Tony Freake first visited the village of Phortse in October 1989. At that time the village had few amenities unlike most of the larger villages in the Khumbu area. The Himalayan Trust (founded by Sir Edmund Hillary) had put in a pipeline and three concrete reservoirs feeding the village with drinkable water from a nearby river. The Trust in 1953 had also built a primary school building for the village children. It was on seeing the poor state of the school building that inspired Tony to commence his work in helping the village community. However like the policy laid down by Sir Edmund Hillary any request for help must be initiated by the community. Because of this policy the first consideration of the village community was to build a Teachers’ House for the teachers, for at that time the teachers were sleeping on the school floor.

Teachers’ House - In 1991 Tony sent a drawing and £1,000 to the village and the village people built the house adjacent to the school.

Medical Clinic - In 1994 a medical clinic/post was built consisting of a surgery and waiting room. The design was kept simple, but with the priority on cleanliness. For this project a master builder/carpenter was engaged, Passang Lama from Surke, Solu. The project cost some £6,000 most of the money being raised by sponsorship by the Mountaineering Club of Eton College, Windsor, UK. Eton College boys from the lower sixth of the M.C. helped decorate the building. Unfortunately, Gordon Daniels, a member of the M.C. was killed in England whilst parascending to raise money for the medical centre and a plaque was fixed to the building in his memory. Dr Elizabeth Harding and nurse Diane Bush, New Zealanders from Khunde Hospital were invited to open the clinic in August 1994. Sodam Doma Sherpa, a Sherpani from the village was appointed Health Worker and runs the clinic. The Himalayan Trust pays the wages of the health worker.

Gomba (Tibetan Buddhist Temple) - In 1996 the Temple/Monastery was built. The basic design was taken from the newly built Tengboche Monastery and cost some £25,000. Again Eton College was the main benefactor with money coming from the Gordon Daniel Fund. Gordon’s father felt that would have been Gordon’s wish.

Before work commenced on the Gomba, the plans were presented to the Rinpoche of Tengboche and on receiving the Rinpoche’s blessing Passang Lama was approached to build the Gomba. Passang Lama was not only a very good craftsman but in his younger day studied to be a Lama – he was the ideal man for the job. On seeing Papa Tony’s design Passang Lama said he could build the Gomba from the drawings, but questioned whether consideration had been given to the ‘earth quake factor’.

A sacred place was chosen by a senior Lame and the village people began to clear a site above the village. The land was freely given by a Phortse resident. Over the winter of 96 rock was hauled out of the mountain, broken and pieces carried to the site. All the necessary materials were purchased in Kathmandu and timber bought from the forests near to Paplu, Solu. Materials and timber were carried by helicopter and then stock piled on the Syamboche airstrip before most being shuttled by helicopter to Phortse. Phortse being within the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park no trees were allowed to be cut within the park save six, which were felled to form the main support beams. In the first week of April, 1996 the Master Builder came on site together with his craftsmen and work started in earnest.

Three young men from Finchley came out from the UK to help with the project. In fact they made two separate visits. By the first week of August the roof was on the two story building and crowned with the pinnacle. By this time a second group of boys from Eton College were busily employed making good the old school. On the 6th August, 1996 the Rinpoche of Tengboche presided over the dedication service.

The Gomba is more or less complete with five statues being presented by the Himalayan Trust and three beautifully made in the village now occupying the special place in the worship area.

Monks House - Built in 1999 by Passang Lama and local people.

New Primary School - Built in August, 1999 again designed by Papa Tony and built by Passang Lama. The building was opened by Da Phuti Sherpa, widow of Shyam Krishna Pradham former Head Master of the Khumjung School 14th August, 1999. Cost of project approx.£9,000.

The new school is built of local stone on land adjacent to the old school. Unlike the old school it has four classrooms, two large enough to divide into two and a Head Master’s room. All materials were again brought in from Kathmandu and helicoptered to Phortse. Eton College were again the main benefactors with another group of boys painting and decorating the building. In October, 1999 a young group of people from Community Links, Canning Town, London and in November, 1999 Himalayan Hands (Community Projects in Nepal), Derby UK also assisted in building works and decorating. Someone called the school a ‘Wendy House’ for each classroom was decorated in a different pastel colour with matching coloured carpet on the floor. Wendy House or not the new environment has helped raise the standard of teaching and learning. Today unlike in the previous school all the walls are covered with the pupils work and information sheets.

Although the school was officially opened in August, 1999 it was not used until the following May, 2000. A day was set aside when Papa Tony was in the village. It was a most happy occasion with the children putting on a lovely presentation of singing and dancing. In 2001/02 there was a change in staff together with Lakpa Yangjin Sherpa, a young girl from the village assisting in teaching English and looking after the reception class.

