In remote communities like the Everest region of Nepal, children as young as 11 are made to carry heavy loads for days at a time and have no chance of receiving the benefits of an education. In response to this, the Australian Himalayan Foundation is working to ensure that these children have access to primary education, with a focus on increasing girls' enrolment rates.

Through high quality education that focuses on the delivery of inclusive, child-friendly teaching approaches that strive to ensure gender equality, the project aims to achieve higher living standards for the community, help alleviate poverty and contribute to the sustainable development of Nepal.

It maintains a focus on increasing girls' access to education, and orientating teachers, parents and the community on the importance of education. Through additional educational support, the project attempts to remove some of the major obstacles preventing girls from attending school.

The key challenge facing education in rural districts of Nepal is not building more schools but improving the quality of the education delivered, so children are equipped with the kind of education that changes lives.

The difference made so far includes the training of 1417 teachers in over 268 schools resulting in increased primary school attendance, increased girls' enrolment rates and increased retention rates of students through to secondary school.

The Australian Himalayan Foundation is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).