OUR Mission Statement
“Human Outreach Project (HOP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit conceived on the premise that trekkers could – and should – give back to the communities in which they travel. HOP works in areas surrounding World Wide Trekking expedition sites in remote areas of Tanzania, Nepal, Peru and at home in Utah. With a particular focus on youth, HOP partners with communities to identify local needs and co-create sustainable solutions to improve health and education.”
“I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.”
– Stephen Grellet
Guiding Principles
Vision
HOP envisions a world where basic opportunities, such as quality education and healthcare, are available to all, and where trekkers and adventurers give back freely to the communities that help them achieve their goals.
Building relationships and working with local communities to identify their needs, creating long-term and sustainable programs to enhance overall livelihood. Each project is a gradual process, operating in step-by-step phases, with constant follow-up.
Roots of HOP
Human Outreach Project (HOP) is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization founded by Dean Cardinale. As Dean guided groups of climbers and trekkers in remote mountainous locations, he witnessed firsthand the poverty suffered by the residents. Knowing that he and others would return, he was determined to give back in a way that would be sustainable and empower local individuals and communities.
The catalyst for the creation of HOP was a tragedy. Ang Pasang Sherpa, the Sherpa guide who summited Mount Everest with Dean on May 30, 2005, perished tragically in an avalanche shortly after their climb. Ang Pasang was survived by his wife, Dawa Sherpa, and three children. Dean decided to do whatever he could to help this family recover and survive. Their futures were radically changed through the support and opportunities provided through HOP.
Since its beginning, HOP has operated in tandem with its sister company, World Wide Trekking (WWTrek). WWTrek provides guests with adventure opportunities around the globe, while HOP ensures that we positively impact the places we travel.
HOP now works in areas surrounding remote expedition sites in Tanzania, Nepal, and Peru, with a main focus on children. The partnerships established through long-term commitments to these communities help create collaborative and sustainable solutions.
HOP History
2005
TRAGEDY INSPIRES CREATION OF HOP
Ang Pasang Sherpa, the Sherpa guide who summited Mount Everest with Dean on May 30, 2005, perished tragically in an avalanche shortly after their climb. Ang Pasang was survived by his wife, Dawa, and three children, Lhakpa, Maya, and Dawa. Dean made the decision to do whatever he could to help this family recover and survive. A true tragedy, and the catalyst event that inspired the creation of HOP.
2007
SUPPLIES ARE TREKKED TO CLINICS IN NEPAL
Dean visits the Himalayan Children’s Foundation, and treks dental supplies to the Namche Dental Clinic and Kunde Hospital. He also spends time taking Ang Pasang’s children shopping for basic necessities.
HOP RECEIVES NONPROFIT STATUS
HOP receives 501(c)(3) status, and donates medical supplies to the Usa River Medical Clinic in Tanzania.
2008
SUPPLIES DONATED TO MEDICAL CLINIC AND ORPHANAGE IN TANZANIA
With the help of adventurous World Wide Trekking guests, medical supplies are again delivered to Usa River Medical Clinic. HOP donates hygiene supplies to Mama Lucy Orphanage. We sadly discover corruption that discourages future donations, so instead take initiative to start an independent program that will support orphans.
BANK ACCOUNTS CREATED FOR ANG PASANG’S CHILDREN
HOP opens educational savings accounts for Ang Pasang’s three children. Dean delivers school and recreational equipment to the Himalayan Children’s Foundation. He once again treks dental supplies to the Namche Dental Clinic, plus basic supplies to a local orphanage.
2009
VOLUNTEERS BUILD CORRAL AND PURCHASE TWO COWS FOR ORPHANAGE IN TANZANIA
Volunteers Victoria Gregg and the Sullivan family raise money to purchase two cows for the Kilimanjaro Children Joy Foundation Orphanage. Student volunteers help build a corral to house them.
LAND IS PURCHASED FOR KILIMANJARO KIDS COMMUNITY
Student volunteer Alexandra Grossman collects various supplies including school supplies, hygiene kids, and sporting goods for HOP to deliver to the HoPe foundation, a
HOP DELIVERS SUPPLIES TO THE HOPE FOUNDATION IN PERU
Student volunteer Alexandra Grossman collects various supplies including school supplies, hygiene kids, and sporting goods for HOP to deliver to the HoPe foundation, a program dedicated to improving the lives of the indigenous people of the Andes.
2010
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION STARTS AT KKC
Construction of the pavilion, dormitories, guest toilet facilities, and the kitchen storage area (initially used as the temporary kitchen) provided jobs to local men in need of work.
