3 Nepali Sisters are Empowering Women through Adventure Tourism!
Location
Based in Nepal, 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking (3 Sisters) was founded in 1994 to empower and employ rural women in adventure travel. Lucky Chhetri felt the impact of mountaineering training in her own life and wanted to share the feeling of strength and possibility with others. Responding to the gross inequality of women in Nepal, 3 Sisters founded a local NGO, Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN). Together, they offer unprecedented opportunities for women from poor, remote mountainous regions to become confident, self-sufficient, and successful through adventure tourism. So far, 600+ women have attended their women’s trekking guide training.
3 Sisters has revolutionized societal attitudes towards women and their work roles, gaining acceptance in their community and nationwide, and they have substantially contributed to women’s equality and education. Their newest initiative is women’s training in the poorest districts in west Nepal to enhance and conserve traditional culture while minimizing negative tourism impact.
Nepal’s only all-woman trekking agency, 3 Sisters provides a service run by women for women. This unique approach provides women travelers with the opportunity to connect with Nepali women, to travel free from male harassment, and to know that their program fees support the independence of Nepali women.
Your idea
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Street Address
Lakeside - Khahare
City
Pokhara
State/Province
Kaski
Postal/Zip Code
6
Country
Nepal
Year innovation began
1994
Geotourism Challenge Addressed by Entrant
Quality of benefit to the people of the desitination
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Indicate sector in which you principally work
Tourism-related business
Geographic location
Rural, Mountain, Multiple locations.
Plot your innovation within the Mosaic of Solutions
Main insight addressed
Develop community assets
Name Your Project
3 Nepali Sisters are Empowering Women through Adventure Tourism!
Describe Your Idea
Based in Nepal, 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking (3 Sisters) was founded in 1994 to empower and employ rural women in adventure travel. Lucky Chhetri felt the impact of mountaineering training in her own life and wanted to share the feeling of strength and possibility with others. Responding to the gross inequality of women in Nepal, 3 Sisters founded a local NGO, Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN). Together, they offer unprecedented opportunities for women from poor, remote mountainous regions to become confident, self-sufficient, and successful through adventure tourism. So far, 600+ women have attended their women’s trekking guide training.
3 Sisters has revolutionized societal attitudes towards women and their work roles, gaining acceptance in their community and nationwide, and they have substantially contributed to women’s equality and education. Their newest initiative is women’s training in the poorest districts in west Nepal to enhance and conserve traditional culture while minimizing negative tourism impact.
Nepal’s only all-woman trekking agency, 3 Sisters provides a service run by women for women. This unique approach provides women travelers with the opportunity to connect with Nepali women, to travel free from male harassment, and to know that their program fees support the independence of Nepali women.
Innovation
What is the goal of your innovation?
Train and empower women through adventure tourism and guide sustainable tourism development in new areas.
How does your approach support or embody geotourism?
3 Sisters (and its non-profit EWN) utilizes the positive aspects of tourism to create equity for women in society and to bring revenue to the poorest areas of Nepal, while enhancing and protecting local environment and culture from the negative aspects of tourism.
Nepali women typically have less exposure and education than men and are typically excluded from tourism - one of Nepal’s top industries. Through our training, women become adventure professionals and acquire the skills to earn money, interact with the world, and discover their own strength - critically important in a culture where women have been consistently marginalized.
As tourism reaches into new areas, we are starting to work with communities to translate traditional food, culture, and lifestyle into attractive and sustainable tourism instead of perpetuating the uncontrolled growth which has characterized previous development in Nepal. We work with remote villages to help them become involved in tourism without losing their cultural identities or damaging the environment.
We are by women, for women. Out of Nepal’s 600+ trekking agencies, we are the only 100% woman-owned and operated agency. We are the only agency training and supplying woman guides to address the needs and interests of women travelers.
Describe your approach in detail. How is it innovative?
We empower women through adventure. Whether the women become trekking guides/staff or go on to do something else, they have acquired knowledge, confidence, and independent spirit.
We offer a 1-month training program covering leadership, health, English conversation, nutrition, environment conservation practices, national history, cultural practices, and sharing traditions from different areas to aid cultural conservation. Following the training program, we then offer a 5-month paid apprenticeship. We offer continuing education (most recently rock / ice climbing training) to give staff specialized skills to improve their tourism earning potential. The training is free, with food/lodging provided for women from remote areas.
Mobile training in mountainous west Nepal, introduces women to tourism, teaching them about health, hygiene, the environment, waste disposal, culture, nutrition and preparation of food using local products. Women from these areas are given priority enrollment in trekking guide training.
In these remote communities, we are building a new system to buy locally and hire locally instead of bringing all food, supplies, and staff from urban areas (which is the current standard). We are organizing a "Women's Trek for Peace and Development" in western Nepal, part of International Women's Day 2008, that will put into practice this new system.
What types of partnerships or professional development would be most beneficial in spreading your innovation?
Connections with women’s groups / trekking clubs / travel agencies in other countries would attract more clients.
Based on previous successful partnerships, such as ice-climbing with Magic Mountain Foundation Poland, networking with other adventure organizations and offering training on cycling, rafting, wilderness first aid, etc. would increase our staff competencies and breadth of service.
We like to connect with women’s groups in other countries to explain how we work with women and exchange ideas. Sponsored by The Mountain Institute, Lucky visited Peru to share her work. Peru is a good example where indigenous women could become trekking guides.
Impact
In one sentence describe what kind of impact, change, or reform your approach is intended to achieve.
Rural women will be independent, self-supporting, confident community members; low-impact tourism complements/enhances traditional culture.
