HEADER HERE Intro paragraph Body copy HELPING THE PEOPLE OF THE HIMALAYA Annual Report 2012/13 SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT PROJECTS 1 THE AUSTRALIAN HIMALAYAN FOUNDATION | ANNUAL REPORT 2012/13 HEADER HERECONTENTS 3 Who We Are 4 Chairman’s Review 5 From The General Manager 7 Program Review 8 Teacher Training Quality Education (Ttqe) – Our Flagship Program 9 Solu Khumbu Ttqe Program Plan 10 Our Programs 13 Board Of Directors And Staff 15 Our Donors, Sponsors & Supporters 16 Financial Information 17 Income Statement 18 Balance Sheet The Australian Himalayan Foundation aims to help the people of the Himalaya through improvements in health, education and conservation and for ten years has been working in partnership with local communities in a long term, sustainable way. WHO WE ARE Over the years, thousands of Australians have visited the Himalaya. For many it is an opportunity to trek beneath the world’s highest peaks and to appreciate some of the world’s most hospitable cultures. Yet the Himalaya is not just a vast adventure playground. For the local communities life is anything but easy – with access to basic health and education services often out of reach. In response to these needs, the Australian The AHF is a not for profit aid agency, Himalayan Foundation is striving to ensure with tax deductibility status and with no the long-term viability of sustainable health, political or religious affiliations. We are education and conservation programs members of the Australian Council for across the Himalaya. These programs International Development and adhere are in alignment with the UN’s Millennium to the ACFID Code of Conduct. In 2012 Development Goals that help to reduce we received official AusAID accreditation. poverty and address human rights – gender equality, child rights and the rights of marginalised groups in rural regions throughout the Himalaya. 3 ChaIRMAN’S REVIEW This year was a milestone for the AHF, as we notched up a decade of practical, cost-effective programs, supporting the people of the Himalaya. So it is an appropriate time for us to And in 2013, we began two new, It has been a challenging year – fundraising look (proudly) at some of our program important projects: for our projects never gets easier – but the achievements so far, which include: AHF continues to be highly effective, The Lincoln Hall Memorial Health Project, through great community support, low Training of more than 1,000 teachers providing maternal health care and service -- administrative costs and sustainable from over 200 schools in the Lower Solu delivery for pregnant women, mothers and program outcomes, in supporting the Khumbu region of Nepal, with 55 local newborn babies in the lower Solu Khumbu people of the Himalaya. And that is what Nepali teachers becoming Teacher region of Nepal. we are here for! Trainers themselves through our Key And Kathmandu expanded its partnership, Teacher Training courses. Our flagship initiated by great AHF supporter James Teacher Training and Quality Education Strong as Chairman of Kathmandu, by program, cited by the Nepal Department financing the James Strong Memorial of Education as the best teacher-training Project which will fund the costs of volunteer program in rural Nepal, has already teachers to deliver training to local teachers Simon Balderstone AM given more than 20,000 Nepali children in Nepal. Chairman a better education. I want to also recognise the important 3,500 Nepali women screened for -- appointments of Carolyn Hamer-Smith, breast and cervical cancer, and also as our first General Manager; Cheryl Bart participated in workshops on the and Barbara Hall, as Directors on the AHF prevention of cervical cancer; 120 local Board; Dylan Hall as our Youth Ambassador, amchis trained in traditional and general and Greg Mortimer as a Foundation health care, including obstetrics, in Ambassador. Zanskar, Ladakh; 200 girls have been supported to attend school in the And my deep thanks go to Program remotest corners of Bhutan and Manager Garry Weare, and the other AHF educational assistance has been Directors; to Carolyn, Siobhan Reynolds provided for disadvantaged Tibetan and to Debbie Dukes, for their commitment children living in the Indian Himalaya. and huge amount of work, and to our loyal supporters, donors, and project partners for their invaluable support. 