Message from the Chairman

Dear Friends,

Thirty years ago, a slightly disheveled but enthusiastic group of climbers decided to formalize their love of the Himalaya. We realized that, while we first went for the beauty and drama of the mountains in Nepal and Tibet, we returned over and over because we were drawn to the people. So we founded the American Himalayan Foundation, to help Sherpas and Tibetans with the things they just didn’t have: education and medical care.

We were very lucky as we started out, a handful of climbers with a dream to do good, to have the two best partners possible, the two people who have been my lifelong heroes and role models: Sir Edmund Hillary and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Sir Ed’s respect for the Sherpas combined with his intensely hands-on and practical way of working still informs our operating style. And His Holiness’ boundless compassion and concern for not only his own displaced people but all sentient beings has always been a beacon.

AHF touches 300,000 lives every year now. Namche Bazaar is still a second home, but now so is Lo Monthang and Jampaling Camp. Our reach extends throughout the Himalaya to help people in need who have no one else: the poorest children; young girls in danger of being sold, destitute elders, refugees adrift. Our goal is always to make tangible, positive change.

Please join us. Saving, or changing, someone’s life - even someone far away- changes yours too. It’s heart work.
 

Richard Blum
Chairman