Kathmandu, Oct 24, The Um Hong Gil Human Foundation (UHGHF) has completed a decade of its service in Nepal. UHGHF has been working in the promotion of education and health. In a decade, the Foundation has reconstructed old and dilapidated structures of the community schools in the remote areas of the country.
It is also actively working in enhancing the quality of health and education services. UHGHF is a non-political and non-religious humanitarian organisation supported by South Korea and registered at Social Welfare Council. It has been working especially in the education sector in Nepal since 2009.
The mission of UHGHF is to aid the vulnerable children of Nepal by empowering them through education and other supportive activities. It aims to help the children, schools and communities by providing a safer, healthier and more effective learning environment for the better world. It has successfully built 15model schools in 12 different districts.
One more school is under construction in Kathmandu while preparations have been made to construct another one. The Foundation has also supported in health and heritage preservation related projects in recent years. It has been carrying out various activities like constructing clean, safe, earthquake-resistant, well-equipped and child-friendly school buildings, building libraries and science laboratories and constructing toilets, in coordination with the Government of Nepal.
Under the infrastructure development and quality enhancement programme, UHGHF has constructed child-friendly school buildings for Pangboche Basic School in Solukhumbu, Shree Bindu Keshar Basic School and Kalleri Secondary School of Dhading, Siddhartha Gautam Buddha Basic School and Sundi Secondary School in Rupandehi, Birethanti Secondary School of Kaski, Kali Janajyoti National Basic School of Dhanusha and Sarbodaya Secondary School in Myagdi.
Likewise, the Foundation has constructed child-friendly school buildings of the Shree Mukta Kamaiya Basic School in Bardiya, Mayam Secondary School in Taplejung, Bhagawati Basic School in Gorkha, Ajad Secondary School in Kavre and Jana Kalyan Secondary School in Rolpa. It is said around 7,000 students are benefited from this every year.
Apart from construction of school infrastructures, the Foundation has been supporting in terms of teachers and teaching materials. It has operated the first ‘smart computer class’ in community schools in Nepal at the Birethanti Secondary School in Kaski, in collaboration with the Korean company, Samsung Electronics. It has been providing the salary of 13 teachers of five schools.
Moreover, the Foundation has been taking the students and teachers of schools receiving its support to Korea as part of the educational experience exchange programme. So far, nine students from various schools have visited Korea under this programme. UHGHF has made arrangements for the ‘Himalaya Scholarship’ scheme under which it has been providing stipend for the education of children of mountaineers losing life in course of climbing the Himalayan peaks. Thirty two children have benefited from this service so far.
Additional accomplished projects of the Foundation include construction of a modern building of the Mountain Medical Institute at Namche Bazar, of a block for the Thakto Dorje Photang Gumba and Chiwang Monastery at Phaplu in Solukhumbu, of the Karma Siddha Prampara Gumba School at Pokhara in Kaski. It distributed relief materials equivalent to Rs 15.3 million in Gorkha, Dhading and Sindhupalchok districts following the Gorkha Earthquake of 2015.
Addressing a programme organized here on Wednesday marking a decade of the Foundation in Nepal, its programme manager Neelam Thapa said the Foundation will now play role in enhancement of education quality in the coming days. Foundation executive director Capt Um Hong Gil and Foundation Chairman Lee Jae Hoo said that the Foundation has invested in the education of the country as education is the foundation for building a prosperous country.
Former Education Minister and Foundation’s advisor Ganga Lal Tuladhar appreciated the foundation for its cooperation in improving the education quality in Nepal. The Foundation was set up by Um Hong Gil who is a world record holder as he has climbed 16 peaks above 8,000 metres tall. He is a renowned international mountaineer and social worker. He established the Foundation as a token of his true love for Nepal.
