Fat Media have pledged £15,000 over the next five years to the unique Kunde Hospital, Nepal, which will fund and expand a Mid-Wife Program in the Solu-Khumbu area.
The hospital was founded by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1966 and is situated 3,840 metres above sea level in the shadows of Mount Everest; serving 8,000 local people. The village of Kunde is incredibly isolated, a hard 6-day (125 km) walk to the nearest road or a 10-hour walk (20 km) to a hillside airstrip.
Kendal based Fat Media owner, David Durnford, is a keen traveller and mountaineer who has followed the story of The Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation for many years and has been inspired by their work. From the early 1960s, Sir Edmund Hillary’s expeditions had a focus on improving the health and social welfare of the people of Nepal, including the improvement of water supplies, the building of schools, bridges and an airstrip at Lukla; in 1966 along with overseas volunteers and local people the Kunde Hospital was built
David explains why he chose to support the foundation through Fat Media:
"The work of the Kunde Hospital and the vital service it supplies to the local people is an incredibly achievement in itself - it is effectively a hospital on top of the world!
We wanted to support something different and this project demonstrates continued innovation, dated back incredibly to 1966. The hospital is now run completely by local people and with extra donations from supporters like ourselves, new projects such as the Mid Wife Program can be realised.”
The above photo shows David with his family on a visit to the region.
It is hoped that the ongoing support from Fat Media and other businesses in the UK and around the world will keep the Kunde Hospital running well into the future and allow them to advance even further.
To learn more about the project and the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation visit: www.thesiredmundhillaryfoundation.ca