At least 16 high-altitude climbers, the sole breadwinners of their respective families were killed when an avalanche struck them while carrying loads above base camp near the icefall section of the world highest peak Mt. Everest in 18 April 2014.
“More than 40 school-age children were affected after they lost their fathers,”
A social worker and medical practitioner Mathias Baumann from Germany who was also one of the many foreign climbers attempting to scale Mt. Everest witnessed the accident in front of his eyes and was deeply moved. He immediately offered help and scouted the local villages of the Sherpa families who were affected by the avalanche and provided financial help.
Back in Germany, he founded the Sherpa Nepalhilfe to support the victims of the avalanche to set up sponsorships for the affected Sherpa children.
The bereaved families were able to send their kids to schools after getting support from Sherpa Nepalhilfe along with Everest Sherpa Foundation, said Ang Pasi Sherpa. Her son Urgen Tshering is one of the many families who is getting financial support from ESF.
Besides, the foundation also offers support to needy families in Nepal running different health camps and rebuilding and construction campaigns.
