Many people who visit the Himalaya fall in love with both the mountains and her people. However, the level of poverty and tragic circumstances that some of the locals are suffering from often results in a desire to help. Of course, you can take some time to really think about the Impact of Your Trek and you might also want to consider adding greater purpose to your journey.
If you want to read an inspiring story, see this amazing Trail Talk blog from Patti Shales Lefkos!
The GHT is designed to help local communities by encouraging trekkers to visit areas ‘off the beaten track’ in the belief that any help is better than no help. All of the GHT programs and initiatives currently operating including GHT Check-In Points and sustainability training programs with Local Operators, rely on donations and volunteer assistance, so if you want to get involved and make a positive difference there is always a cause to suit.
If you’re in Kathmandu
If you are providing support to someone attempting a long section of the GHT you might, in your spare time, want to offer your services to a local organisation. The notice board at Kathmandu Guest House in Thamel is a good place to begin searching for an organisation that matches your interest. There are also some websites (www.ngofederation.org, www.ain.org.np and www.nepalngo.org) that list registered organisations.
On a final note, you might like to check the prisons to see if there are any foreigners doing time. They always appreciate visitors, and gifts such as fresh fruit, bread, cigarettes and batteries. The food supplied in prisons is meagre and not good quality, so any supplement you can give is welcome. These people are not supported by their embassy and rely on the kindness of strangers to get by.
Who to Help?
The financial benefits to a community are obvious in the main trekking regions of Everest, Annapurna and Langtang. But when you visit the remoter regions of the GHT it becomes apparent that even US$10 can make a difference to some villages. By spreading your dollars along the GHT, you directly help to alleviate poverty and address enormous wealth disparities.
For anyone wanting to make a difference for the better, the GHT offers many opportunities to support almost countless causes along the trail either through direct contributions or sponsorship of your trek. If you choose to help a local NGO you should carefully check its credentials, but here is a list to help point you towards some interesting organisations that the author can personally vouch for:
Local NGOs in Nepal
PEMA’s details
Kathmandu Environment Education Project (KEEP: keepnepal.org) works to ensure the future ecological and cultural prosperity of Nepal and its people by maximizing the benefits and reducing the negative impacts associated with tourism.
Maiti Nepal (maitinepal.org) prevent human trafficking by reaching out to the community, particularly children and women, by raising the awareness level of communities and extending life skills so that children and women are not trafficked into different forms of abuse including exploitation.
Phase Nepal (phasenepal.org) operate throughout Nepal to improve the livelihoods of rural people by providing immediate support through health care and education services, and to create opportunities in communities for self-empowerment.
Phase Nepal (phasenepal.org) operate throughout Nepal to improve the livelihoods of rural people by providing immediate support through health care and education services, and to create opportunities in communities for self-empowerment.
Right4Children (R4C: right4children.org) is based in Pokhara and dedicated to improving the lives and living standards of disadvantaged children, youth and their families through programs and services that they feel are right for them, in making their hopes and dreams come true.
Shakti Samuhar (shaktisamuha.org.np) is the world’s first organization which has been established and run by the survivors of human trafficking and works to ensure social justice for victims and those who are at high risk of such trafficking by empowering, informing and organizing the women and girls from the community level.
INGOs related to the GHT who are working somewhere in the Himalaya
HDFA’s (hdfa.org) mission by 2030 is to ensure access to education for all children in the remote Kanchenjunga and Indrawati communities of Nepal. We believe having children in school is the best way to break the illiteracy-poverty cycle and counter the risk of child trafficking. Our work also extends to health and livelihood improvement activities in order to give parents the capacity to send their children to school. We are a small and passionate team, dedicated to working in very remote Himalayan areas that large-scale organisations overlook.
Supporting Nepal’s Children (supportingnepalschildren.org.uk) Giving young people in Nepal greater choices in life
through access to quality education and vocational skills. We are a small group of volunteers whose hearts were captured by Nepal during a successful Everest Expedition in 2012. Ever since then, we have been looking for ways to help. We are dedicated to improving the life and choices of young people in the remote areas, away from recognised tourist trails, through the ongoing development of local, quality education and training. We are 100% a voluntary organisation, we use donations to re-equip schools and build Vocational Schools where young people can learn trades and fulfil their dreams.
Australian Himalayan Foundation (australianHimalayanfoundation.org.au) runs a number of projects in education, health & medical services and the environment, mainly in the lower Solu-Khumbu area. It aims to ensure, where possible, the long-term viability of schools, to provide health, education and medical services and to support environmental projects for remote communities.
The Hillary Himalayan Trust (Himalayantrust.co.uk) founded by Sir Edmund Hillary is perhaps the most famous of the INGOs operating in Nepal. Its successes in the Sherpa region of the Solu-Khumbu have been outstanding and are considered to be a role model for best practice by many.
International Porter Protection Group (IPPG; ippg.net) works to improve the conditions of mountain porters in the tourism industry worldwide and is very active in Nepal. With representatives throughout the world, it is possible to assist this organisation both at home and overseas.
Ten Friends (tenfriends.org) is a group of people who work in the Sankhuwasabha (between Kanchenjunga and Makalu), who first started donating emergency stretchers to remote villages. They are now involved with orphanage and school programmes, water filtration, sanitation and female empowerment projects in both East Nepal and Kathmandu.
GHT Finishers By Country – October 2025