Describe the degree of success of your approach to date. Clearly define how you measure quantitative and qualitative impact in terms of how your approach contributes to the sustainability or enhancement of local culture, environment, heritage, or aesthetics? How does your approach minimize negative impacts? 200 words or less
In 8 years over 600 women trained, with 80+ women working directly as guides/staff at 3 Sisters and others working in a variety of tourism related jobs. Training classes are consistently filled and have waiting lists. We have become well-respected and known nationwide. Through our work, it has become acceptable for women to work in tourism. Our women earn USD 1200+ annually (compared to Nepali average $240) and use the money to pay for university, family medical expenses, siblings’ education, starting businesses. They show visible changes in confidence, independence and professional skills. When we educate women, we find we also educate their families and friends indirectly.
In remote west Nepal, we trained 100 women in food preparation, health, hygiene, and waste disposal resulting in clear, visible improvement in sanitation with communities organizing ongoing village cleanups.We will hire 80% of our trek staff locally in these areas. Through open communication, villages will grow extra food and cook for our groups, so that we can bring additional income to the area.
We partnered with a local NGO to collect antiques and create museum. We rescued 15 young girls from tourism child labor, providing them with food, lodging, scholarships.
And much more!
How does your program promote traveler enthusiasm, satisfaction, and engagement with the locale?
We create great rapport with travelers, always hiking together with our women staff and sharing the experience. Women from different cultures have a unique opportunity to get to know each other. Our staff are drawn from the local communities and can tell all about the culture and environment encountered along the way. Our clients repeatedly comment not just on their wonderful trek in the Himalayas, but also about getting to know their Nepali companions. Solo women travelers feel safe in the company of our women staff – no male harassment! All travelers get to experience culturally-preserved areas and traditional ways.
Describe how your innovation helps travelers and local residents better understand the value of the area’s cultural and natural heritage, and educates them on local environmental issues. How do you motivate them to act responsibly in their future travel decisions?
Our training educates residents about cultural/natural heritage, appropriate environmental practices. Conducted by Nepali women, for Nepali women, training has been very effective generating change (better health/hygiene/education) while promoting positive traditions (food/clothing/housing). We give trekking clients “do’s and don’ts” list about local environment/culture, and show them authentic Nepali living. Direct interaction between traveler and all staff (not just guide) gives both travelers and Nepalis wonderful opportunity to learn from each other. Client fees support women’s empowerment/environmental programs. We show clients how they support responsible tourism by signing up with us!
In what ways are local residents actively involved in your innovation, including participation and community input? How has the community responded to or benefited from your approach?
Initially, women in tourism were stigmatized as “loose”. Our business was criticized harshly. We searched for women to join training. Now communities are convinced by positive environment, good wages, insurance, child-care, regular training. Communities are supportive and parents feel comfortable allowing daughters to be in tourism, previously unacceptable. We are role models for community, showing that women can work in adventure tourism and can run successful businesses. Tourism communities are excited to collaborate. They take initiative - forming district tourism councils, building trails, etc. They request our input on new hotel associations, trek guidelines. Health/hygiene has improved
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
Is your initiative financially and organizationally sustainable? If not, what is required to make it so? What is the potential demand for your innovation?
Yes! Our trekking business is profitable and self-sustaining. Trekking guide trainings in the past were sometimes supported by national and international organizations, but now we can fund them through our own revenue generation. More and more women are applying for the training. New clients are growing and we have strong repeat business. We employ more women staff/guides every season, but there are still not enough female trekking guides to meet demand. We are training younger women in management to gradually take greater office responsibility. Tourists in Nepal reached all-time high in 2007, so we expect business to continue to increase!
How is your initiative currently financed? If available, provide information on your finances and organization that could help others. Please list: Annual budget, annual revenue generated, size of part-time, full-time and volunteer staff.
Business revenue from our trekking groups and guesthouse employs women and fully funds our trekking guide training programs. Trekkers make donations because they are impressed and satisfied. Permanent staff (office/field): 24. Seasonal staff (field): 60+. Note: seasonal staff earn more in 3-4 months than many Nepalis earn in 1 year. 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking 2007 - Total income: US$68,826; total expenditure: US$55,987 (including donation to non-profit arm: US$9,756). Our non-profit arm garners donations and grants to promote sustainable tourism initiative through free training for women in remote areas.
What is your plan to expand your approach? Please indicate where/how you would like to grow or enhance your innovation, or have others do so.
We want to build a Women’s Adventure Training Centre to train adventure professionals year-round and run empowerment courses for women. We can then run more courses, train more women, and provide regular advanced training (e.g., rock/ice climbing). We need to collaborate with national/international organizations for financial and technical support to make this reality. We want to encourage Nepali trekking agencies to employ trained women and operate treks in undeveloped, untouched rural areas to alleviate poverty. Beginning in the west, we will establish a model for positive geotourism with minimal negative impact that can be replicated elsewhere in Nepal.
What are the main barriers you encounter in managing, implementing, or replicating your innovation? What barriers keep your program from having greater impact?
We still do not have enough trained women trekking guides and demand is rising as our network expands. Lack of a training centre prevents us from expanding our training programs. It is difficult to find qualified and skilled permanent staff for the offices and training. Another challenge is that training woman trekking guides is a slow process as they need to overcome many internalized social limitations and learn how much they are really capable of. Women may take a long time to acquire necessary leadership skills after growing up in traditionally male-dominated culture where women are subservient to men. Most important is limitation of official recognition. Although many people working in the trekking industry in Nepal recognize that our training program is considerably better than the government-run program, the government does not give official recognition to our program, so a government trekking license cannot be issued to our graduates. This will become a serious problem should the government decide to enforce a policy of licensed guides only.
The Story
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers' marketing material.
Working for an NGO (1986-87), I was assigned to work in western Nepal and was shocked to see how miserable and destitute the rural women’s lives were. I longed to do something to support them. Later I attended the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute’s program which changed my life. Running a guesthouse in Pokhara (1993-1994) with my sisters, solo women travelers complained of harassment from male guides and porters. Learning of my mountaineering training they asked me to guide them in the Himalayas. 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking was born, followed by Empowering Women of Nepal - I was finally helping rural women.
What is the origin of your innovation? Tell your story.
