Phortse is one of a small Sherpa village located at around 3840 meters on the lap of Mt. Tabuche in the Everest region of Nepal. It is a quiet, cozy and picturesque village with a population consisting of around 300 people. In this village, most males work as climbing Sherpas on expeditions whereas females are engaged in agriculture and household work. I was born to my amazing parents Mr. Palden Namgye Sherpa and Mrs. Pasang Doma Sherpa as the eldest daughter of my family on 2nd March 1997. My parents faced many difficulties and challenges, but they did their best to provide me with the opportunity to begin formal education in Phortse Primary School. I had to go further down to Khumjung Secondary School to continue my schooling. We had to walk early in the morning from Phortse all the way down to Khumjung and attend the classes and travel back in the evening again. Later, fortunately, Himalayan Trust established a hostel facility in Khumjung for the students from distance villages. I became very fortunate to be a boarder of Khumjung Secondary School. I am quite lucky to have such great parents who did their best to send me for higher education. They also believed that females are capable of doing anything if they are given proper support and good education. I was born in a distant part of Nepal, where infrastructure and facilities for education, health and safety measures are still limited. It is only because of the efforts of Himalayan Trust that we have been able to obtain greater opportunities and access to higher education. I became able to complete my School Leaving Certificate (SLC) from Khumjung Secondary School. I continued my higher education in Kathmandu and completed Master’s Degree in Business Administration through KFA Business School, Baneswor, Kathmandu affiliated to Lincoln University College, Malaysia. Himalayan Trust not only supported me with the grandeur scholarship but also led me with proper guidance on career options conducting career counselling programme which helped me realize my life-goals. Himalayan Trust has played an important role in helping me pursue my studies and lead my life in a way that I felt quite comfortable during my student life. I am very thankful to Himalayan Trust Nepal and my parents who made it possible for me to graduate with flying colors making me the first person in my family to hold a Master’s degree. I have been able to work at Sanima Bank Limited as a banker since 10th March 2020 and continue my studies at the same time. I would also like to thank my colleagues at Sanima Bank Limited for their support, encouragement and guidance through this wonderful journey! Once again, I would like to thank Himalayan Trust, its supporting partner donors who contributed to educate me. I am very grateful for all the support I have received along this journey. Without this opportunity, I would not be as successful as I am today. The financial support that I received from Himalayan Trust has helped me in every aspect of my life.

How I Became a Banker

PALDEN DOMA SHERPA, Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality – 04, Phortse

At the age of eight, I was carried to Lukla from Khunde and then flown to Kathmandu for surgery. I had appendicitis back then. After recovery I went back to the Himalayas and resumed my schooling at Khumjung school. After a few years, I had to fly again to Kathmandu for a hernia repair. Somehow at a young age, the experience of pains and trauma inspired me to dream of becoming a doctor. My name is Nima Ongchuk Sherpa. I was born and raised in Khunde village. I finished my lower secondary school education from Baba Boarding High School, Kathmandu and I completed higher secondary education from Little Angels’ College, Lalitpur. I then got an opportunity to go to Philippines for my further studies. After completing my college in Philippines, I was bound to apply for medical school but it needed planning and preparation as medical school throughout the world is not cheap. I came across Himalayan Trust Nepal and got to know about the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation (SEHF), Canada that generously provided me with scholarship grants to support to continue my medical studies. It was my great luck to go on to my medical journey for six and a half years with the assistance of Himalayan Trust scholarship grant. The scholarship support greatly motivated me to become an aspiring doctor. I enrolled in Manila Central University for Bachelor’s of Science majoring in Biology and continued my Doctor of Medicine in the same university. I successfully graduated in 2020 and completed my internship course in Philippines. Throughout my journey, my family has been the most supportive and I am forever grateful to my parents for where I am today. After coming back to Nepal, I took license exam conducted by Nepal Medical Board. As a license holder medical doctor, I worked in Gorakshep health clinic which is 3 km away from the Everest Base Camp at the height of 5100 meters. I enjoyed my service helping trekkers, porters and international tourists in the mountain. I also went back to Khunde Hospital to work as a medical officer for about a month. This was where I realized I had fulfilled a dream of an eight-year-old boy who was taken care of at the same hospital about 18 years ago. I continued to work as a High-Altitude doctor at Gorakshep during the Spring of 2022 and came back to Kathmandu after that. I believe in helping the needy and making the world a healthier and better place to live is humanity. I am currently working as a medical officer in Karuna Hospital in Kathmandu in the emergency department with a great team of doctors and mentors. The path I chose wouldn’t have been easier without the support of the Himalayan Trust Nepal and the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation (SEHF), Canada.

Going Back to the Roots

DR. NIMA ONGCHUK SHERPA, Medical Officer Karuna Hospital, Budhanilkantha