Thank you so much to the many who sent emails, LinkedIn posts, Facebook posts, and phone calls. How did you all know how profoundly this tragedy on Everest would have affected me, and how much your caring comments and concern would mean to me? 

Please read below in this post about the Maya Sherpa Project’s two-for-one match for donations for the Sherpa families affected by the tragedy on Everest.  Donate HERE.

My own experience –

I saw an avalanche at Base Camp in November 2011. We were on the top of Kala Patthar, and

heard and felt the rumble, even though we were on a different mountain top, 18,400 feet up, across a valley, probably 20 KM from Base Camp. I happened to get a video of it from that distance. It is at 00:43:00 of my film I made of that trek. The video is on YouTube.   That avalanche is also visible in the photo to the left and on the front cover of my book below.  If your computer is connected to a good sound system you can hear and feel the power of the avalanche.

How fragile life in that extreme remote, beautiful, spiritual, but dangerous part of the world, particularly for the unsung heroes of the Everest exhibitions, the Sherpas. That is what attracted me to the work Pattie Moon – Maya Sherpa Project (MSP) is doing – taking care of the families and children of these heroes, one person at a time…

My book helps support a Sherpa village, Meru,

in Solu Khumbu, Nepal

Many of my friends know that I have been supporting the Maya Sherpa Project (MSP) with the proceeds of my book, Everest! A Trek to Base Camp and Back.  Pattie Moon, founder and Executive Director of the Maya Sherpa Project told me that this endeavor has sponsored two girls to go to school, and is helping with other projects in Meru, a village in the Solu Kumbu where MSG has been working for several years.  I am so grateful for the support my clients and friends have provided with their donations and purchases of my book, as well as the proceeds of the book sale online.  The book retails online for $94.99, with a $10 profit going to MSP.  I have a supply of books which I printed/purchased at a discount, and have given away hundreds of books in exchange for a $100 or larger donation to MSG, with my cost of the book being my donation.

Please read below in this post about the Maya Sherpa Project’s two-for-one match for donations for the Sherpa families affected by the tragedy on Everest.  Donate HERE.

SPECIAL REPORT: EVEREST

Sherpas: The Invisible Men of Everest

They carry the heaviest loads and pay the highest prices on the world’s tallest mountain.

 

Please click here for to read this very informative article by Chip Brown,
Potographs by Aaron Huey

The Maya Sherpa Project established a

special matching fund for the Sherpa

families of Everest

Last week I received the following message from Pattie Moon in response to the horribly tragic events that took place on Everest this past week:

“The Sherpas play a very important role in most mountaineering expeditions, and in fact many of them lead along the ridges and up to the summit.”  ~ Edmund Hillary

On April 18, 2014, an avalanche buried an entire crew of Sherpa guides who were working at almost 20,000 feet, setting ladders and ropes for the client climbers to follow later. This accident was unprecedented, with 16 deaths on one day, as well as injured others.

What you may not know is that – without the Sherpas – there would be no climbing on Mt. Everest; they are the original inhabitants of the Everest region and their presence and assistance is necessary to navigate most of the highest peaks in Nepal. They also take thousands more foreigners on lower-level treks in the Himalayas. The Sherpas are the backbone of Nepal’s tourist industry, the unsung heroes of the mountains, the workers who make this all possible for everyone. And, they do this all with their characteristic “gaiety of spirit.”

What you may also not know, is that the Sherpas do this difficult and dangerous work for very little money. But it is one of the few ways they can earn enough to support their families, and give their children an education. For those who died and were injured, there will be an insurance distribution by the trekking companies and government; but it is inadequate compensation for the loss. It soon becomes obvious to us all that, without the father/son/brother who died on the mountain, these families will have little or no income to live on, let alone provide an education for their children.

The Maya Sherpa Project has – at its very core – the charter to help provide educational and health resources for the Sherpa communities in the Himalayas. In particular, we strive to bring support to those very remote villages which do not receive tourist dollars or foundation gifts. We now want to extend this assistance to the Sherpa families affected by the recent tragedy; we will set up scholarships for the children who have lost a father or brother or another wage earner in their family.

The Maya Sherpa Project (MSP) has now set up a special fund – THE MT. EVEREST SHERPA SCHOLARSHIP FUND – which will be distributed for the education of the children of those who lost their lives or their ability to work again. We will focus on the families that come from the remote areas that have few other options for employment.

We would be honored to have you join us in this effort, as the MSP will meet all contributions with a matching donation at twice the amount given. If you contribute $25, we will add another $50 to your amount! Any contribution you give will be of valuable assistance, as our entire project expenses go directly to the villagers.

YOU CAN DONATE RIGHT HERE NOW:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on the image above to donate to the Special Everest Sherpa Fund

One of our board members, Dawa Sherpa, leaves for Nepal next week. While there, he will assess the insurance distributions that are to be made, and look for opportunities to support families who are especially in need – for the continuation of their children’s education.

Thank you for helping us help them.

A small contribution can go a long way… and keeps growing

Help Support Education in Mera, Solu Kumbu, Nepal 

~ The MSP Board of Directors