When communities can lift themselves from poverty and social exclusion, they flourish – despite catastrophic climate change…
When communities can lift themselves from poverty and social exclusion, they flourish – despite catastrophic climate change…
Nepal is the world's tenth most affected country by climate change. Melting glaciers, soaring temperatures, drought instead of monsoon rains, wildfires, lives and livelihoods lost… And the injustice, as is often the case, is that the poorest people who are least responsible feel
the brunt of the impact.
But, with every negative there is a positive, and we know that by adapting quickly and implementing our pioneering educational, environmental and livelihoods projects, we can seize opportunities to help make those
communities stronger, healthier and more prosperous than ever before. Our projects generate tangible economic benefits for each community.
In addition, when the inevitable disasters strike, we stand ready once again to coordinate and deliver emergency relief to those poorest communities.
'We are transforming marginalised rural communities in Nepal by improving access to schools and skills, especially for girls and women, and also, crucially, underpinning our work by addressing the climate crisis. On the one hand we are planting strategic forests as flood barriers and building disaster preparedness, on the other seizing the opportunity to create rapid social change through ecosystem rewilding, enabling
communities to lift themselves from poverty and social exclusion, and genuinely flourish for decades to come.'
Our regional focus is primarily Madhesh Province with some important activities in Bagmati Province, including Kathmandu valley. Madhesh Province is the most populous of Nepal’s seven Provinces and arguably its most overlooked. There are huge barriers to social progress within the Province. A large part of the population lacks Nepalese citizenship and doesn't speak Nepali as a first language. These challenges are compounded by ethnic, gender, religious, and caste discrimination.
The Pipal Tree is native to south Asia and is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists. It is often to be found in the centre of Nepalese towns and villages where it is a focus for community gatherings and devotion. It therefore epitomises our community engagement and reforestation programmes. And besides that, its distinctive leaves provide artistic inspiration, including at our Lily's Leaves silver jewellery workshop in Kathmandu!
Lt Col (Retd) Philip Holmes OBE MSc founded Pipal Tree in January 2015 and runs it from his home in Devon where he is supported by his wife, Bev. That arrangement keeps our costs down! Philip is passionate about networking and collaborating with other small charities to ensure precious funds are used effectively and without duplication. To that end, Pipal Tree is a key member of the Britain and Nepal NGO (BRANNGO) network where we chair the Environment and Climate Change Working Group.
Philip was appointed OBE in the 2023 New Year's Honours List in recognition of his 23 years' support to vulnerable people in Nepal. In March 2024 he ran the Rome Marathon raising £5,000 for Pipal Tree, this being his sixth marathon in support of his work in Nepal. He has his sights set on a seventh - the Barcelona Marathon in 2025!
In these challenging times for Nepal we need to identify local leaders who have the spirit and energy to engage with environmental and social challenges. And we have found them in the form of Lily Katuwal KC and Dev Narayan Mandal. Lily founded social enterprise 'Lily's Leaves' and Dev the NGO 'The Mithila Wildlife Trust'. These two dynamic entrepreneurs implement our projects on the ground while we provide the tools (and the funds) they need to make it all happen.
And importantly, we are great friends who share a common vision for a better Nepal that works for all its people, giving everyone the chance to flourish and excel.
Lily Katuwal KC is impatient. She is always racing around, determined to make Nepal a better place for everyone. Lily:
Click on Lily's image to see her at work!
Dev loves his home village in south Nepal. So much so, that he returned to live there again in 2013 after some years of working in Delhi. He was determined to restore the forests and prospects for desperately poor communities in the surrounding Districts.
Click on Dev's image to hear him tell his story
We stand ready to help vulnerable people when natural disaster strikes and that includes through climate change (e.g. floods). We are building up an emergency relief fund that allows us to respond immediately and save lives. At the same time we are working to help displaced people and communities to be better protected and more able to withstand the inevitable future crises.
