AnnuAl RepoRt 2009–10 Annual Report 2009–10 Australian Himalayan Foundation Section 1 Contents 3 4 5 About the AustrAliAn exeCutive direCtor’s himAlAyAn FoundAtion ChAirmAn’s review review: the trek AheAd 6 8 10 teacher trAining quAlity FinAnCiAl education progrAm other projeCts inFormAtion 14 15 16 our donors, the AhF boArd oF sponsors & supporters direCtors & stAFF how you CAn help 2 contentS Australian Himalayan Foundation Annual Report 2009–10 About the AustRAliAn himAlAyAn FoundAtion the Australian himalayan hoW We do it ouR bACkgRound Foundation is a not-for-profit sustainable empowerment Fundraising for important charitable organization the Foundation focuses on sustainability and community projects empowerment for the people of the himalaya. since we were granted our tax-deductibility dedicated to helping the (DGR) status in January 2005, our fundraising it is about ensuring, through assistance with efforts have gone from strength to strength. people of the himalaya administration, project management, training this has allowed us to commit to a range and monitoring, that the projects are set achieve their goals. of projects and to work in close partnership up and managed in such a way as to be with a select number of non-government sustainable. WhAt We do organisations and local communities. equally important is making sure that the visions & Aims local communities are empowered and grassroots support our vision is to help the people of the equipped to manage and support the our supporters program provides the himalaya. projects, sustainably and inclusively. opportunity to be involved in the work of the our aim is to achieve this through Foundation by contributing to the wellbeing improvements in three important areas: WheRe We do it of the himalayan people. • Education helping himalayan communities in order to expand our supporter base and promote the work of the Foundation we • Health & medical services over the last 40 years, thousands of Australians have visited the himalaya. For have state-based representatives throughout • Environment and Wildlife Conservation many it is an opportunity to trek beneath Australia. the world’s highest peaks and to appreciate our objective is to ensure, where possible, our affiliates the long-term viability of our educational some of the world’s most hospitable cultures. programs, to support medical services We have forged ties with our overseas yet the himalaya is not just a vast adventure counterparts including the uk himalayan and to support environmental and wildlife playground. Although the lifestyle of the local conservation projects throughout the himalaya. trust, hillary himalayan Foundation, the communities may at first appear idyllic, for swiss naulekh Foundation as well as the the Australian himalayan Foundation most it is anything but easy – with medical American himalayan Foundation, the has policy guidelines in place to clearly assistance, education and care for the Australian tibetan society and the snow distinguish between development and environment often falling short of their needs. leopard Conservancy. project partners welfare support. it does not have any the Foundation provides you with the means in nepal include Reed (Rural education political or religious affiliations. to help the himalayan communities achieve & environment development), Rhest their goals – and of giving something back. (Rural health & education service trust) and in ladakh, india, the servants of society (leh), and ReneW in bhutan. Annual Report 2009–10 Australian Himalayan Foundation About tHe AuStRAliAn HimAlAyAn FoundAtion 3 ChAiRmAn’s RevieW i’m proud to report that • We held another major fundraising dinner in sydney, featuring the “sir edmund 2009-10 (Fy) was highly hillary memorial Address” given by successful for the Australian greg mortimer and a celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the 1984 First himalayan Foundation. Australian everest expedition. successful fundraising dinners were also held in We were once again able to help melbourne and Canberra and many thousands of people – especially children – himalayan day dinners were held in the himalaya boost their life opportunities around Australia. my thanks to our and chances of achieving their goals. state Co-ordinators (see p. 15). At a time of serious competition among • the launch of our first project in bhutan overseas aid and development organisations – a program (in partnership with local for donations, we suffered only a small drop ngo ReneW) providing girls in remote in fundraising, and importantly were able areas with educational assistance. And of course, my deep thanks also to to achieve expanded and improved project Alas, on February 9 2010 near melbourne, fellow directors: mike dillon, Christine gee, outcomes, especially in our teacher training a true Foundation friend, the great 1953 lincoln hall, peter hillary and garry Weare. and Quality education project (TTQe) in nepal. british everest expedition climber and We continued to build alliances with And we were able to consolidate