Austrian Man Vows to Rebuild Dolkha

Josef Einwaller was awestruck by the natural beauty of Nepal on his first visit to Nepal in 1988. He has then visited Nepal more than 45 times and also calls Nepal his second home. “Nepal is my second home,” said Einwaller, a businessman from Austria, who loves mountain climbing and trekking. Einwaller developed emotional bonding and attachment towards the Sherpas during his long mountaineering career.

“The Everest is a Sherpa mountain and it is just because of Sherpas, the tallest peak in the world is alive,” Einwaller shared.

With the 2006 tragic Pumori incident, in which he lost his guide Thundu Sherpa in course of a mountaineering expedition, his aim of life took a slight turn. Since then he has been striving to do something that would help improve the livelihood of the people in Rolwaling area of Dolakha, the hometown of his guide.

“Rolwaling is like Nepal of 50 years ago with no electricity, mobile and internet facilities. It has been completely cut off from those facilities which seem as basic needs of this century of information and communications,” he said. So, he has a dream that at least this village, a complete Sherpa settlement, would have electricity, communication and health facilities.

Einwaller has managed Rs. 2.5 million through crowfunding at his home to construct a four room hospital in Rolwaling. The hospital will be the first ever medical facility in the village and is likely to come into operation from coming October. He also has plans to open hotels and restaurants in this route to promote the entire life of Rolwaling. Apart from that, he is also financially supporting the family of Thundu. According to Thundu’s brother Phurba Tenjing Sherpa, the tenth time summiteer of the Mount Everest, many tourists come to Nepal and leave without a trace. But there are a few like Einwaller who love Nepal and Nepalis from the heart. Einwaller and Phurba scaled the tallest peak together in 2012.

Einwaller, 64, is the oldest climber from Austria to do so. Einwaller was in Kathmandu when the earthquake struck Nepal on April 25. He participated in volunteer works for the survivors of disaster in Gorkha and Nuwakot district.

He and his team are continuously working to support the quake survivors in Nepal, rebuilding the damaged roads, health posts, and community and school buildings.

Einwaller has already provided assistance to construct a Child Development Centre in Nuwakot and temporary buildings for Nigale-based Brhameshwori Lower Secondary School and the Sundarikanya Primary School at Dobhan village.

He is now in Nepal in his mission to help out the disaster survivors and the Rolwaling folks.

Courtesy: The Himalayan Times