Trekking tourism is a huge industry in Nepal thanks to the Himalayas, but in the early 1990s women trekking guides were unheard of in a male dominated profession. Women worked hard behind the scenes, but control, ownership and money were in the men's hands. Women travelers came from all over the world, while women in Nepal could not even work openly in tourism because of the damage to their reputation. We started a guesthouse in Pokhara and heard women travelers complaining of harassment by male guides and porters. They requested us to guide them. As a trained mountaineer, I and my two sisters started 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking to provide a service run by women for women. However, there were not enough women guides to satisfy demand, because this was an unknown profession for women. Slowly women started asking us for jobs, but due to lack of education, knowledge and skills were not able to guide. Women from mountainous areas in west Nepal are especially disadvantaged due to extreme poverty, surviving in remote, harsh environments. These women are physically strong, used to working all day carrying heavy loads and earning nothing. We believed they can be excellent trekking guides, earning good money and learning at the same time. Training was needed for these women to give them the necessary skills and knowledge to work as trekking guides. We founded a non-profit to continue this training and designed a curriculum to meet these requirements. Realizing that women needed to gain experience in the field, we introduced the new concept in Nepal of skills-based training. 3 Sisters provides a paid apprenticeship facility for the women to practice their new-found skills and gain confidence, while also earning money. The women attend as many training courses as necessary until they qualify as guides, allowing each woman to learn at her own pace.
Since starting, more than 600 women have attended our training programs. Some of these women now work for 3 Sisters, some work for other companies and others work in a variety of tourism related jobs. Many women have subsequently gone on to further education, supporting themselves working as trekking guides, while some women have started their own tourism related businesses. When the women first enter the program they often lack confidence, have had a poor education, speak little or no English and have no idea of the opportunities available to them. By the time they leave the program they have gained new-found self-confidence and can go on to become independent, self-supporting women.
We now organize rock and ice climbing training for our experienced trekking guides. The first ice-climbing training (winter 2007/2008 was run in collaboration with Magic Mountain Foundation from Poland. We were delighted when it was supported and filmed by National Geographic Traveler!
I believe that women can participate equally in all fields if given the opportunity to learn new skills. By creating a new profession for women in adventure trekking we are helping them do so. Read more at www.3sistersadventure.com.
Please write an overview of your project. This text will appear when people scroll over the icon for your entry on the Google map located on the competition homepage.
Based in Nepal, 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking (3 Sisters) was founded in 1994 to empower and employ rural women in adventure travel. Lucky Chhetri felt the impact of mountaineering training in her own life and wanted to share the feeling of strength and possibility with others. Responding to the gross inequality of women in Nepal, 3 Sisters founded a local NGO, Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN). Together, they offer unprecedented opportunities for women from poor, remote mountainous regions to become confident, self-sufficient, and successful through adventure tourism. So far, 600+ women have attended their women’s trekking guide training.
3 Sisters has revolutionized societal attitudes towards women and their work roles, gaining acceptance in their community and nationwide, and they have substantially contributed to women’s equality and education. Their newest initiative is women’s training in the poorest districts in west Nepal to enhance and conserve traditional culture while minimizing negative tourism impact.
Nepal’s only all-woman trekking agency, 3 Sisters provides a service run by women for women. This unique approach provides women travelers with the opportunity to connect with Nepali women, to travel free from male harassment, and to know that their program fees support the independence of Nepali women.
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 | luckychhetri said: hi Zadi, Thank you for your great words for our work. I think most of the third world countries has most likely the same problems to ... about this Competition Entry. - 1056 days ago read more > |
| luckychhetri said: hi Zadi, Thank you for your great words for our work. I think most of the third world countries has most likely the same problems to ... about this Competition Entry. - 1056 days ago read more > |
| luckychhetri said: hi Zadi, Thank you for your great words for our work. I think most of the third world countries has most likely the same problems to ... about this Competition Entry. - 1056 days ago read more > |
| zedi said: HI, I LIKE WHAT YOOU ARE DOING TO NEPALI, AND HOW YOU HAVE INVOLED THE LOCAL COMUNITY IN YOUR WORK, YOU HAVE EVEN GONE AS FAR AS BUYING ... about this Competition Entry. - 1058 days ago read more > |
| luckychhetri said: Thank you Moksha, I am very happy to hear that you are also doing the same in Manali, India. We are based in Pokhara, in the foot ... about this Competition Entry. - 1271 days ago read more > |
| moksha said: i m very much impressed. i m also doing business in adventure tourism in Manali, in north of India. i intend to involve mostly local ... about this Competition Entry. - 1272 days ago read more > |
| Galavanting said: Wow, what wonderful work. Well done. We'll definitely need to connect with you when we do a video shoot in Nepal. Cheers, Kim ... about this Competition Entry. - 1296 days ago read more > |
| luckychhetri said: Yes, you are right it was a great challenge to bring women into tourism especially in trekking. It has lots of positive impacts in women ... about this Competition Entry. - 1300 days ago read more > |
| luckychhetri said: Dear Patti, It is our great pleasure to receive this award. We always want to share our happiness with all our supportive friends ... about this Competition Entry. - 1300 days ago read more > |
| pstobbe said: Congratulations Lucky, Dicky and Nicky; I was thrilled to see that you won such a prestigious award. You absolutely deserve it. The ... about this Competition Entry. - 1303 days ago read more > |
Comments
I would like to add a short comment here in support of the '3 Nepali sisters' and also to say that I recently read an article about a company (I think in the US) tours for women and their daughters. The idea is that they travel to places like Africa to participate in community projects run by women. So why not Nepal. I dont remember the details or where the article was but will try to locate it. But I think you know what you are doing - good luck.
Many thanks for your comment. We would be very interested in offering something like this. Please let me know if you remember any more details. We find that people coming to stay in our guesthouse and go trekking with 3 Sisters are often very interested in our work at EWN. They often come to my office asking if there is any volunteer work for them - recently a visiting Australian taught several English classes to the women trainees. Others have helped in the office.
