ABOUT

Over many years Peter Chapman, the founder of HHEF, has visited the Himalayan Region and developed a passion for the mountains and its people. The Himalayan region is a harsh, unforgiving, physical environment with poor infrastructure and many communities are often cut off from or without access to basic health and education facilities. Yet, the people of the Himalaya are kind, resilient and hardworking. HHEF was created to offer an opportunity for young women from the region to receive a higher education so they are empowered to uplift themselves, their families and their communities.

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We focus on the education of young women as they are less likely to have the opportunity to access a tertiary education due to social and economic reasons. Women and girls make up two thirds of the world’s 796 million illiterate population and just 39% of girls living in remote, rural areas complete secondary school, thereby enabling them to obtain a higher education. Data also suggests that every additional year of education, increases women's eventual wages by 20%. It encourages them to marry later, have fewer children and leaves them less vulnerable to violence. The investment in just one young woman provides enormous benefits to her, her family and the community.