Introducing Ek Dui Teen & Herald International School.

Situated in a beautiful and historically important town of Patan in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, Herald International School is a co-ed elementary school with 115 students between 6 and 12 years old.

The mission of Herald International School (HIS) is to educate, inspire and empower students to become caring, confident and responsible citizens.

"Ek Dui Teen", which means "1 2 3" in Nepali, is an independent organization that shares the same vision as HIS. In addition, Ek Dui Teen|123 seeks to create a platform for young minds to better understand themselves, their culture and community, and the world. To reach out beyond their own communities and geographical boundaries to bridge the gap between the urban (privileged) and rural (underprivileged) populations of Nepal.

On 1st of August 2008, Ek Dui Teen|123 will be carrying out its library building project with the help of the HIS community, involving both students and staff members. 'Hamro Padne Kotha' (Our Reading Room), which I fondly named it on behalf of the kids, will be a dream come true for them. I am imagining the current 10x14 sq.ft. room being transformed into a beautifully painted, simple, efficient, but well-stocked library with an Audio/Visual facility. (The picture below is of the library at its present condition.)


Ek Dui Teen|123 will be collecting children's books, movies and documentaries for the next two months. If you are interested in making a contribution please contact me at shunyataa@gmail.com and please limit the book contributions to paperbacks only. The hardcover book tends to add to the weight. It has been Ek Dui Teen|123's great fortune to receive a gift to hand-pick some of our most sought after children's books from the publisher St. Martin's press, courtesy of The Ratna Foundation, a non-profit organization from Boulder, Colorado.

In the Spring of 2009, Ek Dui Teen|123 will be working with Mountain Professionals, currently with a team climbing Mt. Everest, to bring global geography and cultural learning into the classroom of HIS through Mountain Professionals' "Connecting Continents Project".

The aim of the Connecting Continents Project is to put together a group of trekkers from the USA, Argentina, Chile, and several European countries for an Everest Basecamp Trek for the Spring of 2009 in Nepal. This group will send direct dispatches to classrooms in all the countries involved, and these classes will be linked to each other to share learning not only about the Himalayan region, but also each other's countries, communities and classes.

Ek Dui Teen|123 is also in the process of putting two trips together for the summer of 2009 that will directly benefit HIS and a school/ community in rural Nepal.

1. A community service based travel program in Nepal for middle school.
2. 'Bike 2 Educate' Biking expedition in the Indian Himalayas.

If you are interested in participating, contributing, or simply learning more then please email me at shunyataa@gmail.com or check later with this blog for updated information and details on these trips.

Once again welcome to my blog and thank you all for taking time to read this introduction!