Himalayan Hopes is a student-founded charity putting books, learning supplies and enrichment into the hands of children across Nepal — through our flagship Project आभा (Aabha), meaning radiance.
“May the light of this life always remain bright, able to shed light even in darkness.” — The spirit of Project आभा
In September 2026, one of the most devastating floods in Nepal’s recent history claimed around 1,300 lives, left more than 5,000 people missing and uprooted countless families. As part of giving back to the community, Himalayan Hopes directed a portion of its fundraising toward emergency humanitarian relief — packing and delivering daily essential supplies for those affected.
The supplies were handed over by our founder, Ben Pokharel, to Mr. Dan Sharp, Principal of the Secondary School at Lincoln School, and Ms. Anne McGuinness, Lincoln’s Service Learning Coordinator, whose team coordinated the collection of supplies and their delivery to the relevant authorities.
Founded in November 2025 by high-school student Ben Pokharel, Himalayan Hopes believes every child deserves the joy of a good book. Project आभा curates vibrant extracurricular books and creative learning materials — then gets them into classrooms that need them most.
Storybooks, phonics kits, activity and math books, rhymes and mandala art — chosen to grow curiosity well beyond the textbook.
We partner with government and community schools with limited access, helping build reading corners and creative workshops.
Beyond books, our Gorkha flagship is building a science lab, a music room and sports facilities for a whole school.
Shree Mandali Secondary School is the alma mater of Ben’s grandfather and the Chairman Emeritus of BRP Group. Together we’ve already helped build a school library and a computer lab now in daily use. Ben’s fundraiser — running in both Nepal and the U.S. — aims to complete three more:
We onboard schools, listen to their needs and plan the logistics with local support from BRP Foundation.
We travel to each school and run book-donation sessions and reading activities with students and teachers.
We invest in lasting infrastructure — libraries, labs, music and sports — so the impact keeps growing.
Every contribution helps a child in Nepal discover a story — and a school build something that lasts. Join Project आभा today.
