Travelers joined GRID Alternatives on a life-changing adventure to Nepal in 2024 to learn about Nepali history and culture while installing solar at the Mahila Fader Girls Hostel located in Simikot Bazar, Humla, Nepal.
The hostel is home for 20 girls aged between 6 and 17, and it is not connected to the national electric grid, so the staff and girls rely on flashlights and candles for their evening studies. There are no lights or electricity in the kitchen and bathrooms and they cannot use heaters during harsh winters where it is below freezing for many months. The harsh winters threaten the girls’ and staff’s health and safety. Solar electricity will provide lighting for education, safety, heating, cooling, and for the girls' well-being.
The girls who live at Mahil Fader come from all over the remote places of Humla district in Nepal to attend school. The home is a two-story building with rooms for girls and staff, a kitchen, and a common dining area. The hostel is currently funded local government and has three staff members running operations. Humla is one of the most underdeveloped districts in Nepal, and local communities do not have the funds to pay the taxes that would allow the local government to fund electricity at the hostel.
By installing solar power, we can transform the living conditions at Mahila Fader Girls Hostel. LED lights will illuminate their evenings, laptops and projectors will enhance their learning experience, and electric heaters will keep them warm during the freezing winters. An induction stove will replace the labor-intensive and polluting firewood, making their daily chores more manageable and healthier.
Thanks to our travelers for making this project possible.
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