At a time when Nepal is experiencing its worst wildfires ever, we are planting trees that grow ten times faster than normal. That's because we are pioneering the use in Nepal of the 'Miyawaki Method' of rapid reforestation. We have used this in combination with rewilding to restore exhausted farmland in the south to how it once was and ugly public spaces in Kathmandu to become urban forests.
We are encouraging and supporting children (especially girls) from the 'untouchable' community in south Nepal to attend schools through our innovative 'Community Learning Centre' model. At the Lily's Leaves training centre in Kathmandu we are also helping vulnerable young women, including some deaf women, to learn skills that lead into good employment and towards setting up their own businesses.
Resilience is more than bouncing back; it's about growing despite challenges. This is our mantra as we support communities in the Kamala River basin, south Nepal, who are at risk of further devastating floods. For not only are we reinforcing defences but we are also introducing new educational and livelihood opportunities. These will help people who have been displaced by previous floods.
We are creating a wildlife corridor to connect Nepal's wooded Chure Hills with the isolated Dhanushadham Protected Forest on the southern plains. This umbilical cord will allow safe passage of wildlife, including ungulates and elephants, and reduce the risk of human-wildlife conflict. And part of the forest will serve as a Gurkha Memorial Forest, honouring the past heroism of Nepal's sons.
We helped found social enterprise Lily's Leaves in 2020 and, forgive the pun, it's really branching out. Skills training is being extended into rural areas and young women are receiving grants and loans to help them set up their own tailoring businesses. Lily has also launched an urban reforestation programme in Kathmandu and is building community learning centres in Madhesh Province.
We can accept donations in any major currency either as a one-off or as a regular gift. And if you are a UK taxpayer, we can add 25% to your donation as Gift Aid. Just visit our secure online site through the button below or, if you prefer, just send a cheque to the charity postal address in sunny Devon! We use all Gift Aid tax reclaims to help us meet our general operating costs. You can find a Gift Aid declaration form in the Downloads section below. You only need to complete this once to cover all future gifts.
Would you like to fundraise for us? You can use the button below to set up your own personal fundraising page - that's the easy bit! You might like to organise an event for a few friends, or take up a personal challenge such as a trek, a race or jumping out of a plane. Maybe you'd like to set up a page to celebrate a special event such as a birthday or anniversary or an in memoriam site for a loved one who has passed away. We are very happy to advise. Whatever you choose, thank you!
If you are writing or updating your Will, please consider leaving us a small bequest after you have made allowance for your loved ones and other causes that you care about. Just follow this link to see the difference that a gift in your Will could make to our work in Nepal. For detailed information and a step-by-step guide on Will writing click on the link below. Once there, you can find us by using the 'Find a Charity' button.
We have trained young deaf women at our Lily's Leaves social enterprise to become talented silversmiths. Their distinctive products are available to purchase either wholesale (see the catalogue under Downloads) or retail through the Gurkha Museum online shop. Each sale helps us to train and employ more deaf women who are highly stigmatised in Nepal.
We mainly communicate by email but we believe strongly in treating our supporters with respect. We take pride in not being intrusive or haranguing, confining our correspondence to brief updates and requests that we issue monthly, on average. We don't share supporter details with anyone else and you can of course opt out at any time.
Clearly, there is a plethora of social media that we could use to present our work. However, as a small charity, we only have the resources to feature regularly on two platforms. You can follow us on LinkedIn or like us on Facebook. Maybe you can invite your Facebook friends to mark your birthday with a gift to Pipal Tree? That won't cost you anything!
The Pipal Tree charity Nepal-themed Christmas cards are just stunning. Through the Making a Difference site, you can support our work while getting just about everything you could possibly want from Christmas cards in postal or e-format.
In April 2024 our Founder Philip Holmes delivered a TEDx talk in which he described how ripples of change followed the tragic death of his first wife, Esther Benjamins. Don't miss Philip's inspirational story through the link below.
Alex Reynolds
CEO
"I am honoured to share my experience with Pipal Tree, which was Teacher Horizons' charity of the year in 2023. Having previously taught in Nepal, I was deeply impressed by Pipal Tree's innovative Community Learning Centre model, which provides vital support to children from the lowest castes. Moreover, I was amazed by how Pipal Tree effectively doubled Teacher Horizons' contribution through a Big Give appeal, maximizing the impact of our support. The inspirational work of Philip Holmes, the Founder, continues to make a profound difference in the lives of countless children and communities."