2011
SPONSORSHIP FOR NAMCHE DENTAL CLINIC
SUPPLIES DONATED TO HIMALAYAN CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION
HOP donates medical supplies, clothing, and hygiene kits to the Himalayan Children’s Foundation.
HOP TEAMS UP WITH MORAN EYE CENTER
With World Wide Trekking and HOP managing logistics, doctors carried out over 400 cataract surgeries in Dodoma, Tanzania.
2012
THE KKC OPENS ITS DOORS
With government approval, the HOP Kilimanjaro Kids Community opens its doors to 12 children and several staff members, and begins to shape into a family.
HOP DELIVERS SUPPLIES TO COMMUNITIES AND A CLINIC IN PERU
HOP delivers two sewing machines to communities that can use them to create revenue. Clothing, hygiene kits, and school supplies are donated to the San Juan de Dios Clinic.
2013
FIRST ANNUAL VETERANS OUTREACH PROGRAM
First annual Veterans Outreach Program takes place during the holidays, delivering groceries to Veterans and their families.
PROGRESS CONTINUES AT THE KKC
Cow project starts at the KKC to provide extra milk and income. Construction of a water tower is completed. The children begin receiving tutoring to prepare them for private school. Gardens and livestock flourish, and the community becomes increasingly self-sustaining.
HOP FACILITATES CATARACT INTERVENTION IN NEPAL & DONATES MORE SUPPLIES TO NAMCHE DENTAL
HOP facilitates a cataract intervention surgical program with the Moran Eye Center and Jiri Eye Camp. We trek in more dental supplies to the Namche Dental Clinic, plus assist Pasang’s children in visiting family in a remote village.
2014
THE KKC CHILDREN START PRIVATE SCHOOL
The children are accepted into private school. Improvements on the learning center, kitchen, and storage room begin. A Land Cruiser is purchased for the HOP KKC for safe school transportation.
VETERANS OUTREACH PROGRAM GROWS
Veterans Outreach Program grows, providing food and gift cards to over a dozen families in Utah during the Holidays.
HOP SPONSORS CHOCOLATADA FESTIVAL IN PERU
HOP sponsors a Chocolatada Festival, for the children of the tiny village of Pashpa, to celebrate Christmas. The event brought 500 local families together, and gifted toys to boys and girls.
SUPPLIES TREKKED TO NAMCHE DENTAL CLINIC
We again trek in dental supplies to the Namche Dental Clinic. Additional deposits made into the educational savings accounts for Pasang’s children. HOP hosts “Sherpa Relief Fundraiser” at Snowbird to benefit the families of those lost in the devastating avalanche.
2015
EARTHQUAKE DISASTER RELIEF IN NEPAL
After a devastating earthquake hits Nepal, HOP travels to the hardest hit areas with supplies, equipment, and is joined by 4 trauma surgeons to help in the relief efforts. Medical supplies are donated to the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA).
SOLAR POWER IS BROUGHT TO THE KKC & FURTHER PROGRESS IS MADE
HOP and Goal Zero collaborate to bring solar power to the KKC. The Rainwater Harvesting Project begins, allowing the KKC to collect and store water, in order to reduce long term operational utility costs. The playground and chicken coop are fixed up, and a dining table is built.
PASHPA VILLAGE CELEBRATES SECOND HOP SPONSORED CHOCOLATADA FESTIVAL
HOP continues to sponsor the Chocolatada Festival for the Children of Pashpa Village.
VETERANS OUTREACH GROWS IN UTAH
Veterans Outreach Project provides more food and gift cards to over a dozen Veterans and their families in Utah, at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
2016
MAKUYUNI SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM BEGINS
HOP funds school lunches for 700 students at Makuyuni Primary School.
KKC FACILITY EXPANDS (& KIDS GET NEW BIKES!)
A new staff house, a welcome center, proper roofing, new cubbies for kids’ dorms, and an extension on the dining room are all completed. The kids at the KKC receive bikes and a new bike path.
MAMA NA M’TOTO WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT GROUP
HOP provides start-up funding to the Mama Na M’toto Women’s Empowerment Group for a batik clothing business and office space.
HOP PARTNERS WITH GOAL ZERO TO BRING SOLAR POWER TO KHUMBU VALLEY
HOP partners with Goal Zero for our Rays of Joy project, to bring solar power to the Khumbu Valley. We launch the Juving Secondary School Project, to support underserved school children and their education. Construction begins on a new medical building at the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) clinic in Manang. We bring dental supplies and solar power to Namche Dental Clinic.
CHOCOLATADA FESTIVAL SUPPORT DOUBLES
HOP doubles its support for the Chocolatada Festival in Pashpa Village, and explores the opportunity to build a computer center in the village.
VETERNS OUTREACH EXPANDS
Veterans Outreach Project expands to include over 30 Veterans and their families in Utah, and engages volunteers to deliver groceries.
2017
KIDS CHRISTMAS PROGRAM BEGINS
HOP begins our Kids Christmas program, delivering presents to families of children at a local school in Salt Lake City, Utah.
HOP OUTDOORS BEGINS IN UTAH
HOP Outdoors starts, taking underserved local youth hiking in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains on weekly trips during summer.
MAKUYUNI SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM INCREASES SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
HOP continues to fund daily lunches at Makuyuni Primary School, helping increase their attendance from 700 to over 900 students.
KKC KIDS & STAFF RECEIVE MEDICAL EXAMS
The KKC kids and staff receive full medical exams, and construction begins on the new Guest House.
MANANG MEDICAL CLINIC CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES
INTERNATIONAL RIB PLATING CONFERENCE
HOP hosts the International Rib Plating Conference to train surgeons on life-saving techniques.
HOP funds tuition for 400 students at Juving School, as well as salaries for three experienced teachers with computer and English skills. Support continues for the Namche Dental Clinic, as well as Pasang’s children
HOP FUNDS TUITION FOR 400 STUDENTS AT JUVING SCHOOL
HOP funds tuition for 400 students at Juving School, as well as salaries for three experienced teachers with computer and English skills. Support continues for the Namche Dental Clinic, as well as Pasang’s children
COMPUTER CENTERS GO UP IN PASHPA & HUARIPAMPA VILLAGES
HOP completes construction on a solar-powered computer center in Pashpa, and a separate computer center in Huaripampa, both with 10 laptops each. We also extend support for the Chocolatada Festival to Huaripampa Village.
2018
HOP OUTDOORS MORE THAN DOUBLES IN SIZE
HOP Outdoors’ summer program more than doubles in size, and we start our first series of after-school spring trips, including bringing some groups to Momentum Climbing Gym. Veterans Outreach Project continues into its sixth year, spreading support as far as Wyoming and Nevada. Kids Christmas program doubles in size, gifting 21 families that include a total of 71 children.
KKC STARTS TREE PLANTING & BUILDS GUEST HOUSE
KKC initiated a tree planting project, where each child planted and continues to care for a fruit tree. HOP installed an educational content device called RACHEL in KKC’s learning center. The Guest House is completed, allowing volunteers and guests to stay in comfort as part of the community.
NEW LAPTOPS & KINDLES ARE DONATED TO KHARI KHOLA & JUVING SCHOOLS
HOP provided Khari Khola Secondary School with 12 new laptop computers. Both Juving and Khari Khola Secondary School were given 2 Kindles pre-loaded with 100 children’s books, and a RACHEL – World Possible educational server with thousands of hours of offline educational content. HOP again donated supplies to Namche Dental Clinic, including a stuffed duffle of toys for local children. Construction was ongoing at the Manang Medical Center. Pasang’s oldest child graduated from college with a degree in business, and HOP enabled his mother to fly in to attend the graduation ceremony.
2019
THE KKC WELCOMES THREE NEW CHILDREN & THE OLDEST GRADUATE INTO SECONDARY SCHOOL
KKC welcomed the opportunity to receive three new children. A fish pond is added to increase self-sufficiency. Two of the oldest children, who have been with KKC from the beginning, passed their exams for entry into secondary school with flying colors!
MAKUYUNI SCHOOL ATTENDENCE SURPASSES 1000 STUDENTS
HOP continues providing lunches to Makuyuni Primary School and their attendance surpasses 1000 students.
HOP OUTDOORS EXPANDS & STARTS WINTER TRIPS
HOP Outdoors runs first winter trips, bringing youth snowshoeing and teaching outdoor safety skills. HOP Outdoors summer and spring programs continue to run successfully, increasing in size. Veterans Outreach Project continues to operate in full force during its seventh year, bringing joy to Veterans and volunteers who help deliver meals and gifts. HOP’s home office relocates from Cottonwood Heights to a fully owned building in Midvale.
MANANG MEDICAL CENTER STARTS 2ND PHASE
Second phase of construction started on the Manang Medical Center, resulting in a new laboratory and staff quarters. HOP completed a second computer center at Khari Khola School. Pasang’s second child started her college studies in business, while the youngest excels in high school.