Youth Club and Telecommunications Room - In November, 1999 The Himalayan Hands - Phortse Team 1999 from Derbyshire converted the old school building into a youth club room and the adjacent room to house the village telephone. In November 2001 the team returned as Phortse 2001 to continue its work in Phortse on the new school and painted the Monks House.

The club has now two table tennis tables, volley ball and basket ball, looked after by a Youth Club Committee Chairman by Pa Nuru Sherpa, owner of the Phortse Guest House.

Drinking Water Scheme - In conjunction with the Sagarmatha National Park,SNP, Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Project,TRPAP and Namche Buffer Zone Management Committee the Khumbu Bijuli Company Pvt.Ltd., KBC under the company's Manager Ang Danu Sherpa and the company Chief Engineer, Ang Cherring Sherpa designed a Drinking Water and Drainage Scheme for the village of Phortse.

Although drinking water was laid on by the Himalayan Trust many years ago the 1" plastic pipeline tends to freeze-up during the winter months and the water is not very accessible for all the households. Two of the three concrete resevoirs have cracked. In 2004 it was decided to investigate a new source for drinking water, which was found high above the village and tapped into three large resevoirs sunken into the ground. The water then taken by sunken pipelines to four water points. It is interesting to note that it was the ladies of the village who prefered the four water points as opposed to having water-on-tap in their respective houses. The new supply started to flow in May, 2005.

The cost of the the project was some Nrs10Lhks (£8,000). The principal donars being Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme, TRPAP (Nrs31/2Lhks) and the Phortse Community Project, PCP. A very generous £2,750 (Nrs360,250) was raised by the children of St. Mary's Primary School, East Barnet, Herts., England. The community is indebted to Engineers of the Khumbu Bijuli Co., KBC for designing and installing the scheme. The local people provided freely their labour and assisted the engineers.

Phortse Micro Hydro Power Project - After 8 years of planning the village of Phortse has now got electricity. It was in December 1997 that I was requested to help the village obtain electricity and on the 11th July, 2005 that dream was fulfilled. Various schemes were considered, but in 2004 a Micro Hydro scheme was agreed and an order placed with a Nepalese company to build a 60kw Turbine, the generator being built in India. The khonar river, a kilometre away from the village, was selected to be the source to turn the turbine. 48Kw of electricity supplies some 80 households, Gomba, School and Medical Centre. The scheme cost some Nrs82Lhaks (£68,300) and is reported to be the cheapest MH scheme for its size to be installed in Nepal. The principal donors being the Phortse Community Project including 20,000e from members of the Austrian Alpine Club, Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme, TRPAP a Nepalese Government concern, the Buffer Zone Committee and Khumjung Village Development Committee. The village community provided all the manual labour and assisted the engineers.

Regarding plant maintenance; two men from the village, Mingma Chirring Sherpa and Passang Tenzing Sherpa have been trained as electricians to not only look after the plant but carry out any additional electrical wiring. In buying Nepalese equipment, which helped the Nepal economy, means that spare parts are more easily available when required.

Sincere thanks must go to Ang Danu Sherpa, Manager and Ang Chhiring Sherpa, Chief Engineer of the Khumjum Bijuli Company, KBC and the company's skilled engineers (the red cap Brigade) for managing and installing the plant.

The Dhewang - In June, 05 the Dhewang, Sherpa Culture Theatre, and Courtyard was completed. I had designed it to be a single story building complementing the Gomba built in 1997 and filling the area between the Gomba and the Monk's Quarter. Due to the generosity of he Himalayan Trust the framework on the East side became two story. The Dhewang proposed by The Mountain Institute, TMI, cost some Nrs12Lhks (£9,600). TMI put up 5Lhks, and matched by the local community and Phortse Community Project, the HT gave 2Lhks. The communities appreciation must go to Ang Rita Sherpa of the TMI for all his hard work on the project.

Having built the Dhewang it was possible to hold the inauguration ceremony of 'switching on the electricity' in the courtyard. This was a very happy and joyful occasion where I was presented with a 'Letter of Facilitation' and dressed in Tibetan/Sherpa National dress. After dinner the festivities were completed by hours of Sherpa dance.

With the building of the Dhewang the Phortse community will be able to hold the Sherpa Dhumje festival in their own village for the very first time. This is an important advancement for the village and training is now in progress at the Tenboche Monastery for the festival to be held in June 2006.

The Community Centre - On the 25th October I was invited to open the completed community cntre much to the enjoyment of the village people and of course myself. The community are very keen to protect the Sherpa traditions and cultual way of life of the village. The centre will be used by the 'Ladies Group' for Sherpa folk song and dance. The Sherpanies will also hold a workshop and encourage the begining of a 'cottage industry'. In the upper floor it is hoped to install a library and a learning centre for the young and old.