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The year of 2002 closed
upon Nepal like a suitcase heading for Thailand. The decline
in tourist travel to Nepal due to political unrest has led
to a severe shortage of work for everyone in the trekking
industry. Porters' Progress is working harder than ever to
facilitate porters' own dreams of a safe and sustainable trekking
industry, and to show how appreciation and creativity can
lead to non-violent social change. Our programs all continue
to exhibit rapid growth and development, and porters are coming
up with new ideas daily.
We feel that it is important
to mention our continuing belief that trekking in Nepal, and
hiring a porter, is the most direct action a foreign visitor
can take to change the lives of these amazing men and women.
In 2002, Porters' Progress
saw a 50% increase in warm clothing lent out to porters, and
we were able to put shoes, socks, jackets, hats, gloves, and
some pretty tacky sunglasses onto 1,591 porters. We also had
2,736 'student-visits' (one student-visit is one porter attending
one class) to our English classes alone. Dozens of kind volunteers
from around the world shared their native tongues as well,
and porters filled their notebooks with basic phrases in Spanish,
French, German, and Japanese. Our Empowerment classes were
often filled to capacity, with as many as 60 porters cramming
into our small offices. During these meetings, porters stepped
forward to offer examples of their own successes, and suggestions
about how to create more success in their lives and industry
themselves. In total, we had 1,166 porters attending 129 such
meetings.
The numbers can go on
forever. We have been overwhelmed with all we've been able
to accomplish, and also all of the support we have received
from around the world. A certain magic has settled into our
offices, and many afternoons were spent simply singing and
dancing with porters, eating mangoes, drawing, and dreaming.
Porters' Progress believes in the power of dancing, dreams,
and mangoes. We believe that the only true solution to the
social and institutional problems that porters face will be
one derived from the hope, creativity, and determination that
burns underneath every forehead, every tumpline, and every
load that porters carry.
We feel that porters
are truly beginning to inherit our organization. Our official
NGO registration in Nepal has allowed us to begin the slow
transition to an Executive Board staffed solely by porters.
Porters have begun to
collect poems and other creative work, and have put together
a yearly literary magazine, "Two Fists of Breath."
Ben Ayers has been translating these poems into English, and
it is our intention to publish a full-length book of translations
soon. Women porters are coming into our offices for the first
time and their voices are now heard among the songs and the
shouts.
More than ever, a single
trekker can make a difference. If you are thinking of trekking
in Nepal - please hire a porter and treat him/her well. Make
sure that your porter is given the standard of treatment and
compensation that you would expect for yourself. Also, please
stop by either of our offices to donate some of your time,
energy, and input (and bring your dancing shoes).
We owe our successes to a great variety of sponsors and supporters,
and the IPPG stands out among these. Without the ongoing partnership
and cooperation of IPPG representatives from across the world,
our offices would not be open today. We also extend our gratitude
to all of those who have supported us through this period
of growth and development, and to those upon whose continued
support we depend.
Ben Ayers, Porters' Progress Founder
More information about Porters' Progress is available at www.portersprogress.org,
or you can email us at info@portersprogress.org
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