Goli village is 68 miles (109km) east of Kathmandu below Mount Everest. It sounds like you could just drive there in a couple of hours. On a helicopter maybe, but in the remote village infrastructure if poor and village are hard to get to. Or put it another way if you need urgent medical treatment it just wouldn’t happen.
In the remote mountain communities of Nepal, a school is much more than a building. It is a safe and inspiring place for children to learn, grow and discover new opportunities. More importantly, it gives the next generation the chance to build a brighter future while remaining connected to their families, culture and community.
For the Ian Taylor Trekking Foundation, building our fourth school in Nepal represents another important step in a relationship with the people of this region that stretches back many years.
Our Connection to Goli
Goli is located in the lower Everest region of Nepal, far away from the country’s major cities and tourist centres. It is also home to many of the people who have worked alongside Ian Taylor Trekking over the years. Our head guide Dawa, is from the village and his story started in the remote mountain region of Nepal.
Our guides, trekking staff and their families are part of these communities.
That connection is important.
Our work here isn’t about arriving in a community, completing a project and leaving. We want to support projects identified locally and create improvements that can continue benefiting families long after the initial construction work has finished.
Following the devastating Nepal earthquake in 2015, schools and community buildings throughout the region were badly damaged. The Goli Village Trust was established to help support the long-term recovery of the area.
Education quickly became one of the priorities.
Building a Brighter Future in Goli, Nepal: Four Schools and Counting
With the generosity of individual donors, trekkers, supporters and our team in Nepal, we have now helped build four schools in the region.
Our fourth school, Shree Chandrajyoti School in Bhakanje, Solukhumbu, demonstrates what can happen when donors, local communities and our team on the ground work together.
The new building includes six classrooms and two toilets and currently serves approximately 160 students, from early childhood education through to Class 10.
Sixteen teachers support the students across subjects including English, Nepali, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, alongside areas such as health, environmental studies, economics and computer studies.
Just as importantly, the school has been designed with the realities of living in an earthquake-prone region in mind. The building uses interlocking-block technology. Hollow blocks are reinforced with steel rods and filled with a mixture of local materials and cement, creating a strong structure designed to provide a safer learning environment.
Construction began in January 2023 and, remarkably, the main project was completed in approximately 40 days.
Local people played an important role in the construction, alongside members of our Nepal trekking team who were able to contribute their skills and time during the trekking off-season.
That local involvement is central to how we want the Foundation to operate.
The Building Is Only the Beginning
Completing a school is an achievement worth celebrating, but opening the doors isn’t the end of the story.
Schools need ongoing support. Children need educational materials. Buildings need to be maintained. Communities have other interconnected needs, from cleaner homes and employment opportunities to access to healthcare.
That is why our work in Nepal has continued to grow.
Alongside the four schools, our team and supporters have helped place more than 200 stoves into homes in the region. These stoves help move smoke away from living spaces, creating healthier home environments for families.
We are now looking towards another major community priority: healthcare.
For years, local people have highlighted the need for better access to medical care. For families living in remote Himalayan communities, reaching appropriate healthcare can be extremely difficult.
Our ambition is to help change that by supporting the development of a medical facility serving this remote community. And this is where we need your help.
How You Can Get Involved
You don’t have to climb a mountain or write a huge cheque to make a difference.
There are many ways to become part of what we are building.
Make a Donation
Direct financial support allows the Foundation to invest in projects where funding is needed most.
Whether it is a one-time donation or regular support, contributions can help us continue investing in education, healthcare and community development.
Small donations matter too. Sustainable change is often created by many people choosing to contribute what they can.
Fundraise for a Project
Want to make your contribution go further?
Create your own fundraising challenge.
Run a marathon. Climb a mountain. Organise a dinner. Hold a workplace fundraiser. Get your school involved. Ask friends and family to sponsor your next adventure.
You can make the challenge as big or as simple as you want.
If you would like to fundraise for the Ian Taylor Trekking Foundation, get in touch with us. We can help you understand our current projects and identify where your fundraising could have the greatest impact.
Make Your Next Trek Mean More
Travel can be about more than reaching a summit or completing a trail. If you’re already planning an adventure, consider using it as an opportunity to raise funds.
Ask friends, family and colleagues to sponsor your trek or climb and turn every kilometre you walk into support for communities in the places that make these adventures possible.
Visit Goli
One of the most meaningful ways to understand our work is to see it. Goli lies beneath the beautiful Pikey Peak region, away from Nepal’s busiest trekking routes. Treks can be organized through this region, creating an opportunity to experience a very different side of Nepal and learn more about the communities behind our projects.
For supporters who have helped fundraise, visiting the area can also provide an opportunity to see the impact of that support firsthand.
Involve Your School, Club or Business
Community projects don’t have to be funded by individuals alone.
Schools, outdoor clubs, companies and other organisations can adopt a fundraising target or support a specific Foundation initiative.
A group challenge can create a much bigger impact while giving everyone involved a tangible goal to work towards.
For schools in particular, fundraising can also become an opportunity for students to learn about Nepal, geography, global citizenship, development and the role education plays in creating opportunity.
Bring Useful Supplies
People travelling to Nepal may also be able to help by bringing useful supplies for schools and communities.
Educational materials, appropriate clothing and other genuinely useful items can sometimes make a valuable contribution.
Before packing anything, please contact our team. We can tell you what is currently needed so that anything brought to Nepal is useful, appropriate and can be distributed responsibly.
Share Our Story
Not everyone is in a position to donate or fundraise. You can still help. Share our projects with your friends, family, school, workplace or outdoor community. Tell people why these remote communities matter. Follow the Foundation’s work and help us reach people who may want to become involved.
Awareness creates conversations. Conversations create supporters. And supporters make projects possible.
Help Us Build the Next Chapter
Four schools are now standing in Nepal because people decided to help. But our aim has never simply been to count buildings.
It is to build long-term relationships with communities and support locally identified projects that create opportunity for generations. The fourth school is another milestone in that journey.
Now we want to continue supporting education, improve community infrastructure and help create better access to healthcare for people living in this remote part of Nepal.
Whether you donate, fundraise, trek, involve your school or business, bring useful supplies or simply tell someone else about the work, you can become part of that story.
Help us turn adventure into lasting impact. Get involved with the Ian Taylor Trekking Foundation today.