Rotary Club of Cairns Sunrise visiting Nepal

Posted on April 15, 2026 by Angus Mccoll - feature stories

Som tells me “Right now we are in Batase, Rita, Brent and the group are having great time and I was able to explain everything to them and they seem to be inspired and motivated to boost the project and increase fund-raising efforts.”

Rotarians from Rotary Club of Cairns Sunrise are currently visiting Nepal to meet with their counterparts, the Rotary Club of Balaju, who are celebrating 25 years of service. On the agenda is The FHC Project – teacher and student accommodation.

The Rotary Club of Cairns Sunrise have been generous supporters of FHC over many years. In 2021, after Kirsty Nancarrow introduced FHC to the Club, they donated $10,000 to our charity from moneys accrued through a grant and member donations. That money went to developing the school curriculum to include computer classes. We bought new computers, set up internet access, and provided temporary teacher’s wages.

Now, members of the Rotary Club of Cairns Sunrise are visiting Kathmandu and Batase village in person. Their meeting with the Rotary Club of Balaju was a special night of food and speeches at the Yellow Pagoda Hotel in Kathmandu. Both Rotary clubs are united in raising funds for FHC projects through the Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS). The signature project (The FHC Project) for now is to develop the Batase school into an important educational centre for the region. Currently the school curriculum can take students to Year 10. To complete Year 11 and 12, students have to move away to bigger centres like Melamchi or Kathmandu.

The Project aims to expand the curriculum at the Batase school to include these final high-school years. This means attracting quality teachers to the school and to do that, we need quality accommodation for them to feel comfortable to commit to the school longterm. We have the building designs and the land so now we need the funding for construction. The design also includes accommodation space for students coming from a distance to complete their education. Both Rotary Clubs are helping.

It is possible to make donations to this project through the RAWCS website where all donations are tax deductible. Find out more here.

From Kathmandu, the Rotarians from Cairns went on to Batase village to see firsthand their work in supporting FHC. They visited the school where their funds provided vital computer facilities to the school in 2021 and which is now central to the curriculum-development project. Som and the FHC team in Batase are showing them around.

Next stop is the FHC Hostel, where the kids greeted them with style. Rita Zappulla writes “The children at the hostel on Sunday night gave us the most beautiful heart-warming welcome. We were showered in cheers of welcome and so many flowers. We felt so important and cherished. The students did a small concert for us on this first night.”

Rotary Club of Cairns Sunrise is part of an ‘international network of business, professional and community leaders who strive to make the world a better place through practical efforts.’ FHC thanks them for their continued support.