American Himalayan Foundation

The American Himalayan Foundation (AHF) is a non-profit organization in the United States that helps Tibetans, Sherpas, and Nepalis living throughout the Himalayas. AHF builds schools, plants trees, trains doctors, funds hospitals, takes care of children and the elderly, and restores sacred sites. The San Francisco-based organization also helps Tibetans rebuild and maintain their culture both in exile and inside Tibet. It was founded by Richard C. Blum. The late Sir Edmund Hillary was a Director of the foundation for more than 20 years. Overview The American Himalayan Foundation was established by San Francisco financier Richard Blum after his first trip through the mountains of Nepal in 1968. During this trip, he developed an interest in the local people and the poverty in which they lived. Blum started helping Sherpa children informally, and in 1980 he set up the American Himalayan Foundation (AHF). Because many people in Nepal and Tibet live without healthcare, education, clean water, or bridges connecting remote villages; Blum created the foundation to address these problems.