Rob Salamon
Field Advisor
Lloyd George Asia Foundation
“I have known and worked with Philip for a number of years, both in the remote countryside of Nepal and in Kathmandu. I have always been struck by the intense dedication he brings to his work -- helping poor and vulnerable communities, especially children -- as well as his integrity, clear-sightedness and his genuine compassion for people in difficult or dangerous circumstances. I believe his devotion to helping others has been grounded on Philip's personal life experiences, his intelligent understanding and appreciation of the challenges presented by charitable undertakings, his honesty, and his strength of character.”
Founder and Executive Director
“I have been working with Philip since 2007, and I am extremely grateful for his leadership in the field and his partnership.
Philip is a person of the highest integrity. He has a beautiful vision of giving the most vulnerable women and children the means to lift themselves out of poverty and exploitation. No matter what obstacles he faces (and they have been many), Philip remains steadfast, and quickly adapts to overcome problems and move forward.
Philip and his team were instrumental in eradicating a most destructive form of slavery: the trafficking and exploitation of Nepali children into Indian circuses, where they experienced severe sexual and physical abuse. Philip courageously led rescue raids of the circuses, brought kids home to Nepal, and created shelters where they could recover, and facilitated their return to families in cases where this was possible. He worked not just on one aspect of the issue, but holistically, on all aspects of the problem from prevention to rescue to aftercare to reintegration. His current projects are equally impactful, and I'm excited to see more and more lives changed and communities transformed.”
Nigel Clarke
Former Head of Information Design and Brand, Heathrow Airport
“You hay have heard of the saying 'If you want to get something done, give it to a busy man'.
I first met Philip over 20 years ago when he was certainly very busy! He devised an event to raise funds for his charity at The Drapers’ Hall in the City of London. He formed a team with different skill sets to help deliver the event, then had a plan for the proceeds which delivered tangible actions and results - so you could see first-hand where your money went. In this case, he set up an art studio in Nepal where the rescued children were trained and created pieces of art. They had new purpose which ended in tangible achievements.
Philip is well organised, reliable and robust. But most of all he can be trusted to deliver. You know with him that there will be actions and results and you can be sure he will be driving it.”
VICTVS is a UK-based company that specialises in supporting learners worldwide (just like us!) and in providing exam solutions, including invigilation. The company has been providing core financial support since 2021.
The Mountain Company is an award-winning specialist UK-based tour operator that has clients from all around the world. It organises treks of a lifetime to the Everest and Annapurna regions in Nepal, with safety being of paramount importance. The company has been supporting our Gurkha Memorial Forest project, with the reforestation reflecting their commitment to carbon offset and sustainability.
Her Future Coalition is a U.S. non-profit founded by Sarah Symons in 2005 that adopts a real "can-do" approach. It creates powerful and positive change in the lives of women and girls in Nepal and India who are highly vulnerable or trafficking survivors. Her Future Coalition breaks the cycle of poverty and exploitation by providing education – and a full range of services that support education – including training in silver jewellery skills. Her Future Coalition has provided us with funding support and with silversmiths as volunteer trainers.
Fondazione La Lomellina is a Swiss Foundation that supports projects involving the respect, development and protection of nature and the animal world, as well as the promotion of education and an increase in culture in these contexts. It is the main donor in our two-year Dhanushadham Wildlife Corridor project,
Just email, write (we love receiving good old-fashioned letters!) or give us a call. We are very happy to set up a Zoom call or a face-to-face meeting to discuss funding opportunities.
Three Ways, Ledstone, Kingsbridge, Devon TQ7 2HQ, United Kingdom.
+44 (0)1548 852816 philip@pipaltree.org.uk Pipal Tree is a UK registered charity, reg. no. 1159770 We are registered with The Fundraising Regulator, ID-081855
