Himalaya-Karakorum-Hilfe e.V. is a registered non-profit association working in the mountain regions of the Himalayas and Karakoram. Our activities are focused on Baltistan, an extremely remote region in the Karakoram mountains. The main emphasis of our work lies on education, particularly the education of girls. Our goal is for our assistance to become unnecessary in the foreseeable future. Our associations's principles are:
“America, the Beautiful – Exploring the Western USA.”
Barbara Hirschbichler gave a charity lecture and shared stories exclusively highlighting the beautiful side of America.
On February 21, 2024, four former students of Karlsgymnasium Bad Reichenhall shared their experiences from their five-week road trip during the summer of 2023 in the school’s auditorium.
100 Peaks for our Projects –
Julian Sandbrink from Schleswig-Holstein aimed to climb 100 mountain peaks by August 2024 to raise funds for 100 school children in Baltistan.
On October 24, Antonie Lindner from Rottal organised a benefit performance by the Lower Bavarian folk band “Could be worse” in Eggenfelden. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved.
In essence, all of our projects are more or less important, but the following are perhaps the four initiatives considered by the locals to have the most significant positive impact.
Girls´ Hostel
The hostel for girls from the mountain villages in the Braldo and Shigar Valleys is located in Skardu, the main town of Baltistan. The project is a wonderful success. It was opened in 2016 and provides accommodation and food for over 100 girls. They attend a nearby school where they can get higher education.
The boys' hostel was opened in 2012. Located in Skardu, it provides accommodation and food for boys from the mountain villages in the Braldo and Shigar Valleys. This gives them the chance to attend higher secondary school. The hostel can accommodate approximately 60 boys.
Since we can only accommodate a limited number of students in our two hostels in Skardu, we have constructed a school for boys and girls in the upper Braldo Valley. This school will give all children from the surrounding villages the opportunity for higher education.
The two jeeps owned by our organisation have been in continuous operation for over 20 years. They facilitate the transport of people, construction materials, food, and other essential goods from Skardu to the mountain villages. Most importantly, they serve as ambulances, transporting the sick to the hospital in Skardu. Many lives have been saved thanks to our jeeps.
We assure you that the misuse of donated funds is virtually impossible Everyone involved in the association works on a voluntary basis. Expenditure for advertising and administration amounts to less than 2% of the total expenses. We deeply appreciate every form of support.
Wir versichern, dass ein Missbrauch von Spendengeldern praktisch ausgeschlossen ist. Alle, die im Verein mitarbeiten, tun dies ehrenamtlich. Die Ausgaben für Werbung und Verwaltung liegen bei unter 2% der Gesamtausgaben. Wir freuen uns über jede Unterstützung.
In the 24 years since the establishment of the registered association, we have implemented hundreds of projects, both large and small. Most of these projects can be categorized as follows: