Eastern Himalayan Foundation

We are incredibly proud of Pratik Dahal and his transformative journey over the past two years with the Eastern Himalayan Foundation. His passion for youth involvement, community welfare, and development of safe environments for young minds to flourish has significantly enhanced our cause. Thanks, Pratik, for infusing heart, creativity, and meaning into your work—your "mind and body connect" initiative has been a lovely reminder that lasting change begins with mindful care. Here's to building more robust, resilient mountain communities, together!

Sonali Lahiri, our communications trainer, has been an integral part of the Eastern Himalayan Foundation since the very beginning. Here's a message from her reflecting on her journey with EHF: "Having studied in Darjeeling and then moved to Kolkata for college in the 1970s, I came to recognize the strength that comes from growing up and learning in a hill station like Darjeeling. I always wanted to give back what I received during those formative years—a quiet confidence and a resilience that the mountainous terrain instills quite naturally. Despite advances in technology, students in Darjeeling still lack opportunities to engage with people from diverse backgrounds and abilities. The Eastern Himalayan Foundation has thoughtfully built into its programme an effective and diverse learning module. It brings in a variety of resource people, along with the core team, to interact meaningfully with the students. The internship model, in particular, encourages students to step out of their comfort zones, travel to other cities, experience different work environments, and meet new people. I’m glad to see that the course has been so well designed and is being executed with great care to truly benefit the participants. In my role as a Communications specialist, I brought a lot of rigour into the sessions—using games and activities to draw out the potential I saw in the students. Naturally, many were hesitant to open up at first. But once they sensed that I was part of the group, they really gave it their all. Language is often perceived as a barrier, but my courses are designed to help students overcome such challenges with ease. I wish EHF every success in their continued work of building confidence and empowering hill communities. What Mashqura and her team are doing is truly a labour of love. I hope EHF goes from strength to strength." - Sonali Lahiri, Trainer, Communications. #EasternHimalayanFoundation #YouthEmpowerment #Darjeeling #Kalimpong Mashqura Fareedi MESANG SHERPA Pratik Dahal Azar Ali Ansari BRIHAT RAI Abhilash Kumai Pallavi Basu

We've wrapped up the sixth residential training for the third cohort of the Trailblazer Fellowship! This session focused on understanding conflict and exploring effective resolution strategies, along with a special workshop on mental health and goal setting by clinical psychologist Mr. Bivek Pradhan. We're deeply thankful to him for sharing his time and insights with our fellows. We also held dedicated sessions to assess the fellows’ community projects and understand the outcomes they are working toward. It was inspiring to see the range of initiatives and the impact they’re aiming to create. With just one more residential training to go before this cohort graduates in May, we at EHF continue to grow and learn alongside our fellows and the wider student community. It’s been an enriching journey so far! Applications for the fourth cohort open in the third week of May — stay tuned to our website and social media for updates! Abhilash Kumai MESANG SHERPA #Trailblazer #Fellowship #EasternHimalayas #Darjeeling #Kalimpong #YouthEmpowerment

Eastern Himalayan Foundation is participating in FAST PITCH 2025 and sharing the story of our impactful work.  Support us by registering and attending the event on 24th April 2025 at 5:30 PM. REGISTER NOW - https://lnkd.in/gFNM4Erh Look forward to seeing you all where Mashqura Fareedi will pitch to raise funding to empower young people to identify and solve issues through non-violent, hyperlocal solutioning. #FastPitch2025 #SocialImpact #engagedphilanthropy #svpindia #ngos Mashqura Fareedi Rohan Iyer Gautam Karajgi MESANG SHERPA Pratik Dahal Azar Ali Ansari BRIHAT RAI Abhilash Kumai Pallavi Basu Sriram V Pritha Choudhury Anshu Gupta Sonali Y. Tarak Mojumdar Jyotsna Sitling Shemeer Babu Shravan Shetty Mudar Patherya Ravi Chopra

Join us at Fast Pitch 2025 to champion impactful ideas and drive meaningful change. Register here  https://lnkd.in/gFNM4Erh

Meet Mashqura Fareedi , Founder and CEO, Eastern Himalayan Foundation, a startup of Impact Orbit- Tech-Enabled Social Innovations Program, is nurturing youth leadership in the eastern Himalayan mountain communities of India. If you are also a non-profit venture, who is looking for right guidance to build a sustainable and scalable business model. Then, Impact Orbit- Tech-Enabled Social Innovations Program is the right fit for you! Apply Here- https://lnkd.in/eQAGiuKh Learn more about the program here- https://lnkd.in/gGqRsPpk Capgemini Nachiket Kulkarni Chitvan Chamadia Rameez Roshan Atlanta Madhukalya #NSRCEL #Impact #TechforGood #Secrtion8 #ForProfit #NonProfit #ImpactOrbit #startups #socialentrepreneurs

The fifth residential training of the Trailblazer Fellowship has concluded, and we are deeply thankful for all the memorable moments we experienced together. It was truly inspiring to witness the outstanding projects being spearheaded by our fellows and their teams. A heartfelt thank you to the esteemed civil society leaders who attended the final day for the Fellows' Project Pitch. Your presence greatly enriched the event, and your valuable feedback will surely propel the projects toward success. Our respected guests for the day were: 1) Anmole Prasad - Eminent lawyer. 2) Suraj Mani Pradhan, Teacher, Ganesh High School, Kalimpong. 3) Pasang Bhutia - Development Professional. 4) Praveen Chettri - Photographer, Restaurateur and Co-Founder of The Confluence Collective. Additionally, we are thrilled to see that other students attending the training were also inspired to start their own community projects, creating a ripple effect of positive change. The energy and passion in the room were contagious, and we can't wait to see the impact these new initiatives will have. The journey doesn’t end here — together, we are creating a powerful movement for change. #YouthEmpowerment #Community #Education #Trailblazer #Kalimpong #EasternHimalayan Mashqura Fareedi Abhilash Kumai Pallavi Basu MESANG SHERPA Pratik Dahal Azar Ali Ansari BRIHAT RAI Ekansh Prasad

The EHF team is in Kalimpong for a residential training bringing together over 40 students from Colleges across Darjeeling and Kalimpong. On Day 1, our Trailblazer Fellows presented their ongoing community projects, addressing important social issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, mental health, sex education, and the documentation of cultural practices. It is truly inspiring to witness these young leaders tackle critical challenges while striving to make a tangible impact in their communities. Day 2 featured an insightful session led by Ms. Tashi Sherpa, Secy, District Legal Service Authority (DLSA), Kalimpong, who shared her expertise on legal aid and the operational framework of legal systems. This was followed by an engaging presentation from the Bal Surakcha Abhiyan Trust team, who helped students understand the legal framework that aids their work on child and women's rights. As we move into Day 3, our fellows are preparing to present their project pitches to a group of civil society leaders from Kalimpong. We are confident that this training will equip them with the necessary tools and knowledge to further their impact. We extend our sincere gratitude to the DLSA and BSA teams for their invaluable contributions to this training. Their sessions have provided invaluable insights that will undoubtedly benefit our fellows in their continued efforts to drive positive change. We look forward to further collaborations in the future. Mashqura Fareedi Pallavi Basu Abhilash Kumai MESANG SHERPA Pratik Dahal Ekansh Prasad Azar Ali Ansari BRIHAT RAI #YouthLeadership #CommunityDevelopment #Trailblazers #LegalAid #DishaCentre #KalimpongTraining

Meet Our Fast Pitch 2025 Coaches! Eastern Himalayan Foundation has embarked on its Fast Pitch journey, being coached by SVP India Partners. We are excited to introduce our coaches Rohan Iyer, Gautam Karajgi, and Pulkit Jhunjhunwala who are supporting us in refining our NGO's narrative and pitch to make a lasting impact during the Fast Pitch event. Mashqura Fareedi Sherry Yezdani Ravishankar Iyer #fastpitch #engagedphilanthropy #svpindia #ngos

We are thrilled to share that Eastern Himalayan Foundation has been selected for SVP India Fast Pitch cohort 2025. #fastpitch2025 #engagedphilanthropy #svpindia #ngos