Tashi Sherpa: supporting the children of stricken families

A Kathmandu-based outdoor clothing company is donating cash from its charitable trust to help the children of Sherpas who were killed in the recent avalanche on Everest.

Sherpa Adventure Gear will also donate 10 per cent of its sales revenue from two retail shops to the cause.

The company’s Paldorje Education Fund will set aside all its donations this month to help educate the sons and daughters of the 16 Nepalese guides who died in the incident last month.

Sherpa Adventure Gear’s founder and chief executive Tashi Sherpa said: “Approximately 26 children have been left behind by the unsung heroes who died on 18 April.

“The outpouring of emotions coming to us from around the globe strengthens our purpose to help future generations. People have asked us how to help.

“We can help by supporting the children of stricken families who lost a father and now have no other means to pay for school.”

The company, which manufactures in Kathmandu and other locations in Asia, said education in Nepal is expensive, putting schooling out of reach for most families.

Tashi Sherpa said it costs from $400 (£240) a year in the remote Khumbu region around Everest, and up to $2,600 (£1,545) for boarding schools offering the best education.

Average annual wages in Nepal are about $700, but Sherpas working on Everest can earn up to $5,000 a year. The loss of the comparatively high-earning mountain guides has left many of their widows and families struggling for money.

Sherpa Adventure Gear dedicates a portion of each of its sales to the education of Sherpa children, but also set up the Paldorje fund in 2012 to receive charitable donations.

About 30 children from the families of company employees and from Sherpa families in the Everest region currently receive educational support from the fund.