Explorations Company funds a daily school meal programme so that pupils have at least one nutritious meal during the school day, improving concentration, supporting healthy development and enabling them to learn.
What challenges do families face in rural Nepal?
In the rural terraces of Tikhyan, malnutrition and food insecurity are an everyday reality. Most parents are subsistence farmers, and children often eat only an early breakfast before walking to school, then go without food until evening. Nepal has one of the highest rates of childhood stunting in the world, and a national assessment found that around half of children experience acute malnutrition in their first five years, with long-term effects on memory, concentration and cognitive development.
How Explorations Company is supporting the school
The partnership began in 2016, after our founder, Nicola Shepherd, learned during a trekking research trip that many pupils had only a breakfast before leaving home and would not eat again until evening. Working with headmaster Ram Poudel, we helped establish a system that delivers a fresh daily lunch to all 65 pupils. Ingredients are sourced locally from pupils’ families in rotation at market rates, rather than transported a day’s travel by donkey from the valley market, and parents take turns cooking on site.
We are continuing our partnership in the 2026 Impact Programme, pledging $1,200 to fund daily tiffin lunches for every pupil at the school for another year. The programme continues to run successfully, with regular video updates showing pupils receiving their daily meals, taking part in World Environment Day activities, and starting computer classes.
Major achievements and impact to date
The programme has become a reliable part of school life, with attendance and concentration improving as a result. It has also created a closed loop of benefit beyond the classroom, as the income families earn from supplying produce strengthens both learning and livelihoods in a place where access to either is hard-won.
How Explorations Company guests can engage with the programme
Guests on a walking holiday in Nepal’s Annapurna Mountains can visit the school by prior arrangement with your local walking guide. You are welcome to spend time at the school, meet pupils and teachers, and join in preparing and cooking lunch with families as part of the daily rotation.
If you would like to learn more about visiting the school or understanding this work as part of a journey in Nepal, our team can advise. To see how this fits into our wider work, visit our Impact & CSR collection.
