3 sisters adventure trekking and empowering women of nepal

3 SISTERS ADVENTURE TREKKING ANDEMPOWERING WOMEN OF NEPALFemale Trekking Guide TrainingIn 1993, the Chhetri sisters, Lucky, Dicky and Nicky, wererunning a restaurant and a lodge in Pokhara, where they hadthe opportunity to meet women from all over the world. Theymet some unhappy and frightened solo female travellerswho had been harassed by their male guides, and the ideafor their own trekking business, by women for women, wasborn. They summoned all their courage and started theirFemale Trekking Guide and Porter Services for Lady Trekkersin 1994. Lucky Chhetri notes three major factors that inspiredthem to start the business:• Requests from solo women trekkers• The mountaineering training that the eldest of the threesisters had received• The difficult life of rural women from West Nepal.“Our aim has been, andcontinues to be, to empowerand develop women throughtourism and to encouragesustainable tourism inremote areas where there islittle hope for the future”. -Lucky ChhetriAlthough the law states that Nepali men and womenreceive equal rights, the reality often does not reflectthe regulation. Most women are uneducated andunderprivileged, working gruelling hours in thehouseholds and fields. The Female Trekking Guide andPorter Services gave local women an alternative todomestic labour and travelling tourists, the comfort ofa female guide. It was a natural match, but there wereplenty of challenges to face. They were working in a maledominatedprofession where women were made tofeel unwelcome and education opportunities werelimited.1

To combat these challenges, the Chhetri sisterspushed hard for instruction at the Council forTechnical Education and Vocational TrainingInstitute. This was an eye-opening experience,because they were now able to design their ownintroductory training programme designed fordisadvantaged and rural mountain women. Thecourse was tailored to their level of understanding andaims, giving them confidence to join this profession andan eagerness to learn and earn.The first training took place in 1996 with 10 participants.The trekking company 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking wasofficially registered in 1998. To continue the training A guide participant says:programme, they founded Empowering Women of “I learned to becomeNepal in 1999. Since then, 3 Sisters and EWN have an ambassador for mybeen working closely together to empower women incountry.”the trekking industry and to make them independent,confident and self-sufficient.Between 1999 and 2008 EWN conducted 18 basicfemale trekking guide training programmes with over600 participants. The women who entered the tourismbusiness through the programme came from all parts of the country; some of them low caste womenwhom society looked down upon, others socially disadvantaged and facing challenges in life.Trekking training offers a unique combinationof very practical life skills and a broaderglobal perspective, improving cognitiveskills and fostering independent thinking.There is a large demand for female trekkingstaff in the market, but a limited supplyof skilled women. EWN and 3 SistersAdventure Trekking have filled this voidin the male-dominated trekking industry.2

Implementation ProcessA six-month trekking guide apprenticeshiptakes place twice a year in Pokhara, at thebase of the Himalayas. Women from remoterural areas are provided with trekkingequipment, free accommodation and foodat the EWN hostel. The maximum group sizeis 40, and the average age of participants isabout 20, drawing participants from differentregions in Nepal.The programme begins with an intensivefour-week training course that teaches thewomen technical and conversational English as well as the essential skills and knowledge to work astrekking guides. The training also emphasises ecological awareness and conservation, covering watersanitation, crop rotation, waste management and alternative sources of fuel.As participants develop into adventure tourism professionals, they pass on the sound ecologicallypractices they learned at the training programme to their clients and the villages along theirroutes. For example, they promote the use of iodine purification methods rather than relyingon purchased mineral water and littering the Himalayas with its attendant plastic bottles. Theyeven knit practical water bottle holders to raise money for the project. In the tea houses alongtheir trails, the guides give lessons on safe cooking techniques and waste management practicesto help improve the local economy and create a sustainable trekking industry. The initial trainingalso teaches knowledge about Nepali culture and history, which is insightful for many participants.The subjects of the initial training comprise• Technical and conversational English• First Aid (HIV/AIDS, Sexual Transmitted Diseases - STD, women‘s health issues leadership)• Women’s rights/human rights• Trekking information /tourism• Environment• History / Geography /Map reading• Culture /Religion• Flora and FaunaIn just one month, women who had nomeans of earning a living by themselvesare set on the path to self-sufficiency. Atthe end of the training, the women enter anapprenticeship programme with 3 SistersAdventure Trekking where they earn wagesequal to those of men and acquire fieldexperience working as trainee guides. From3

their apprenticeship they gain immediate economic benefits and develop the skills they need toemerge as independent entrepreneurs. Each woman learns at her own pace, possibly going throughthe 6-month programme only once, possibly several times, until she has refined the necessary skillsenough to become a fully qualified trekking guide. The action-based apprentice training approachallows women to advance up the trekking guide career ladder as they gain experience.BenefitsSince 1998 the three sisters have managed to bridge a gap in the market and contribute successfullyto women empowerment. Their story has been the topic of many (inter)national publications,documentaries films and other media coverage.Thanks to this exposure, more and morewomen are finding their way into the trekkingapprenticeship. The project has receivedglobal recognition and awards from differentorganisations, such as Travel Plus Leisure andNational Geographic.A programme participant says:“I feel like I have been releasedfrom a prison. For the first timein my life. I have the freedom toThrough the three sisters’ work and activities,it is now acceptable for women to work in theNepali tourism industry. 3 Sisters AdventureTrekking offers its employees not only fairwages (they earn US$1,200 annually, whilst thelive as I choose.” The programmehelps the women to becomeself-sufficient and independentas well as developing theirconfidenceNepali average is US$ 240) but also benefitssuch as insurance, tuition fees for their childrenand a savings and credit programme. Theimprovement of the women’s social and economic situation also directly influences their families andcommunities. Through the contact with travellers from all over the world a vital cultural exchangetakes place which benefits both sides.Their wages allow them to pay for university,family, medical expenses, siblings’ educationand their own businesses, resulting inboosted self-confidence, independence andprofessional skills. The three sisters havecreated a platform for women to experiencetheir capacities and interests, which enablesthem to make their own choices about theirfuture. The programme gives the women achance to expand social boundaries and, in thelong run, to contribute to social change and abetter quality of life for all Nepali women.4

Investment in the projectThe total cost of running the female trekkingguide training amounts to US$5,500-6,500,depending on the number of participants.In 2001, the three sisters began gatheringsupport to sustain the programme from variousnational and international organisations, inaddition to donations received from friendsand clients. Their trekking business is makinga reasonable profit, which keeps the trainingin motion even when donations are sparse.OutlookPlans include construction of a training centre for adventure tourism in Pokhara to increase the numberof female trekking guide training programmes. With the proper training institute facilities they plan toturn out more professional and specialised guides in different areas, such as language, culture, flora, birdwatching and many more. There is also a plan to train climbing staff and rock and ice climbing instructors.Contact AddressEmpowering Women of Nepal and 3 Sisters Adventure TrekkingMrs. Lucky Chhetri Founder of Empowering Women of Nepal, Executive Director of 3 SistersAdventure TrekkingEmail:ewn@3sistersadventure.comPhone: + 977 61 462231/462066Address: P.O. Box 284Lakeside, KhaharePokhara–6, NEPALSourceswww.3sistersadventure.comwww.3sistersadventure.com/EWN5