2020
WASH BASINS ARE BUILT AT MAKUYUNI SCHOOL
HOP erected wash basins next to every classroom at Makuyuni Primary School, as well as completed the dining pavilion so kids can eat lunch sheltered from the hot sun and pouring rain.
VETERANS OUTREACH GROWS TO HELP FAMILIES STRUGGLING WITH THE PANDEMIC
The amount of families in need increased due to pandemic struggles, so HOP expanded the number of groceries and giftcards for Thanksgiving & Christmas, and volunteers helped make deliveries throughout the Salt Lake Valley and beyond.
PHASE ONE STARTS ON THE PHERICHE MEDICAL CLINIC
The highest clinic in the world needed some uplifting, so HOP partnered with the Himalayan Rescue Association to break ground. The building will facilitate educational efforts to expand knowledge on altitude sickness and injury.
PANDEMIC RELIEF FUNDS ARE SENT TO OUR INTERNATIONAL TEAMS
Due to the pandemic-related halt of international travel, our teams in Tanzania, Nepal, Peru, and beyond were out of work. HOP sent relief funds to keep their families afloat while tourism was at a standstill.
2022
HOP OUTDOORS
Our program has doubled in size. We continue to have goals such as working to establish local
partnerships to expand positive impact to as many children as possible. We are also looking to
incorporate winter outdoor activities, such as snowshoeing, into the program. HOP outdoors will continue to bring joy to children’s lives. We have run 42 trips to the Wasatch Mountains and 231 local children had opportunities to explore the wilderness, create friendships, and grow. With sponsorships from Snowbird, The North Face, and many dedicated volunteers, HOP Outdoors expanded to three weekly trips all summer long.
CHOCOLATADA FESTIVAL
In December 2022, HOP sponsored the ninth annual Chocolatada festival for inhabitants of the Pashpa Village and sponsored the fifth annual Chocolatada festival in the Huaripampa Village. With the help of Rodolfo Reyes, HOP provides a hot “Chocolatada” drink, traditional Panettone bread, and gifts of clothing and toys for the children to celebrate the holiday.
KHARI KHOLA SCHOOL
HOP’s relationship with Nepalese secondary schools began in 2016, with our Rays of Joy project. During this project, HOP installed solar power throughout the villages constructed new desks and chairs for Juving Secondary School, and installed a computer center. Dean traveled to Khari Khola and began a computer center complete with laptops, kindles, and a world of possible educational servers with thousands of offline educational content. In 2021, there were more than 12 computers, 1000+ hours of educational content, and 600 school children who can access the computer center.
PHERICHE MEDICAL CLINIC
Construction continues on the Pheriche Medical Clinic and Lecture Hall Reconstruction. Though the Covid-19 Pandemic slowed down progress, we were eager to be able to continue working towards our goal to reopen a fully restored and reconstructed building.
2023
NEW BIKES FROM KÜHL
The KKC was generously gifted 35 new mountain bikes from KÜHL. There was also a new sports equipment shed created to store them safely. The children of the KKC helped HOP Volunteers assemble their new bikes, posed for a few photos, and then took off on the newly constructed pathway that loops the facility. The smiles, laughs, and memories that will accompany these bikes are invaluable, and we are very thankful to KÜHL and their continued support of our global outreach efforts.
NEW LUNCH PROGRAM STARTED
Our Embukoi School Lunch Program began in September of 2022 following the tremendous success of our first program– the Makuyuni School Lunch Program which we have been running for two years. The growth of this program has made us eager to implement the same infrastructure as our Makuyuni School Lunch Program. We hope to install the same rainwater collection and repurposing handwashing stations, a storage building for a year’s supply of food, and a designated pavilion with tables and chairs for eating and gathering.
VETERANS OUTREACH PROJECT
Our Veterans Outreach Program serves as a way for us to give back to Veterans directly. Each year we purchase groceries for individuals or families in need, and through the generosity of our Volunteers, deliver these groceries right to their front doors. We coordinate with Smith’s Food & Drug to purchase the groceries. We then bring them to our office space where we package the groceries for delivery, having them prepared for our Volunteers to collect and distribute!
PHERICHE MEDICAL CLINIC
In 2023, the lecture hall renovation at the Pheriche Medical Clinic was completed in partnership with KÜHL. The lecture hall will serve as a place for learning and development for the hospital for years.
Finishing details continue to be added to the Medical Clinic as we work to ensure it is a welcoming place for visitors and patients. We are excited to reopen the clinic on a full-time basis by helping to hire additional staff to work through the monsoon season.