We have just updated our competition entry so please feel free to look at it again if you have time.
Regards,
Lucky Chhetri
Having trekked in Nepal I've seen first hand how male-dominated the tourism industry is as as well as the poverty of the Nepali people. This program is an impressive way to help boost the earning power of women, while helping to change a culture that presupposes women to be best suited for homebound duties. On my own trek we were privileged to have one (out of 6) of our guides be a Nepali woman who was learning the business. It was inspiring to hear how courageous she had had to be in order to break away from her family's expectations that she simply get married and live within the family structure. She wanted more freedom and adventure and the trekking business was the way for her to gain both. As a woman, a tourist and an entrepreneur, I'm in favor of this project because I feel its impact will be far greater than just empowering the women who are trained as mountaineering guides -- it will help change the attitudes and perceptions that are barriers to women's freedom and economic justice in Nepal so that far greater numbers of women will benefit.
I am delighted to hear of your positive experience in trekking with a Nepali woman. Our program attracts women from a wide range of social backgrounds. Socially disadvantaged women come to us to acquire the knowledge and skills to enable them to earn money, while young educated women come to us for empowerment as well as employment. A wide range of women join our training program - from poorly educated in west Nepal to college educated in large towns, from young 16 year olds to married/divorced women with children to support. They all learn from each other as well as from the training program.
Thank you very much for your comments.
Regards,
Lucky Chhetri
This is an impressive and exciting story. Before starting to trek in the Himalayas for several months every year I spent many years building new businesses, so I know all too well how hard it is to develop even a great idea into a viable business. Lucky and her sisters have succeeded and that's especially impressive because Nepali women are so marginalized. They manage the households (usually including the family finances) but, just as it used to be in the West, that's imagined to be easy and it's a trap. This is a great idea because Lucky and her sisters have set up a business that builds on the best aspects of the culture and frees women from one of its great negatives. At the same time as they're empowering women, they're also bringing revenue to the poorest areas and they're encouraging protection of the environment and the unique culture that make trekking in Nepal so rewarding. Congratulations!
Dear Martin,
Thank you for your comments. You are indeed correct about Nepali women’s positions in society. Rural women in particular lead a very hard life. In the rural mountain areas they do not grow cash crops and often the women are left behind to look after family and land while their husbands go abroad to look for employment, often neither sending money home nor returning. Many rural mountain women want a better life for their daughters and are eager for them to join our training courses, both mobile training and trekking guide training. Once the young women join our training, the word spreads from family to family and village to village and we see sisters, cousins and friends coming to join us. Often these young women then support their families back home.
Regards,
Lucky Chhetri
Hello Lucky,
Its great to have your entry in the competition. I love the photos! The work that you're doing to empower women is really incredible. Keep it up!
How many tours do you lead throughout the year? Its amazing that there is so much demand!
You mention that there is no official recognition of your program and that not having an official government trekking license could potentially cause some problems in the future. Is there anything that you can do to prepare for this? Have you tried to convince the government to allow EWN to give official licenses? If so, what was the response?
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Dana Frasz
Changemakers
Dear Dana,
Thank you for your reply. Just to clear up any confusion - as a trekking company, 3 Sisters has an official government trekking licence to allow us to operate as a trekking agency. However with regards to our guides, when the our trainees graduate from our training program, although they can work as trekking guides they would still have to complete the official government 1-month training program (which costs money and is inferior to our own program) in order to get an official trekking guide licence. In the past we have discussed this problem with the tourism government body, but no progress was made. We now think it would be better to wait until the situation here is more stable - hopefully the elections in April will improve things.
Regards,
Lucky Chhetri
Hello Lucky,
Indeed, as we could appreciate during our stay in Nepal, local women working in tourism - thus gender-equality - is still a rarity...Despite other constraints (environmental, quality - low budget mentality, greenwashing) affecting the development of a quality and sustainable tourism industrie in Nepal.
Instead of waiting for a governmental reaction that might never come, would it be possible to joint forces with other quality companies in your field of operations? We had the chance to visit "Ker & Downey" (www.kerdowney.com/ui/index.php) and
www.tigermountain.com/. Both of them doing quite extraordinary things. Yet, so far, they only have male trekking guides, but female ones would be very interesting for them in order to enter the German speaking markets (Germany, Switzerland, Austria).
Of course, you should talk with Yeti Travels, as they are the biggest and have good contacts in Europe.
Regards,
Dirk
Hello Dirk,
Thanks for your comments. Yes, we are also interested in collaborating with other companies and know the companies you have mentioned. Once things have settled down after our elections we can look at what to do with regards to the trekking licences.
Regards,
Lucky Chhettri
That is a great Vision! How I wish you could extend it to Africa.
David
Dear David,
If an African organisation is interested in empowering women through adventure tourism, I would be happy to exchange ideas with them. I believe that African women, particularly in trekking areas such as Kilimanjaro, could be considerably empowered if they were trained as trekking guides, giving them the skills needed to work in a profession with good earning potential.
Regards,
Lucky Chhetri
Hello Lucky,
I would like to draw your attention to another trekking/tourism entry from Nepal - "Treks-to-Build Health, Community and Hope in the ‘Hidden Himalayas’." http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/7581
Perhaps you could collaborate and/or share ideas and experiences. Keep up the great work!
Dana Frasz
Ashoka's Changemakers
Hello Dana,
Thank you for your advice. We know of this organisation and hope we can collaborate with them in the future.
Regards,
Lucky Chhetri
EWN
First and foremost, I thank my guide and porters for the incredible journey. They made me realize how wonderful Nepali and Nepal are. Most of the male guides and porters we met on the trek also respect these brave and kind women. Indeed, 3 sisters gave them an opportunity to make a difference in their lives. However, my question is rather simple: how empowered are they?
