About

Hello!

In 2026 my wife Bev and I will be 66 and have decided that we should tackle that landmark year head-on. For we are going to make it the Year of the Sixes as we try to raise £60,000 towards six causes in Nepal that are supported by the charity we founded, Pipal Tree.

General sponsorship that we receive will be allocated proportionately to the following projects:

• Meeting the operating costs of a refuge for rape survivors in Janakpur, south Nepal, that we set up in March 2021: £12,000
• Offering bursaries to eight girls and eight boys from the 'Dalit' ('Untouchable') community that will allow them to complete their higher secondary education: £16,000
• Training sixteen young women from poor rural communities in south Nepal through a six-month tailoring course that will provide them with skills for life and set them up in business: £16,000
• Funding the training and employment of six young deaf women in our urban nature project in Kathmandu, helping them to re-green a city that is gasping for air; £6,000
• Paying the salary of support teacher Jina Tamang at Bhatighadi community school where she is not only an extra pair of hands but a great role model for the girls: £5,000
• Providing for the additional care costs of Santoshi, a four-year-old girl born with an extreme facial deformity that has required a series of reconstructive operations: £5,000

Sponsorship may be made specifically to one or more of these projects; just let me know and I'll make a note!

This will be a team effort where we're inviting other supporters to join us by taking up their own challenges on the theme of six. For our part, we will be taking on SIX European marathons:

• Seville on 15th February 2026
• Barcelona on 15th March 2026
• Milan on 12th April 2026
• London on 26th April 2026 (two weeks later!)
• Lisbon on 23rd October 2026 (date tbc)
• Florence on 29th November 2026

Please do think of how you can join us with your own challenge and drop me a line with your idea. Or, failing that, I'd love you to sponsor us towards transforming the lives of young Nepalese people in this auspicious year!

Best wishes and thanks

Philip and Bev

Pipal Tree receives no government funding in either the UK or in Nepal. We are entirely reliant upon grants from corporates and Foundations alongside gifts that arise from challenges, community fundraising and individual supporters. Please do remember our needs if you are writing or updating your Will (see this link for basic guidance). For further information you can follow this link. If you would like to discuss specific interests, feel free to drop me a line.