4 THE AUSTRALIAN HIMALAYAN FOUNDATION | ANNUAL REPORT 2012/13 FROM THE GENEraL MaNAGER Carolyn with school children in Bhutan What a remarkable time to have joined as the AHF’s first General Manager. The year has been full with activity celebrating ten years of working hand in hand with the people of the Himalaya to improve and change lives. This year represented our first year receiving In the past, Gita was often forced to borrow It is encouraging to know our work is AusAID funding as an official AusAID money and take out small loans in order making a difference in this way and I feel accredited agency. This accreditation speaks to keep her children in school. In 2011, the extremely grateful to each and every to the highest standards of accountability AHF Teacher Training & Quality Education supporter, donor and volunteer who and transparency as an organisation and we program started operation in Nele and since enables this to happen. This is not just are proud to be one of the smallest NGO’s to that time Delisha has been attending school our work, this is your work too and it is receive it. In November 2012 we were cited regularly with AHF support and receives a privilege to be doing this together. in the federal government’s ‘Australia in the books and other school supplies through the Asian Century’ White Paper as an Australian program, ensuring she receives a quality NGO doing exceptional work in Nepal education. And Gita is no longer in debt. through our Teacher Training & Quality In addition, Delisha’s teacher has received Education program. We are also pleased AHF teacher training and his classroom is to have forged stronger, closer ties this year an interesting, fun place to be as he applies with both the Himalayan Trust New Zealand many of the child-centred training strategies and the Himalayan Trust UK, both overseas in his day-to-day work. aid agencies that share our vision. Working Carolyn Hamer-Smith The impact that this long-term program is together has enabled us to share expertise General Manager having in the region is very tangible and will and work more efficiently and productively permanently change the life prospects of a across various program areas. child like Delisha. Looking back over what has been quite a whirlwind twelve months, perhaps the most As one traveller to the region powerful experience for me was the opportunity recently remarked: to hear directly from a student in the village “The difference between AHF of Nele, deep in the Lower Solu Khumbu region of Nepal. supported schools and those without AHF support is clearly Delisha is ten years old and lives with her evident – the schools look and feel mother and two siblings in the remote village entirely different and you’re left of Nele. Her father left home when she was feeling you want more schools to small so her mother, Gita, is the sole provider have that support and more children for the family and works in the field all day to ensure the children are fed. to receive that sort of education.” ANNUAL REPORT 2012/13 | THE AUSTRALIAN HIMALAYAN FOUNDATION 5 Ensuring access to a quality education for all PrOGraM REVIEW This year over 90% of the primary school teachers in the Nele district of the lower Solu Khumbu attended our Teacher Training and Quality Education workshops – not a bad result considering that the teachers attended the workshops without payment and in their holidays. While the teachers’ dedication to promoting Finally I am pleased to assume my new role child-friendly education is evident, the fact heading up the ACFID Nepal Working Group. remains that at least 20% of the children The group provides a regular forum for living in the districts of the lower Solu Australian aid agencies working in Nepal to Khumbu region do not regularly attend exchange ideas and explore ways we can school. This is where our new scholarship co-operate to ensure effective aid delivery. program will provide invaluable assistance The challenges are there but with your to families who do not have the means to support we will ensure that the people of send their children to school. In April 2013 the Himalaya will achieve their goals. we provided 500 scholarships and we aim to ensure that all girls and disabled children will have access to our scholarships in the next three years. A key to the success of our quality education program is community engagement. This has served us well with our cervical cancer Garry Weare screening and inoculation program also in Program Manager the lower Solu Khumbu. Cervical cancer is the biggest cause of death among women in rural Nepal and reason indeed why our new program has been so well received. AHF’s commitment to sustainable development extends to other regions of the Himalaya. This includes our Primary Health Care program in Zanskar, now in its 7th year of operation and our scholarship program for girls in rural Bhutan that will provide the platform for a broader and more ambitious education program. 7 TEaCHER TraINING AND QUALITY EDUCATION – OUR FLAGshIP PrOGraM The Australian Himalayan Foundation recognises that a quality education empowers children to achieve their full potential and can change the life outcomes of a child forever. Nepal faces large disparities in literacy rates We are deeply proud of the difference The TTQE Team between urban and rural areas, with urban this project has made in the last eight areas recording literacy rate of approximately years including the training of 1050 On the ground our program is managed by 73% but only reaching 43% on average teachers in over 200 schools resulting in: our dedicated project partners REED (Rural in rural areas.