KATHMANDU: Shangri-La Nepal Foundation (SNF), in association with The Juniper Fund (TJF), organized a Livelihood Support Relief Fund Handover Program for widows and children of Nepali mountain workers who lost their lives in the Himalayas.

Under the “Sustainable Livelihood and Capacity Building for Families of Mountaineering and Adventure Tourism Workers Project,” funded by TJF, more than 88 bereaved families have received financial and livelihood support to date, directly benefiting over 350 individuals, according to SNF President Jiban Ghimire.

SNF handed over the financial assistance in the presence of Mingma Chhiri Sherpa, Chairperson of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, as chief guest. Melissa Arnot Reid, Founder and President of TJF, and Christine Hass, Executive Director of TJF, were also present.

Ghimire said the event was more than a formal ceremony to distribute financial assistance. It was an opportunity to remember the mountain workers who lost their lives while making invaluable contributions to Nepal’s mountaineering and adventure tourism industry, to honor their families, and to reaffirm a shared responsibility to support their future.

Appreciating TJF’s long-term support to the families of mountaineering workers, Ghimire said Melissa’s vision, personal commitment, and continued efforts to turn her understanding of the hardships faced by mountain workers and their families into meaningful humanitarian support are truly admirable.

“Her ideas and inspiration have played an important role in establishing and developing The Juniper Fund. Through this organization, families who have lost loved ones in the mountains are receiving support, renewed confidence, and fresh hope,” Ghimire added.

The project aims to help ease the immediate financial difficulties of bereaved families while encouraging them to move toward greater independence, security, and long-term stability.

“Financial assistance becomes even more meaningful when it supports children’s education, creates opportunities for skills training, encourages small businesses and other income-generating activities, and helps families move forward with dignity,” Ghimire said.

According to Ghimire, the project has also organized various livelihood support activities, including leadership training, craft-based skills training, trekking guide training, cooking classes, and hotel management training.

The program also includes entrepreneurship and business development training, organic vegetable farming assistance, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) awareness. Support has also been extended to the Khumbu Climbing Centre to provide mountaineering skills training to aspiring female climbers.