Sir Edmund Hillary's Contributions to the Sherpas

Although Sir Edmund Hillary (1919–2008) is primarily known for being the first person, along with Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, to summit the highest mountain on earth, his legacy extends far beyond his mountaineering feats, as his contributions to the people of Nepal, especially the Sherpas of Khumbu region, are just as notable.

While Hillary had already accomplished what people believe to be his greatest contribution to humanity by 1953, he felt his real work had just begun. He had formed a deep bond with the people of Khumbu and had a genuine admiration and respect for them as well as the place itself. He, therefore, wanted to do something (in fact a lot!) for this region and its people. He was committed to improving the lives of the local people through education, healthcare, and infrastructure, which remains a crucial part of his legacy.

In 1960, he founded a non-profit organization called Himalayan Trust to help the people of the Himalayas. The trust funded the construction of schools, hospitals, airports, and other infrastructure in the Khumbu region. The trust also worked to raise the living standards of Sherpas and trekkers in the region. Hillary personally led and participated in many of the early development efforts in Khumbu. In the early 1960s, Hillary physically helped build the first school in Khumjung, using local materials and labor. He didn’t just fund it—he was on the ground, helping with the construction. He often returned to help expand the school system across the region. He was instrumental in constructing the airstrip at Lukla, which remains the main gateway to Everest till date. Unlike many Western philanthropists, who only tend to show support financially, Hillary lived for extended periods in Khumbu and did hands-on work for most of his projects. His work in the Everest region and the broader Nepalese community earned

His foundations continue to exist to this day and are well-supported by foreigners, who help raise a significant amount of funds every year from various donors, supporters and admirers of Hillary. His son, Peter Hillary, and Tenzing Norgay's son, Norbu Tenzing, are carrying forward their father's legacy. They run non-profit foundations called Hillary Himalayan Foundation and American Himalayan Foundation respectively to help fund their partner organizations and local Nepalese NGOs working for the people in the Himalayas.

However, the sad reality of most NGOs in Nepal is that only a tiny percentage of those funds actually reaches the intended people. The fact that almost every NGO in Nepal is blatantly corrupt is an open secret (More on NGOs in Nepal in our next blog post). Most of the funds that these so-called non-profit organizations receive are either directly or indirectly siphoned off or embezzled through various means and covert practices by the people running those organizations. Whatever little work is being done by them is just for the show and for being answerable to the donors. The local people are fully aware of this but are afraid to speak out. And even if they dare to speak out, these NGOs usually come out unscathed because the funds are either siphoned off in a way that is often undetectable and difficult to track (usually not easily visible in the financial statement or audit report) or squandered in a way that is legitimate and "justifiable".

As these NGOs have been easily getting away with such corruptions for years, the misappropriation of funds is quite rampant in this part of the world, ironically perhaps more so than in the governmental sectors (which these non-governmental organizations constantly claim to be corrupt). It's no surprise that there has been little to no significant development in the rural areas of Nepal over the years despite significant financial support from the international communities.