The extent of eco-luxe boutique retreat Pavilions Himalayas The Farm’s support for local charitable and community causes has been revealed with the publication of the latest annual report from Pokhara-based NGO Right4Children.
With sustainability at the core of its DNA, Pavilions Himalayas The Farm’s founding philosophy is to provide life-changing opportunities for the most disadvantaged young people in its local communities whilst working with local resources to protect the environment. According to the latest report from its NGO partner Right4Children, the organic farm retreat has this year sponsored eight students to attend the FAB Hospitality School; provided 10 paid internships for FAB Hospitality School graduates; funded a free primary healthcare clinic for the villagers of Pumdi Bhumdi; and contributed over US$1800 to a road building project to improve access to and from Pumdi Bhumdi.
“Our philosophy is all about giving back. We do this via our three Ws: providing local, sustainable Work to the village community; Wealth, as we reinvest around 50 per cent of all net profits into life-saving, life-changing opportunities for the most disadvantaged children and young people in and around Pokhara; and Wisdom, reflecting our belief that we must protect our environment by operating an ecologically sustainable business model,” says Douglas Maclagan, philanthropist and Founder of Pavilions Himalayas The Farm. To help guests connect with the local community and tap into its purposeful philosophy, Pavilions Himalayas The Farm has created a new three-nightLifetime Experience package which includes joining FAB Hospitality School students for a cooking class and Nepali lunch, visits to local villages and a tour of the hotel’s organic eco farm. Says Maclagan, “Guests will leave feeling uplifted after staying with us, and take something positive away through having left something valuable behind that helps to sustain our social projects. That is what Pavilions Hotels & Resorts is all about: the more you give, the more you get back!”
The latest report from Right4Children demonstrates how Pavilions Himalayas The Farm’s ‘three Ws’ approach is working in practice. By sponsoring local young people through vocational training at the FAB Hospitality School, as well as offering internships to FAB graduates, Pavilions Himalayas The Farm is opening up a clear pathway to work that can provide a viable livelihood and an escape from poverty. Since its establishment in 2017, 81 percent of FAB Hospitality School graduates have been placed in jobs locally and abroad.
Pavilions Himalayas The Farm is also effectively redistributing wealth from its affluent international clients by donating a proportion of its profits to directly fund local charity and community projects. Over the past year this has included continuing to fully fund free primary healthcare for nearly 600 villagers annually via the Pumdi Bhumdi clinic; and contributing over US$1800 to build a road from the village to Pokhara, dramatically improving villagers’ access to the town’s social, health and educational services as well as its economic and employment opportunities – a critical step towards securing the sustainable future development of the community.
“We want guests, beneficiaries and our team members to understand that the wisdom of ‘giving’ is far more beneficial in life than the ‘taking’.” adds Maclagan. The hotel continues to spread this message to guests and tourism partners, showcasing how it prioritises ecological practices over profit with tours of its organic farm, water recycling system and renewable power and methane bio-gas production facilities – as well as to the FAB Hospitality School.
