Project status: Closed

Country: Nepal

Partner: Internet Society

Impact goal: 1700 people

About the project

Over 1700 Sherpa people living in two villages in Nepal near Mount Everest have no internet access as they are unreachable to traditional operators. With a lack of access to essential services such as healthcare and education and with tourism on the decline due to climate change, the livelihoods of these tourism-dependent people are being impacted. The project is divided into two phases. 48percent will contribute to capacity building among the locals during their digital transition.

Results

The Internet Society’s Everest Community Network project’s first phase was completed successfully in August and has connected more than 110 homes and lodges with a 4 Mbps connectivity to each. The local school, hospital, and community clubs were also connected during this phase. This phase included infrastructure deployment and providing fibre-optic Internet services to the Sherpa residing in the Kunde and Khumjung villages. And laying down an 8.2 Km fibre cable core network covering both villages and installing home Internet connectivity.  

The second phase is local community capacity building and digital transformation through various digital services. The capacity building includes training workshops, while the digital transformation services include online education, telehealth, Sherpa homestay, and a security system. This phase is underway, with two training workshops concluded in September and October 2023. We are exploring a telehealth clinic setup opportunity with the World Telehealth Initiative.

With an average of 4.16 persons per household in Koshi Province, Nepal, we estimate that approximately 450 people benefitted through this initiative. About 25% of the population has Internet access now, based on an estimated 1700 Sherpa people living in the villages of Khunde and Khumjung. Internet access opens the door to more educational possibilities, better healthcare access, and better economic opportunities through tourism. 

Read our blog about the project here! You can also watch their Youtube video about the project here!

Unforeseen challenges

Our original plan was to complete the project work by November 2023. But, due to unforeseen weather situations and transportation and logistics challenges in Kunde and Khumjung, our infrastructure deployment work suffered delays. We aim to complete phase two of our work by early 2024.

About the partner

The Internet Society works towards the internet being a global technical infrastructure. Through collaborations in supporting and promoting the internet, they aim to ensure that the internet enriches peoples lives, and be a force for good in society. The Internet Society's goal is to ensure that the internet is an open, globally connected, secure and trustworthy platform and tool.

Visit their website here to learn more about them.