This question started at the beginning of the trek when we met a former 3-sisters client who chose another agency this year. She was disappointed by 3 sisters because this agency failed to take care of their guides and porters in many different ways. We were puzzled by her comments at first. It then became evident. The following is a list of problems my trek mates and I identified. They put guides, porters and trekkers in jeopardy, and they deserve immediate attention.
1. Guides and porters did not always have suitable clothing in high altitude. We, the clients, had to lend warm clothes to ensure that they did not get sick. 2. When hiking boots are borrowed from the agency, there is no guarantee of a suitable pair. One of our porters had an old blister that did not seem to heal ever. 3. Since there is a shortage of guides at 3 sisters, guides do not get enough (if any) rest between treks. In contrast, there are a lot of porters or guide assistants, and they have to wait for 10-30 days for the next trek. Much can be discussed about this imbalance. For example: why not more trained guides years after the establishment of this agency? Is guide/porter a sustainable job for women? Certainly, I don’t have a definite answer here. 4. There is no doubt that these women earn more than the average Nepali. However, after comparing their wages with average male guides/porters’ on the trek, we are no longer sure if these women are empowered or exploited. If they endure the same hardship, why less income? Why the inability to buy adequate gears/clothing? I believe that the comparison has to be made with those from the same trade. If I paid the same or even higher fees to 3 sisters, I certainly felt outrageous to learn how little my porter/guide earned from me. I joined to support the ideal of women’s empowerment, but I felt owners are empowered the most. 5. When we were at the lodge, the male owner or staff (we did not really know his exact role) commented on how much their guides and porters have to learn and improve. I am not sure if this comment was made out of the Nepali humbleness or the continuation of male criticism/domination over women? I also learned that the male staff gets paid better. Again, this does not sound like women’s empowerment.
Empowering women is essential in making a better world. However, I am not sure if it can be adequately done by a private enterprise. Perhaps, co-op would be a better model. Overall, how much can we rely on corporate citizenship? I would love to go back trekking with these incredible women. However, the above observation my trek mates and I made deter us returning to 3 sisters.
I decide to write this email anonymously as I was told that revealing my identity would cause repercussion for my guide and porters. Direct confrontation between 3 sisters and clients was at the cost of porters’ future jobs. I welcome any comments
1 - Attention of the Union of Trekking Guides and Porters in 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking Agency has been drawn on the comment made by unknown guest dated 1st June 2008, which is the matter of shock for hundreds of prospect less women of Nepal who are the first step of empowering.
2 – The Union agree with that comment , there are many difficulties in management, despite trying our best to arrange a sufficient equipment due to the circumstances of a time and busy environment and the Union convince you that definitely not with intentionally. The Union apologize for inconvenient and mismanagement.
3 – The Union clarify that all arrangement is made by the staff, not by the owner and the Union will take responsibility for the above mentioned mistake.
4 – Further, the Union clarify that the salary and daily wages of Guides and Porters are fixed by the Union as per direction given by Labour Act Monitor of the Government of Nepal and various organizations related to the labourers right and are paid as per prevailing rate across the country.
5 – The Union clarify that there is no such rules and regulations which practices discrimination between male and female regarding daily wages.
6 – The Union is well aware of the fact that this is the age of equality.
7 – The Union Clarify that ours is a male dominated society obviously they criticize for fear of loosing job to the women and jealousy and the Union takes it as a natural phenomenon.
8 – The Union clarify that the Women of Nepal especially the participants in our organization are not fully empowered. The Organization is just taking initiation to empower by making way through facing many obstacles and barriers. In this stage, one should extend his/her co-operation it is not wise to criticize.
9 – The Union earnestly request to our respected guest who made this comment, for not to repeat this kind of baseless comment relying solely on rumour. Because this kind of comment does not make good to the Organization as well as employee, rather it will undermine the future of the prospect less women those who are dependent on this organization and loose its credibility.
Vice President of the Union
Union of Trekking, Travels, rafting and airlines Worker's Nepal (UNITRAV)
1. My guide and porters asked me keep quiet and forget about the direct discussion with the owners. You tell me why there is such a fear for open discussion. If you try to shift the focus to my identity, it does not help neither. As said, I choose to be anonymous because this is the only way I can assure my guide’s and porters’ future. Yes, I take their fear seriously. 2. As said, I acknowledge changes in their lives. I am also sure that 3 sisters is not the worst agency. However, show the proof that it takes way less cut than other agencies. http://www.geocities.com/porterguides/. This will be a great opportunity to showcase 3 sisters for corporate citizenship. I believe the training program is also financially supported by foreign NGOs. 3. It is rather bothersome to see how the staff was liable for the problems related to safety/equipment/rest period I raised. 4. Were the pay higher, guides would not have trekked one after the other. In the manufacturing industry, piece workers in sweatshops are happy to work like a dog. Why? Because that’s the only way to make more money and to support families! This is called workers’ self-exploitation. I will repeat my other questions yet-to-be answered: When the guides aren’t well rested, how can everyone’s safety ensured on the trek? Years after the establishment, why 6 or 7 guides in total? I have not assumed a negative answer here. 5. Since my last mail was answered by the union’s vice president, it lead me to her or his website. The porters on the site are badly dressed and equipped. One treks in sandals! That kind of standard is a disgrace. 6. I sincerely wish it’s a rumor. Clarify if the monthly salary of the male staff who sits behind the desk and occasionally treks is really equal to that of a female guide. I am not even comparing the daily wage of 400rpi with that of 600-800rpi many male guides earn. 7. Finally, if you can’t take a critical challenge, improvement is limited.
1 - Attention of the Union of Trekking Guides and Porters in 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking Agency has been drawn on the comment made by unknown guest dated 1st June 2008, which is the matter of shock for hundreds of prospect less women of Nepal who are the first step of empowering.
2 – The Union agree with that comment , there are many difficulties in management, despite trying our best to arrange a sufficient equipment due to the circumstances of a time and busy environment and the Union convince you that definitely not with intentionally. The Union apologize for inconvenient and mismanagement.