photographer Alfred “greg” gregory died, the himalayan trust (uk) and the swiss other education, health and environment just three days short of his 97th birthday. naulekh Foundation and we thank projects, including our health care project We miss him terribly but the gregory spirit them very much for their support. in Zanskar, ladakh ; our partnerships and partnership with the Foundation lives with Rhest in rural nepal,the snow on through his wife sue who, with “greg’, And we also gratefully acknowledge the leopard Conservancy in ladakh and was one of our first honorary members. substantial assistance during 2009-10 nepal, the Australian tibetan society of shari daniels, kerry lorimer, namgyel our achievements and progress were made in india as well as contributing to two tsering, margie thomas, who developed and possible by the generosity and commitment of the development Aid programs with co-ordinates our himalayan Artists program, of our major project partners, supporters, the Australian embassy in nepal. and barbara hall who laid the foundation donors, volunteers (especially our state for our schools for the himalaya program. in doing so, we were able to make our own co-ordinators) and helpers (listed on page contribution to the overall international effort 14) – notably Jim strang, ttQe co-ordinator thank you one and all. to achieve the united nations millennium – and the dedication and hard work of development goals, especially the targets in AhF executive director garry Weare and regard to primary education, gender equality, Fundraising manager debbie dukes. environmental sustainability and health. thanks also to susan grace, the Australian highlights of the year included: Ambassador to nepal who acknowledged Simon balderstone Am the role of the AhF in her introduction to a • the appointment of our first Australian Chairman book recently published by dFAt celebrating himalayan Foundation Ambassador, the 50th Anniversary of diplomatic Andrew lock, the first Australian to climb relations between Australia and nepal. all 14 of the world’s 8000 metre peaks. 4 cHAiRmAn’S Review Australian Himalayan Foundation Annual Report 2008–09 exeCutive diReCtoR’s RevieW: the tRek AheAd it was therefore gratifying to meet so many We have also signed an agreement with teachers and children who had received some michelle hogan and Carolyn hamer-smith, benefit from the Qualitye ducation program Ambassadors of ReneW, a bhutanese that has been implemented in the region for the ngo, to establish an education program in last two years. Community support was much bhutan – our first project in bhutan. in evidence. there’s also no shortage of overseeing the projects is a huge challenge teachers vying to be selected to be a key and to this regard we have not taken our teacher – an innovative development that affiliation with the Australian Council for underpins the sustainability of our 6-year international development (ACFID) lightly. in program. As with all the programs we are the past year we have worked closely with engaged in, there is no quick fix, and we are all our project partners to ensure that they now committed to a nine-year program cycle.. (and us) adhere to the best possible practice in nepal i also met dr shrestha, head of the standards. in undertaking this we want to nepal network for Cancer treatment and ensure that your financial support translates to Research in banepa on the outskirts of the long term development outcomes that help the After long stints in the office it kathmandu valley. the visit gave me people of the himalaya achieve their goals. confidence to recommend that the hA F is always good to see how our thank you extend support for cervical cancer education program partners are making with the long-term aim of establishing a headway in the field. mobile cancer clinic which would operate beyond the confines of thek athmandu valley. in April 2010 i trekked in nepal with bhim While in kathmandu in April i also attended bogati, the manager of local ngo Reed our inaugural himalayan Artists Award who administer our Quality education exhibition held at the siddhartha gallery. program. For ten days we headed south it was an unqualified success. Artworks Garry weare from the relatively affluent areas of the by both award recipients were purchased executive director everest region to the region of sotang. by h.e. susan grace, the Australian the difference between the two districts Ambassador to nepal and now hang was significant. We visited schools that on display at the embassy. were dark and overcrowded. in the village of bung we visited a school where over in July i headed to Zanskar, ladakh to attend 100 children were crowded into a single the 4th Amchi medical Workshop. Among classroom. books and educational resources the attendees was dr tsering norboo, were in short supply and the only computer ladakh’s leading physician, along with the in the entire district was proudly displayed in leading gynaecologist who provides the the headmaster’s office at sotang village. As female amchi (see image p.