Making a Difference in the Lives of Himalayan Children: The Story of MountainChild
In 2000, exploration teams were dispatched to a remote region to investigate reports of severe medical, social, educational, and environmental challenges children in the area faced. The teams discovered alarming death rates and thus began the origins of MountainChild, an organisation working to improve the lives of these children.
MountainChild is dedicated to providing essential resources such as food, medical aid, education, and clean water to children at high risk of not surviving due to the harsh living conditions. The organisation takes great care to preserve these children’s cultural integrity and rich history while empowering them through sustainable development techniques.
The focus of MountainChild’s efforts is on the most remote areas of the Himalayas, where people have limited access to medical assistance, clean water, and education, making them vulnerable to child labour and human trafficking. Research conducted by the organisation has identified the people living in the remote mountainous districts on Nepal’s northern border with Tibet as the most in need of assistance.
MountainChild aims to break the cycle of suffering among these vulnerable communities by focusing its development work on remote mountain villages. The organisation hopes to empower mountain children to become beacons of hope within their communities and stop the cycle of suffering.
Through its efforts, MountainChild strives to create sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by these communities, providing the tools necessary to break the cycle of poverty and empower individuals to build a brighter future for themselves and their families.
Overall, MountainChild’s mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable children in the Himalayas, where access to basic resources and opportunities is limited. The organisation’s focus on sustainable development and cultural preservation has made it a valuable partner in empowering these communities and improving their children’s well-being.
The team works on five core issues:
- Health: As per the team, 24,000 children die before the age of five every year in Nepal due to the pervasiveness of poor nutrition, the absence of sanitation, the lack of access to medical care and clean water, and high child mortality rates.
- Trafficking: In Nepal, an estimated 229,000 people are in modern-day slavery, and 23,600 individuals are trafficked, missing or victims of an attempted trafficking each year.
- Education: The remote villages of Nepal are grappling with a severe lack of education, resulting in many issues. The villagers’ ignorance regarding sanitation and hygiene has caused widespread disease and sickness, while their vulnerability to trafficking and susceptibility to child labour have further compounded their troubles. With no prospects for the future, the situation in these villages remains bleak.
- Child labour: Approximately 1.6 million children in Nepal, aged between 5 and 17, are believed to be trapped in underage labour, depriving them of education and perpetuating a cycle of misery for themselves and their families.
- Environment: Erosion and antiquated farming techniques led to a crop loss of 40%. The mountains of the Himalayas present a glaring contrast. The beautiful, snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas provide some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. However, these same mountains create one of the harshest living environments on the planet. The difficulties
- living and farming on this land present enormous obstacles for those living there.
Need more such hands
We need more organisations like MountainChild because there are still many vulnerable communities around the world that lack access to basic resources and opportunities, especially in remote regions. These communities often face multiple challenges, such as poverty, limited access to education, healthcare, clean water, human trafficking, and child labour.
Organisations like MountainChild provide sustainable solutions to address these challenges and empower individuals to build a brighter future for themselves and their communities. Such organisations are crucial in helping to break the cycle of poverty and improve the lives of vulnerable children and their families.
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