Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN)

Website: www.3sistersadventure.com/EWN
E-mail: ewn@3sistersadventure.com
Phone: Archana Chhetri: +977 61 462231

Who they are

Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN) was founded in 1999 to provide training aimed at income-earning opportunities for Nepali women from rural mountain areas of Nepal. EWN aims to empower women through adventure tourism, either as guides or as service providers on the trekking routes. Their emphasis is on the use of sustainable ecotourism as a means to help the poor, neglected areas of west Nepal.

What they do

Through EWN training programs, participants take knowledge that they have learnt about health, hygiene, nutrition, waste management, etc. back to their communities so that their families and friends also benefit. This has led to, for example, villages initiating their own cleanup campaigns. EWN works on joint projects with communities to help them improve facilities, both for themselves and trekkers, and show them how to earn money from ecotourism. For example, EWN is currently working with a village in a mountainous region in west Nepal to help them build a community-run lodge. EWN promotes the concept of “buying and hiring” locally for trekking groups in mountainous west Nepal, where trekking companies have traditionally taken in all staff and supplies required from Kathmandu.

EWN’s main area of work is the empowerment of women through training in adventure tourism related areas. Their training falls into two categories:
- Female trekking guide training in Pokhara for 1 month, followed by a paid apprenticeship program with their sister organisation, 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking;
- Mobile training held in west Nepal, for example in ecotourism and lodge management. All EWN training programs include the teaching of basic health, hygiene, waste management, English conversation and other tourism-related information. The aim of all EWN training programs is to provide women with the opportunity and knowledge required to earn an income from ecotourism related services. In addition, EWN has a children’s home for girls rescued from child labour, where they provide a safe and happy environment for them and send them to school.

What they offer

EWN welcomes volunteers with experience in teaching English, as well as those with backgrounds such as outdoor leadership, environment,first aid, etc. Volunteers can work with EWN in Pokhara, teaching on their trekking guide training programs, or they can join EWN in west Nepal to teach on their mobile training courses, or a combination of the three!

EWN arranges awareness-raising humanitarian treks with organisations from abroad interested in supporting theie work. Recently they have also started to arrange cultural/study treks for student groups from abroad.

The treks and training courses are throughout west Nepal in the districts of Jumla, Humla, Dolpa and Mugu, all in the Karnali zone. This is a rich and largely untouched place where the lower belt of the Karnali is inhabited by mostly Chhetris and Dalits who speak Nepalí with a mix of their dialect and practice Hinduism. In the higher mountain belts (bordering Tibet) people speak a mixture of the Tibetan and Nepali language and follow Buddhist culture. Many people throughout Karnali practice animism and spritual healing.

Location

You can visit the EWN centre in Pokhara very easily. It is in North Lakeside, near 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking which is mentioned in most major guidebooks. However, please contact them if you wish to visit west Nepal.

Empowering Women of Nepal
P.O. Box 284
Lakeside, Khahare
Pokhara – 6, Nepal

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What you need

This will depend on exactly where the visitor is going, and when. A list will be supplied.

Accommodation & Amenities

In Pokhara, there is a huge selection of accommodation and restaurants to suit all budgets and tastes so volunteers can choose as required. In west Nepal, volunteers stay in very basic guest houses and eat local food (some guest houses may have beds with mattresses while others may use thin hand woven mattresses)
Awareness raising, humanitarian treks are often organised as camping treks, but some accommodation may be in basic guesthouses.
Culture/study groups may stay in local homes or in basic guesthouses – this is something that will be discussed based on length of stay, location, etc.
This will vary and is very dependent on where you are going. Generally, if staying with a family, toilet facilities will be very basic and there will be no running water (a bucket of water is normally available to flush the toiler) and a bucket of water will be provided for washing. Please note that you should not wash in a river or lake as this pollutes! If staying in a guesthouse, there will usually be basic Asian style toilets.
There is usually some electricity in the evening, but always bring a torch! We will do our best to warn you if you are going to stay somewhere with no electricity.
Mostly local food. Very occasionally international food may be offered, but this is unusual. Vegetarian food is not a problem.
Prices will depend on the type of trek or volunteer placement you take part in. Volunteers are responsible for their own costs, i.e. food, accommodation, and transport. Please contact EWN or their affiliated trekking company 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking for actual trekking itineraries and costs.