This week, we are proud to share exciting news: Kopila Valley has been honored with two Green Apple Awards from The Green Organisation, recognizing our leadership in sustainable construction, environmental stewardship, and community-centered design. These awards celebrate global best practices in sustainability, and this year, Kopila stood out in both the Building & Construction category and the Environmental Best Practice category.

🌱 Green Apple Award for Building & Construction

Honoring the New Kopila Valley Children’s Village

 

Our newly built Children’s Village was recognized for redefining what safe, resilient, child-centered housing can look like in Nepal. After nearly two decades of serving children in our original home, we have outgrown the space and built this village with the newest best practices in resilience, safety, health, and environmental responsibility. The new village is exactly that — a model of sustainability designed for the region’s climate and geological realities.

Key features include:

• Compressed Earth Bricks (CSEB) made locally, reducing carbon emissions and increasing earthquake resilience
• Passive cooling architecture that maximizes natural light and airflow
• Solar energy systems for clean, renewable power
• Rainwater harvesting and water filtration for water independence
• Permaculture gardens and green spaces for nutrition, outdoor learning, and biodiversity
• Family-style homes, dedicated caregiver housing, and supportive spaces for returning graduates

Beyond providing a safe and nurturing home for more than 90 children, the Children’s Village serves as a living classroom and a proof of concept for low-carbon, climate-resilient construction in Nepal. It demonstrates what’s possible when sustainable design, local materials, and community involvement come together — and it is already inspiring other organizations to replicate these methods.

🌾 Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice

Recognizing Kopila’s Food & Farming Program

 

Our Food and Farming Program was awarded for its innovative approach to transforming food security, nutrition, environmental education, and farmer livelihoods in one integrated system.

In a region where:

• only 10% of land is suitable for farming,
• just 17% of that land has year-round irrigation, and
• 58% of children under five experience malnutrition,

Our our program offers a meaningful, local solution.

Each year, the program provides:

• 155,000+ nutritious meals to more than 500 students and staff
• Over 60% of students’ daily nutritional needs, using produce grown onsite or sourced from partner farmers
• 26 types of fruits and vegetables, plus milk and eggs from over 100 animals
• 5,000+ kg of vermicompost and measurable improvements in soil health

Through our Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), 22 local women farmers are supported with stable income, training, and a guaranteed market for organic produce — strengthening both family livelihoods and regional food sovereignty.

Students learn climate science, composting, organic farming, and nutrition through hands-on activities integrated into our curriculum. The school now diverts 85% of its waste from landfills, linking sustainability education with daily practice.

This award honors a model that is holistic, community-driven, and replicable, and we are already mentoring other schools and nonprofits who want to adopt the approach.

Why These Awards Matter

These Green Apple Awards highlight something core to who we are: Kopila Valley doesn’t just provide services — we build systems that uplift communities and protect the planet.

• The Children’s Village demonstrates what sustainable childcare infrastructure can look like in earthquake-prone, resource-constrained settings.
• The Food & Farming Program shows how schools can become hubs for nutrition, climate resilience, and equitable local economies.
• Both projects were designed with community input, grounded in Nepali knowledge, and built using local materials and local talent.

These awards are not just a recognition of buildings or farms — they are a recognition of values in action.

Looking Ahead

This is only the beginning. As we continue to build and expand on these initiatives, we plan to:

• Share open-source resources for sustainable school construction and food systems
• Mentor more schools and NGOs interested in replication
• Expand regenerative agriculture practices, seed-saving initiatives, and climate-resilient landscaping
• Continue advancing environmental education as a lifelong skill for every Kopila Valley student

A Heartfelt Thank You

To our children, caregivers, teachers, farmers, engineers, donors, and the entire Surkhet community — these awards are yours. They reflect your creativity, your resilience, and your belief in a future where children grow up safe, nourished, and deeply connected to the land that sustains them.

Kopila’s commitment to people and the planet is stronger than ever — and increasingly, it’s recognized on a global stage.