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PHILANTHROPY
125
February15
What did you eat?
Christine:
Theygaveusplenty of carbohydrates:
noodles, rice, chapatis and dahl; but very little
fat or protein, so our nourishment wasn’t as
good as it could have been. So, by the time
we got to climbing the pass on the last day,
some of us were fairly weak – our tummies
were literally concave!
Selina:
It was hard to force down porridge at
4am before tackling the pass, though we knew
we had to. We had our trail mix, but by that stage
we could hardly stomach it any more.
How did the group dynamics work?
Selina:
Though there were times when you’d
have to engage and concentrate, at other
times you could just go at your own pace for
two or three hours at a time, just thinking your
own thoughts and drinking in the beauty of
the Himalayas. Or you could fall in with one of
the other women for a chat. It was a powerful
bonding experience; I felt I’d made friends
for life.
Christine:
Not only did the team gel incredibly
well, but we’ve come back even more full of
passion to make a difference to the lives of
other women. It’s not just the charity, either; it’s
about raising awareness, it’s even about being
role models for our own daughters, when they
see that Mummy can go off and do good and
adventurous things on her own.
Did you engage much with the local
people?
Selina:
Yes, and everyone was most kind and
hospitable. For example, even while we were
climbing Ngula Dhojhyang Pass, a group of
traders on their way from Nepal to Tibet, with
horses laden to capacity, stopped to have lunch
with us – and tea, too, on our way back down.
Meeting with the mothers’ group in Philim
village simply reinforced everything we know
about the power of women in groups. Like
similar groups in other villages in the area, they
come together to organise their village, keep it
clean, generate income for it and ensure their
children’s education.
Christine:
Another highlight was spending two
nights in Kathmandu, at the start of our trip, and
interacting with a group of young women from
Women Lead Nepal. Selina presented amodule
on how to create a business plan; and team
member Corinna Lim, who is also the executive
director of AWARE (Singapore’s leading gender
equality advocacy group), did a module on the
dangers of bullying, stereotyping and so on.
The team meeting
with a mothers’
group in Philim
Monk on the roof
ot the Mu Gompa
Monastery
Mules laden with
supplies on the
Trade Route
Christine receiving
a traditional silk
scarf (khata)
Local woman
holding a puppy