Most young people in Nepal's remote mountain regions aspire to pursue a professional career. Yet for many families, the costs of vocational education & training (VET) or higher education are simply out of reach. Weak academic foundations, limited career guidance, and the absence of local training institutions further close the door on opportunities that could change a young person's life.
Lack of Equal Opportunities
A Profession as a Path to Dignity and Independence
In the mountain municipality of Helambu, where iffee has been supporting the school system since 2024, 71% of the young people, which hope to pursue VET or higher education, come from disadvantaged backgrounds and cannot afford the education path they aspire. The project responds with the following measures:
Scholarships
After successful completion of secondary education, talented and motivated young people are supported by scholarships.
Preparation
Stronger academic preparation through e-learning in Mathematics, Science and English helping more young people finish school and pass entrance examinations successfully.
Guidance
A local career guidance office that provides young people with orientation, confidence and practical support on the path to a suitable profession.
Mentoring
Professional guidance and mentoring during VET or higher education, provided through a contact point in the capital Kathmandu or online, so that young people are not left alone on their journey.
The three- or four-year VET or higher education programmes focus on officially recognised diploma and bachelor's courses in hospitality management and tourism, nursing, engineering and IT. These fields open up good job opportunities in Nepal.
Results (Output)
Over the next four years, starting in Juli 2026, 100 young school leavers from Helambu will receive the chance to build a future of their own through targeted support, personal guidance and scholarship for vocational education & training or higher education.
Hotel management school in Kathmandu
Sustainable Change (Outcome)
In the mountain region of Helambu, a model for vocational education & training and higher education is being established so that young people can turn hope into real prospects for their lives.
School leavers in the remote mountain region
The Nepalese Context
In rural Nepal, economic, social, cultural, and geografic barriers prevent many young people from pursuing meaningful VET or higher education. Girls are especially affected. In mountainous regions, they often leave school early to help with farming or household work. Many are sent to urban centers, and sometimes abroad, to work in private households or factories, while others face serious risks of exploitation.
iffee's education initiative also motivates and encourages young people to continue their education and pursue qualified VET or higher education. This is done both through schools and through awareness-raising with families, helping to prevent early school leaving. A special focus is placed on girl's education and equal opportunities because every girl who stays in school gains stronger voice, greater protection, and real chance to shape her own future. At least 50% of the young people selected for scholarships are expected to be girls.
Theeng Hrinchen hopes
to train as a nurse after
completing grade 12.
However, the financial
burden is beyond her
family's means.
Give Young People a Future
Your donation helps to expand our initiative and can change the course of a young person's life. It can turn uncertainity into confidence, exclusion into opportunity and a distant dream into a real profession. With your support, young people in Helambu receive not only access to VET or higher education, but also hope, self confidence and the chance to build an independant life.
We guarantee that 100 % of every contribution goes directly to the projects and, ultimately, to the people on the ground. As a charity-foundation, iffee is tax-extempt under Swiss law, and donations are tax deductible in Switzerland.