Active Hearts Foundation: One drop of water is the start of a mighty river.

We are involved because we really care. Nepal is a huge part of our lives and our friends and co-workers in Nepal are our brothers and sisters, our family. We have the passion, the resources, and the on the ground partners and knowledge to make a real difference.

The Active Hearts Foundation is a group of trekking guides from New Zealand and Nepal who lead expeditions through the Himalaya and want to give something back to the communities they live and work in. The Nepalese are wonderfully humble and caring folk who constantly make trekking tours magic by sharing their homes, culture and friendship. Active Hearts was formed to build our local guides and porters school libraries and assist with other small community projects. We were due to open our first library May 1st 2015 in the remote village of Satobate 100km north of Kathmandu. The village was destroyed by the devastating earthquakes in Nepal on April 25th and May 12th.

All funds and resources were channeled towards the village's immediate survival. The focus was on emergency shelter, food, water, sanitation and medical assistance.

We became an international team of friends with the same purpose. On the ground as a front line aid and relief team uninhibited by red tape and politics. Every cent donated into our charity goes directly to those in need. It is a very personal cause. It was our family and friends out there that needed our help.

We managed to accomplish some amazing things in the months following the quakes, including a new water pipeline in Gogane. Nothing would have been possible without the very generous people around the world who donated and fund raised for us.

Nepal continues to face problems and hardships most of us would have trouble imagining. Although no longer front page news the struggle for many continues. The 'unofficial' blockade on Nepal's southern boarders imposed by India has made life very tough day by day for millions of people. Far more than the earthquake ever did. Not only was fuel and cooking gas no longer entering the country but desperately needed food and most importantly medical supplies were halted also. Though the blockade has eased there is still worry and sometimes minimal imports across the border.

Now we are able to turn our attention once again to library projects. We opened our beautiful Satobate library in Nov 2015, provided medicines and supplies, distributed donated clothing, quilts, laptops, books, toys and messages of support. We led an international group of trekking friends through the remote lower Solu Khumbu regions to assist our friends in Gudel village. We then supplied much needed educational books and laptops to the Gudel village areas. We also sponsored much needed pre and post natal equipment in the Satobate health clinic. In April 2016 we have opened another library in Ainshelu, Kahule in Nukawot near the Annapurna region in Nepal. The highschool there had been destroyed by the earthquake. May 2017 we opened our Sidhing Library nestled beneath the mighty Annapurna ranges.

We continue to distribute donated items to those most in need. A mention and a big thank you must go to our wonderful team of knitters in Hauraki NZ and Fairbanks Alaska.

Exciting times for all as the Hearts team of volunteers and our network of contacts and suppliers on the ground continues to grow. 2018 brings many more projects to complete. As it has been from day one, our focus is on the little ones. The children specifically through education and health projects.

Nothing is possible without our kind donors. Please consider donating to the Active Hearts family.

Peace and love my friends

Thank you and Namaste

Dk and the Active Hearts Himalaya team x

Funds will be used for:

1) building and stocking more school libraries in remote villages in Nepal

2) delivering health services and supplies in remote villages mainly in the area of maternity and infant health

3) community and infrastructure projects such as shelter, safe irrigation for food, and clean water.

Every cent donated into our charity goes directly to those who need. It is a very personal cause.