3 – The Union clarify that all arrangement is made by the staff, not by the owner and the Union will take responsibility for the above mentioned mistake.
4 – Further, the Union clarify that the salary and daily wages of Guides and Porters are fixed by the Union as per direction given by Labour Act Monitor of the Government of Nepal and various organizations related to the labourers right and are paid as per prevailing rate across the country.
5 – The Union clarify that there is no such rules and regulations which practices discrimination between male and female regarding daily wages.
6 – The Union is well aware of the fact that this is the age of equality.
7 – The Union Clarify that ours is a male dominated society obviously they criticize for fear of loosing job to the women and jealousy and the Union takes it as a natural phenomenon.
8 – The Union clarify that the Women of Nepal especially the participants in our organization are not fully empowered. The Organization is just taking initiation to empower by making way through facing many obstacles and barriers. In this stage, one should extend his/her co-operation it is not wise to criticize.
9 – The Union earnestly request to our respected guest who made this comment, for not to repeat this kind of baseless comment relying solely on rumour. Because this kind of comment does not make good to the Organization as well as employee, rather it will undermine the future of the prospect less women those who are dependent on this organization and loose its credibility.
Vice President of the Union
Union of Trekking, Travels, rafting and airlines Worker's Nepal (UNITRAV)
Having spent 7 months in Pokara volunteering with EWN and trekking with 3 Sisters, I have seen at first-hand how the trekking staff are treated. They are paid fair wages and also covered by insurance, not something that is standard in the Nepali trekking industry. The sisters provide child-care (unheard of elsewhere in Nepal), help their staff with family problems and generally care for them. Staff can borrow trekking equipment free of charge so if you found that some of your staff were inadequately clothed then perhaps it would have been better for you to write this on their comment forms at the end of the trek so that the sisters could remind the staff of the importance of being adequately clothed. This would have helped them a lot more than complaining about it anonymously here. On returning from your trek, had you asked the sisters about the staff's pay you would have found out that they are all paid fairly - perhaps you should ask yourself if someone was simply trying to make you feel sorrow for them and hence tip more (not uncommon in Nepal)?
The guides I got to know are happy to be out trekking as often as possible - the season is short and they need the money. I never heard any complaints about a lack of time between treks, other than trying to fit in the laundry, and in fact I heard positive comments about going straight out again, i.e. money! Some of the guides are supporting families, while some are saving up for further education. When it comes to sending out the trainees, their is a rotation sytem in operation. However, priority is given to the women who have rent to pay and families to support, while new trainees from the west who are staying in the hostel free of charge obviously do not have quite so urgent a need, but everyone gets a chance.
You should have talked to the sisters about your concerns.
Catriona Russell
Scotland
3 Sisters Trekking is very deserving of support. Anyone I tell about my March 2008 10-day Jomsom all-women trek is fascinated to hear about 3 Sisters Trekking and the work they are doing to empower Nepali women in the male-dominated trekking industry. My experience trekking was 100% positive: our guide and porters were first-rate. I often noticed the respectful recognition our guide and porters received when we stopped for the night at a teahouse or when we met other non-3 Sisters guides along the trail. I am especially enthusiastic about the recent addition by 3 Sisters of treks in the less-traveled West of Nepal and the benefits that should accrue to local people. I encourage 3 Sisters to continue to reach out to women trekkers of all ages and nationalities: the problems of women from post-industrial countries and rich developing countries may seem largely luxury problems in comparison to the problems of Nepali women, but there is enough shared experience for trekking to be empowering to any woman, especially those eager to fall in love...with a mountain!
Hi Pamela,
Thank you for your comment and experience trekking with our guide and trainees. Thank you for your kind co-operation.
Best regards,
Nicky
I have been very fortunate to meet the 3 Sisters at their lodge and in their business. All the work they do has excellent results. They are helping us support a young woman with 2 children who is staying with them at this time. They are supporting her with great love and professionalism. Their niece Archana is studying here in the U.S. and will be a great asset to their organization when she returns to Nepal.
This is one of the few Nepali organizations helping other Nepalis. The 3 Sisters do this effectively and always with the welfare of other women in mind.
Their country is benefitting greatly to have them lead the way in Women's Empowerment in Nepal.
Hi Feldman,
Thank you for your comment. It was nice meeting with you and having you in our guesthouse. We would like to thanks for giving us an opportunity assisting with your sponsored family. We are here with the great support and co-operation of our good friends, their family and well wishers through out the world. We will continue our work and keep up dates time to time.
Best regards,
Nicky
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3 Chhetri Sisters and their NGO EWN is helping our group to help a very poor Nepalese remote mountain village family we placed with them to get on their feet. The hard working mother is learning to feed and educate her children in a healthy way, taking professional sewing training to start such a business, developing new supportive friendships with other women, learning about city life, and enjoying the opportunity to develop as an independent woman.
My friends and I have had the pleasure of enjoying several days at their outstanding Pokhara Lakeside lodge. We were very comfortable in the clean attractive rooms and relished each attractively served delicious meal there.
Hi Joyce,
Namaste and thank you for your comment. It is our great pleasure to know that you have enjoyed staying in our guesthouse and meals served in our restaurant on your last visit.
We are very happy for trusting our organization to look after your sponsored Nepali family. They are slowly but surely adopting and enjoying city life.
Best regards,
Nicky
I would like to appreciate the efforts of 3 Sisters for the economic and social empowerment of women in Nepal through adventure tourism. We have also been doing homework on a similiar projects, where rural women living in the remote mountains nearby natural trails will be linked with tourists for marketing their traditional handicrafts and traditional food so that they will be economically and socially empowered.
Wish you all the best.
Hi,
Thank you for your comment. We are pleased to hear that your organization has been doing home work on similar projects to empowered women by economically and socially. Somehow we can share our ideas and may be in future can able to work together. We wish you a good luck.
