Korea-based Um Hong Gil Human Foundation has agreed to support the mountain communities in Solukhumbu district, and has offered millions of rupees to the Mt Everest region to rebuild educational, health and cultural sites.

According to Phurba Gyaltsen Sherpa, the chairman of the fund raising committee, the foundation funded a project to establish a well-equipped hospital in Namche bazaar to support local communities as well as trekkers, hikers and mountaineers in the region.

“The main goal of the hospital project is to provide quality health service to more than 8,000 residents in Chaurikharka, Namche and Khumjung Village Development Committee and increasing the number of trekkers and mountaineers with their support team,” Sherpa said, adding that the project was jointly implemented by the foundation and the local committee of Namche VDC. It’s a great help from Um Hone Gil, who is also the world renowned climber, he added.

“The primary beneficiaries of the project are more than 8,000 local people, while the secondary beneficiaries of the project will be more than 15,000 seasonal migrant workers, nearly 35,000 trekkers and mountaineers, and around 80,000 support teams who visit the region annually,” he said.

The total estimated budget of the project is US$ 230,000 as per the MoU signed between Um Hong Gil Human Foundation and The Mountain Medicine Institute (Namche Clinic). While the foundation agreed to pay US$ 150,000 for the construction of the clinic, the Namche Clinic will invest around US$ 80, 000 in buying medical equipment and so on, Sherpa said.

Gil who supported the Khumbu people has successfully made 16 successful ascents of mountains above 8,000 m, including Mt Everest for the third time.

Um Hong Gil, chairman and founder of the foundation also announced that the foundation would reconstruct Thaktey Dorje Fotang Monastery in Gumela, which was destroyed during the devastating 2015 earthquakes.

In the presence of Tatrul Rimpoche and Natrul Rimpoche, the incarnate lamas of the region, Gil announced that the foundation had agreed to cover the cost of reconstruction of the monastery. A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between the foundation and the committee.

“The monastery management committee has appointed engineers Saurav Shrestha as architect designer and Durga Shrestha to work on the detailed financial estimation of reconstruction work, Sherpa added. According to him, the Gil-led foundation will spend Rs 20 million for re-construction of the monastery.

At the foundation stone laying ceremony, the locals expressed gratitude to Gil for the financial support to rebuild the monastery, which was built in 1976 by local Sherpas

under the guardianship of Zatrul Rimpoche, Thatey Rimpoche and Natrul Rimpoche, was damaged in the 2015 earthquake.