Prem through commitment, passion and constant dedication has always had a yearning and immense heartfelt desire to develop and improve the very basic Nepalese standard of Education along with seeking economic growth for positive expansion and development throughout the Arupokhari, Aruchanaute and Ratmate villages.

My Home Village
Its one of the most important things in my life to bring maintained ongoing support to these areas as it's my home village. I lived at the village up until I was 15 years of age then I had no choice but to move to Kathamndu to further my education and career, as there were no other facilities for me to use in the village or surrounding areas. This is something that I have always dreamed about doing for my home village.

My school years
I started my schooling years at age five, attended two primary schools the first only held twenty students in the whole school, which was run by two locals with an education level themselves of class 8, they constituted as qualified teachers. I studied at this school for one year, after many problems in the monsoon season along with the constant worry of having to cross dangerous rivers which claimed many children's lives each year, my parents decide to move back to their original home town of Ratmate Village. From here I attended lower primary at Dharapani School which is currently one of our projects. Dharapani primary provided classes right through from one to class 5 and was only a 2 hour walk each day to school, the teaching qualities were a little better.

After completion of class 5 at Dharapani, I walked every day for three hours to and from Aru Durbar lower Secondary school for next 3 years. I then transferred to another school in the Market area "Bhimodaya Secondery School" as this was the only secondary school the existed in the whole area. Having to leave home in the early hours of the morning as it took about one and half hours down to Bhimodaya Secondery School and then on the way home it would take two hours to return to the village from school. It was a constant struggle and large effort to stay focused on studies when my classmates and I knew that we had to walk such long distances six days a week.

Throughout my Primary, Lower Secondary and Higher Secondary School education I attended 6 different schools in total, all schools are within Arupokhari and Aruchanaute area, none of which provide English medium Education, even now.

As there are no colleges around the village area, to further my studies I had to travel to Kathmandu, where I lived, studied and worked to continue my education. I was extremely fortunate to gain a lifelong friend, mentor and Sponsor, Shirley Escott, she provided me the financial support to enable me to complete my collage education, and to Shirley words cannot express my gratification.

Health Experience
As a young child I remember being very sick for many months. Throughout that time my parents had taken me to the market area a number of times for medical treatment, although nothing seem to make me better. They tried visiting the local Sharmen (witch doctor), which also did not heal my internal stomach problems.

After several failed attempts from the market pharmacy and six months of illness, I became very thin and my parents realised it was necessary to make the lengthy trip to Kathmandu. It was a one day walking journey plus an additional day local bus ride on concrete road to access Kathmandu. In the modern world of medicine, my diagnosis was intestinal worms. Needless to say the local market pharmacy unfortunately didn't have the knowledge or skills to make a satisfactory diagnosis. Throughout my life in the village I have witnessed many medical issues ranging from a sore throat, bad coughs, toothaches, headaches along with many wound injuries. In the monsoon season things get much worse as animal faeces, sewage, litter, pesticides all flow into the water sources which leave many with itchy feet, eye problems and many diarrhoea issues to the point that hundreds die during a monsoon season, from this disease.

Village life is very difficult. Many leave to work in the fields from very early morning 6am until 7-8pm at night, throughout this time they don't return home to eat, only if they pass a water stream will they be able to access fluids. They think this life is normal and have no option as the fields require so much work and maintenance, if they were to return home to eat it could mean an hour walk. Many locals leave there illnesses to the point where they are unable to walk before they seek medical attention, they don't keep up the fluids or the food which inhabits the initial problem as they don't have the energy to fight the infection, leaving them very dehydrated and reluctantly it takes much longer for them to heal.

For me a health post in this area will open up the facilities not only for medication, it will service the local people in a much more effective way through health education which will ensure to make sustainable change to the area and local people.

My Parents
My parents never had the opportunity to education themselves, this instilled in their minds further that they would do anything and everything possible to provide their children with the option and opportunity to a basic education. Compare to other families no matter what the sacrifice was, they always made sure I had enough pens and paper to read and write. Working very hard with long tiresome days and even at stages during extreme hardship they borrowed money, all to ensure their children had the basic needs and opportunities. "Now I realise and understand the struggles, poverty and lack of resources they encountered to make certain my brother and I had an education. I'm so proud and appreciative for the gift of education, without it I wouldn't be where I am today."

My parents always knew it would be good to send me to a private (English medium) school but the resources for a basic school let alone an English medium school was not an option. These schools only exist in the city town ship of Kathmandu, the private school entry fees are completely out of reach for 98% of Nepali people in the rural areas.  My feelings are so strong for the life I endured that I feel and dream about the quality of education for young kids and for their future. Through Sambhav Nepal we will provide best opportunity to create a sustainable future for them. 

My Teachers
The early years of my primary school education I don't really remember, the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about my school education is walking those massive hills each and every day, morning and night, sometimes I didn't arrive home till after dark. I have and always will have an immense profound respect for each of my teachers from my heart, as they are the ones that educated me. Teachers that I remember really well from my primary school, "Deviraman Khanal" we all called him "Devi sir" he was my English teacher; he is still at the same school teaching English for the primary level students. My primary school headmaster currently teaches Nepali for the primary level students, being the oldest in the school he never learnt English as he used to teach in Sanskrit language which is not compulsory any more.

Today and Beyond
Currently operating and managing Ace the Himalaya my Travel and Trekking Company in Nepal. Ace the Himalaya offer unique adventure trips and genuine experiences in Trekking, Peak climbing, Mountaineering, Rafting, Wildlife safari, Cultural tours with many other numerous adventure opportunities in Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan.

It's been through my work as trekking guide in past few years and now through my travel business that I have made many foreign contacts, which have been life changing for me. It seems that the more people I meet as time goes by there are many more becoming interested in also making a difference, in many forms not just through monetary donations but also volunteering their skills for English teaching and even to people having contact within the medical field, I believe that the bigger that Ace the Himalaya becomes through networking, Sambhav Nepal will benefit significantly.

I made a pledge to myself to one day register a foundation to seek and offer ongoing learning opportunities while improving facilities for the future generations. I have always believed in giving something back to the local community, Sambhav Nepal is the key to fulfilling that journey for many years to come.

How you can help?
I feel there are many ways in which YOU could help Sambhav Nepal. If you have one or even many networks that you are associated with, for example church groups, sport clubs, Primary and High schools and even corporate contacts that you believe would be interested in supporting or contributing, please contact me prem@sambhavnepal.org for more information. I personally feel that networking is the best option to acquire more opportunity, to gain a wider support base.

So little goes so far here in Nepal, which makes monetary donations the best option, if you wish to contribute a one off donation or even a monthly or yearly contribution please contact me If you have any ideas or you can provide feedback on your past experiences I would be more than glad to hear about them, experience and knowledge is a powerful tool.