Best wishes,
Nicky
I had an opportunity to use the services of 3 Sisters Trekking this past February (2008). I am in my late 60's and not exactly in top physical condition but found the experience to be one of the most rewarding vacations I have taken. Referred to the Three Sisters by a friend, I had originally planned to walk part of the Jomsom Trek and had mapped out an itinerary with 3 Sisters before I left Canada. When I arrived in Pokhara, I was pleased to find that all arrangements had been made as discussed.
There was one obstacle and that was weather. It turned out that February 2008 was one of the severest in recent years and for days there were no flights to Jomsom our starting point. Rather than stay in Pokhara at the teahouse, Shiva (my guide supplied by 3 Sisters) suggested some innovative ways to spend the time visiting local areas of interest. Shiva's excellent English combined with his knowledge of the region's various cultures and geography made the time pass quickly and in a very interesting fashion.
Taking the weather day-by-day, we also travelled through the many hills surrounding Pokhara which served as a bit of a conditioning exercise for me. Time was now becoming a factor as I had booked return flights to Canada. When it became obvious that the weather was not going to allow us enough time to travel to Jomsom and do any reasonable travelling in that area, I discussed alternatives with 3 Sisters. Their suggestion to visit Lumbini and the surrounding area turned out to be an excellent recommendation and brought a new dimension to my already rich experience in Nepal.
The qualities I enjoyed most about the 3 Sisters was their knowledge and friendly professionalism. I knew at each point in my trip what my alternatives were, how much time was involved, and what it was going to cost. Just as important I knew with confidence that they could deliver on what they promised.
I am looking forward to returning to Nepal im a year or so and the 3 Sisters will certainly be a major factor in planning and carrying out my trip.
Brian Wiley
USA
tracker@sentex.net
Dear Brian,
Thank you so much for your comments. We are glad to hear that your vacation was enjoyable. It is pity that wheather did not favour you to reach on your destination, but it mean Nepal is welcoming you again to make it happen. It is our pleasure to know that you are return again and hope you will provide us an opportunity working with you again. Yes, Shiva is a very good and knowledgable guide of our company. We are glad that he made your trip an enjoyable.
Once again thank you so much for all your co-operation.
Lucky
Dear Brian,
Thank you so much for your comments. We are glad to hear that your vacation was enjoyable. It is pity that weather did not favor you to reach on your destination, but it mean Nepal is welcoming you again to make it happen. It is our pleasure to know that you are return again and hope you will provide us an opportunity working with you again. Yes, Shiva is a very good and knowledgeable guide of our company. We are glad that he made your trip an enjoyable.
Once again thank you so much for all your co-operation.
Lucky
It is very good and inspring job for the young generation. We salut them from core of our heart.We wish u all the best for ur coming days.
with love eksh,dip,bj,cicil n pakku
We are pleased to know that you are inspired by our activities. Young people are the present and future assets of the nation.
We wish you all good luck.
3 Sisters
This is to congratulate Luckyji and her sisters and all the amazing folks working for change through Empowerment of the Women of Nepal. But it's also a comment on how broadly they are affecting change beyond their community/
This organization is not just changing lives in their community, they are shifting entire country/cultural paradigms as far as gender and economics! I have seen it in person over the past 5 years and am humbled by Lucky, Dicky and Nicky's work. Their compassion, kindness and sense of humor combined with how well they know the adventure tourism industry has given many (including myself) access to a amazing adventures in the Himalayan region!
Keep an eye on Lucky - she is sure to garner a Nobel Peace Prize someday in the not too-distant future! Her vision accompanied by the work of the Three Sisters is changing not only women's lives but the future for their children - male and female. And it is also changing the face of poverty for Western Nepal, giving the people of that region some glimmers of the first hope they may have seen in their lifetime. Truly, 3 Sisters is offering a new alternative to the terrorism of the Maoist rebel forces. And this is peace-building at the grassroots level!
VOTE VOTE VOTE for 3 Sisters and contribute to these amazing agents of social change!
Thank you so much for your great thoughts towards our organization's work. We are so fortunate to have friends, well wishers and supporters like you, without your love, prayers and co-operation we would have not reach here. We are putting small effort by sharing our knowledge and experiences to rural women so that they can be able to lead their life independently. Though, it was not easy task to convince in our male dominated society about women empowerment in adventure tourism. That is why; we are still facing some challenges. But we are very much optimistic for the positive changes in future.
Regards,
Lucky
I wish 3 Sisters all the best in this competition - they deserve to win!
I just returned from spending 7 months in Nepal, working as a volunteer with Empowering Women of Nepal. During my time in Pokhara I never ceased to be amazed by the sisters' dedication to their work. I saw at first-hand the difference their work makes to the lives of the women in Nepal: teaching English on the women's trekking guide training program I got to know the trainees and hear their hopes for the future and watch them gain in confidence as the training progressed; teaching English on training courses (Women's Initiation in Ecotourism) in Dolpa and Mugu in west Nepal gave me the opportunity to see how poor these areas are and how EWN and 3 Sisters are helping; working in the EWN office showed me the endless work carried out behind the scenes to secure funding for their work, organise programs in west Nepal, welcome visitors interested in their work, help trekking staff with any family problems - the list is endless!
I also went trekking twice with 3 Sisters and can whole-heartedly recommend their trekking company to anyone. My first trek with a group at the start of my visit was the best group-trekking experience I've ever been on. The Himalayan scenery was wonderful, but what will always stand out in my mind was the chance to get to know the staff as we walked along the trail together. In March I went on another trek, this time with only a trainee guide for company - I'd recommend doing this to any women travellers who like the independence of choosing when, where and for how long to stop, but also want the companionship and support of someone along the way, not to mention the opportunity to spend time with a Nepali woman and learn how she came to be there and what she wants to do with her life.
Vote for 3 Sisters!
Catriona
Thank you very much Catriona for sharing your experiences of volunteering with Empowering Women of Nepal ~ EWN and trekking with 3 Sisters Adventure trekking company. It was a great support for us to have you on our mobile training in Dolpa and Mugu. Your participation is a great contribution to our organization and the communities.
