Rooted in Humla. Working for an inclusive Himalaya.
HEAD Nepal is a locally led organisation working alongside people with disabilities and other marginalised communities in Nepal’s Himalayan region to expand access to education, health, livelihoods, rights and opportunity.
Founded in Humla in 2011.
Our Story
Himalayan Education and Development (HEAD) Nepal was founded in Humla in 2011 by Chhitup Lama together with members of the local community.
HEAD began with a simple but urgent challenge: children with disabilities living in some of Nepal’s most remote mountain communities were being excluded from education and opportunities because of geography, poverty, inaccessible services and social attitudes.
What began with taking education directly to children through the HEAD Mobile School has grown into a broader effort to address the interconnected barriers faced by people with disabilities and other marginalised communities. Today, HEAD’s work spans inclusive education and rehabilitation, rights and advocacy, skills and livelihoods, health and wellbeing, and community resilience.
Founded from Lived Experience
HEAD Nepal was born from the belief that disability, geography or circumstance should never determine the possibilities available to a person.
Growing up in Humla with a visual disability, founder Chhitup Lama experienced many of these barriers firsthand. That experience shaped HEAD’s commitment to building solutions with communities rather than for them solutions grounded in dignity, inclusion and local leadership.
Our Vision
Our Mission
An inclusive Himalayan region where disability, geography and social exclusion do not determine a person’s opportunities, dignity or ability to participate in society.
To work alongside people with disabilities and marginalised communities to expand access to education, health, livelihoods, rights and opportunities, while strengthening the communities and systems around them.
