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IPPG Newsletters: March 2002
Porter's Progress (PP) and the Porter Clothing Bank |
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Porter's Progress is now a separate organization directed by Ben Ayers. Ben is seeking financial support to make his brainchild truly independent. Contact him directly if you can help (portersprogress@ippg.net).
There will be a new office in Kathmandu, with an expansion of the education and craft programs. IPPG is working closely with Ben to help him set up his vision.
Himalayan Explorers Club (HEC) will continue to support Porter's Progress in Nepal with some funding, as will IPPG.
Brandom Jones staffed the clothing bank in Lukla in September, October and November 2001 and reports that in November alone, 72 porters were outfitted and 129 attended classes on the environment, English language and handicrafts.
The BBC Video, Sharing the Burden was shown 27 times to 369 people (302 foreigners, 67 Nepali). Brandom continues:
"September greeted Porter's Progress with a new and improved office space in Lukla. Our Lukla office manager, Ngima Nuru Sherpa, opened up this office and started getting the word out to locals and porters alike that we now have a nice space where all are welcome to come. The intention of this office is to go beyond serving as the logistical headquarters for the clothing bank. Although the clothing-lending program is essential to the well being of porters and is a tangible resource that PP can offer to them, we want to be known as "the porters' office." This includes serving as a resource for educational programs and empowerment classes on English, first aid, altitude sickness, and more, while also giving the porters a place to relax, feel respected, and share ideas. This, we hope, will naturally lead to a more dynamic dialogue between porters and trekkers, for trekkers also stop in our office to see Carrying the Burden and ask questions about porters or donate clothing after they finish their treks.
After establishing both the clothing bank and visitors' information center for trekkers in our new office it was time to get down to business. Both Ngima and myself spent lots of time hanging out on the streets of Lukla, at the airport, and on the main trekking trails in the Solokhumbu to spread the word of PP and let porters know that they now have this office as their resource. It was incredible how few porters knew about it! Hopefully, this is one of our biggest successes of the autumn season...getting the word out. We taught at least one class each day and helped lots of porters one on one when they would pop into the office in the mornings. We saw increasing numbers of tourists coming into our office each week.
After the November 23rd Maoist attacks on the police/army posts in Salleri it was advised that I return to Kathmandu. As the season was also winding to a close it was a sudden, but not detrimental, twist of events. Our office is in great hands with Ngima. The porters of Khumbu now have a space which they can call their own. Hopefully, within a few seasons, they will assume control of a cooperative scheme. This was an exciting and dynamic season for Porter's Progress and opened many doors to continue porter advocacy work all over the world.!"
Ben Ayers is planning to go to Nepal and do some more work with Porter's Progress. Meantime he is writing grant applications and looking for donations.
The IPPG and PP are working together on a porter booklet in Nepali which will include safety, first aid, AMS, hypothermia, frostbite, health, education and an English/ Nepali dictionary.
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