Thank you once again.
Lucky
I think 3 Sisters Adventure has a great initiative. The women of Nepal do most of the work anyway, so let them now profit from this too. Women can make great changes in Nepal and now it is slowly happening. The new government has a much greater number of women and they will be the advocates for equal rights and pay for women. Also in tourism in Nepal women should play a much greater role. Dicky and her group are making this happen.
Dear friends,
It is true that Nepalese women work most but it is less paid compare to men. They have less economic independence than men. Tourism is one of the good economic resources of Nepal though the women are not encouraged on this profession. Nepalese Women need opportunities, encouragement, and working atmosphere.
Thank you, The Last Resort for your comments and we hope in coming days all our counter parts will support on our mission.
Best,
Lucky
On May 28, 2008, the judges reviewed the entries for the Changemakers “Geotourism Challenge” and would like to pass on this feedback for your entry. Thank you for applying and for your hard work in the field. We are excited to archive your entry to serve as a leading solution for the worldwide community of sustainable tourism innovators. We wish you continued luck with your sustainable, innovative, and socially impactful initiatives.
All the best, The Changemakers Team
“This program has built on the widespread initiatives involving ecology and conservation with a unique concept—the role of women. The women’s empowerment dimension of this program and its impact on families is very attractive. The impact on these households is quite transformative, and the scope seems to continually grow. They’ve now trained over 600 women to work in the tourist industry.”
-Changemakers Geotourism Judges: National Geographic Society, Past President the Ford Foundation, whl.travel - World Hotel Link, ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth.
We are delighted to hear that we 3 Nepalese Sisters are empowering Women in Adventure tourism is one of the winner of National Geographic Geo tourism Challenge Competition. We are thanks to each individual friends, family, staff and special thanks to the judges who trust our mission and choose on great event. We are now more responsible on our mission to empower women and the deprive community through tourism.
Thank you so much, this is the win of whole Nepalese community with the help of entire world.
We hope the continuous support from all of you in future too.
With best
Lucky (3 Sisters)
Congratulations, Luckyji, for getting this award...
3 Sisters totally deserves it, and we are very very glad that a Nepali organization won this award.
Raj Gyawali
www.socialtreks.com
Raj Gyawaliji,
Thank you very much. It is our pleasure to honor this award with the help of all our global and Nepalese friends. This is a team work. We want to dedicate to all of our friends, family, staff, who contributed their time and effort to win this competition.
Lucky and 3 sisters family
Dear Lucky, I was so happy when Stephanie from World Expedition sent me a email to announce to me that you won the GeoTourism Challenge. Yesterday night, around the table for the dinner, you were in my thoughts, me and my family have celebrated this great honor. You deserve it so much!
For the people reading this, I'm journalist and one of the participants of the Women's Trek for Peace and Development organized last March by CECI Nepal(international canadian ngo) to promote the voices of Nepali women living in mountains. We were 10 sisters, nepalese and canadians, in West Nepal,Jumla and Mugu for 10 days'trek, meeting women's groups and women's leaders in their community and giving them basic health workshop. We trek with 3 Sisters, and 5 young ladies, assistant guides and trainees, Dhurga, Radika, Laxmi and Sushila. Five young women determined to take their place in society, determine to change the route that nepali society has traced for women for centuries. Lucky and her 2 sisters open the eyes of Nepali society, no progress will happen without half of the population, women, kept in silence and traditions, uneducated, sick and dependant financially of their husband.
We gonna trek together again next year in the West, because World Expedition in Canada decide to organize the Second Edition of Womens'Trek in 2009!
I'm looking forward to trek with you sisters again!
Dominique Jutras, Montréal,Quebec, Canada
Dear Sisters and Staff, I was so delighted to see that you rightfully won this important competition. It was even more fun to find out since Dicky was just here with me and we were awaiting the results together. She has told me so much about all your hard work, your inspirational father and mother, and your close relationships with your staff, clients and community. You truly all deserve this honor.
Looking forward to seeing you in October in beautiful Pokhara.
Love, Heidi
Pacific Grove, CA, USA
The initiative taken by 3 sisters is highly appreciable.Empowering women and their upliftment is a great challenge in a country like Nepal.Nepal is a male dominating country where women are only considered to look after households.Moreover the employment opportunities are limited for women.By training women as trekkers and mountaineers can be a major boost for the tourism industry besides making the women self dependent financially ,reaching to a more stronger women status.
Yes, you are right it was a great challenge to bring women into tourism especially in trekking. It has lots of positive impacts in women empowerment. We hope definitely one day our government and all relative organization will realize.
Thank you for your supportive comments.
With best,
3 sisters
Congratulations Lucky, Dicky and Nicky;
I was thrilled to see that you won such a prestigious award. You absolutely deserve it. The work that you have done and continue to do truly makes a difference to the woman of Nepal and inspires the rest of us.
It was a remarkable experience to trek with Saru and Kalpana in January 2008. I have trekked in various countries around the world and nothing compares to trekking with the girls.
I'll be back next April or May for another memorable experience.
Warmest regards,
Patti Stobbe
Canada
Dear Patti,
It is our great pleasure to receive this award. We always want to share our happiness with all our supportive friends from all over the world. It was not possible, if you all wound not trust us to provide our initiative services.
Glad to hear about your visit again.
With best,
3 Sisters
Wow, what wonderful work. Well done.
We'll definitely need to connect with you when we do a video shoot in Nepal.
Cheers,
Kim Mance
co-editor, Galavanting
online women's travel magazine
i m very much impressed. i m also doing business in adventure tourism in Manali, in north of India. i intend to involve mostly local women in my business.
please let me know more the kind of treks you offer in nepal. i will try to send trips to your area.
do let me know how we can effectively help the local women.
all the best,
moksha
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'Helping hands are better than praying lips'.