The Himalayan region is a harsh, unforgiving, physical environment with poor public infrastructure and many communities are often cut off from or without access to basic health and education facilities. The region has low Human Development Index rankings, weak education metrics and opportunities for female students who manage to complete secondary school are limited.
The Himalayan Higher Education Scholarships project will address these problems by providing scholarships to young people wishing to pursue an undergraduate degree at university, prioritising women, those from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds and those from remote, rural communities.
For A$7,500, a three-year full scholarship covering tuition and accommodation will provide these young people with an opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty, improve their living standards and empower them to make a significant contribution to the future development of their communities.
Our goal is to develop a pipeline of promising secondary school students from remote Himalayan communities and to provide scholarships for them to obtain a degree at universities primarily across India, Bhutan and Nepal.