Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Issue 1 | Page 11

Clean drinking water supply project Computers for schools Royal Mountain Travel has helped in strengthening sustainable local economic development in Panauti, Bungamati and Lubhu through home stay programs for visitors. The project has empowered 20 low-income households in these rural areas by giving them the training and materials they need to start and run their own bedandbreakfastbusinesses.Underthe home stay project, local households, after suitable training, have improved standards required to host guests and have been successful in raising revenue to not only support their families but also to run handicraft businesses.There has been a marked decrease in rural unemployment in these areas after the commencement of our programs. Some rural areas in the Chitwan and Annapurna trekking regions were found to be lacking in clean drinking water supplies due to the drying up of underground water sources and streams. Untimely rains and lack of funds in the local village development committeeshadfurtheraggravatedthe problem, a result of which, the locals as well as private and public organizations were facing a lot of hardship. As a step towards resolving the water crisis, Royal Mountain Travel sponsored the supply of clean drinking water to local primary schools in Chitwan and on the Annapurna trekking route RoyalMountainTravelhasprovided Garimudi Secondary School with some computers and is working with Rural Assistance Nepal (RAN), a UK charity in promoting help to schoolsbyencouragingitsassociates. Koningaap & Shoestring, a Dutch travelcompanyhasalreadydonated computerstotwosecondaryschools, helped with school furniture at a primary school and has provided books and material for setting up a school library in a small community school in Rukkum, a remote and very poor area in Nepal. Computersforschools:BangeswalschoolinPyuthan © RMT Royal MountainTravel has supported a skilled teacher for Kokar Singh Primary School at Panglang village development committee close to the Nepal-Tibet Friendship Highway. Royal Mountain Travel contributes USD 5 earned from every person booked to run its ‘responsibletravel’ related projects. © RMT Teacher support project © RMT Home stay project Shopping for books: new school library © RMT www.royalmt.com.np 11