It was a beautiful sunny day in Pokhara on the 14^th of January. The group rose up early in the morning to go hiking with the Three Sisters Company. The Three Sisters Trekking Company is extraordinary on so many levels. It has found a way to dovetail both women empowerment with Nepal’s greatest industry: tourism. The greatest aspect about this coupling is that the company has managed to do this sustainably. First they train the women of Nepal under the organization Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN) to become competitive tour guides. The organization understands that tourism is an international business and it is more complicated than simply guiding tourists on trekking paths. The girls learn English and various other languages, learn mannerisms and the values of understanding different cultures, as well as the importance of ecology and environmental sustainability. These well-trained guides then work for the Three Sisters Trekking Company for six months with free lodging so that they can save up money to move out, making room for new trainees to come. With the profit made from these tours, the company is sustained, while being able to run this trek guide “manufacturing” system operational for a long period.

So during the hike, I happened to notice more than ample amount of garbage lined up along the path. The little preservationist in me started to become irksome. Sure, the amount of garbage was less than what we have seen in the villages, and yes the locals that live along the path than the trekkers themselves probably littered the garbage; however, these sisters were practicing eco-tourism were they not? Eco-tourism heavily depends on respecting the ecology of the touristy area to maintain the environment that people come to experience. (Plus, the argument that we should not impose the value of tourists that want to see garbage-free environment upon the locals hold no ground here because environmental stewardship is a universal responsibility.) Therefore I asked Lucky, one of the Three Sisters, if the organization participated in any clean up projects. She started to mention a few successful projects that the girls have undertaken, such as cleaning up the lake right in front of their headquarters. But what followed really surprised me: she said, “Environmental protection is very important and there are environmental NGOs that are willing to support us; however, to focus on the environment will divert our efforts of women empowerment. Right now, we want to focus on one goal.” After learning about the comprehensiveness of this organization, and groveling at the multi-faceted approach of empowering women through the tourism business, I must say that the simplicity of her vision was astonishing. I realized that it was because the organization had such a clear-cut and simplistic goal that allowed them to stay on track despite the complexity of their operation.

I wonder if this can be applied to the government of Nepal. I wonder if what Nepal needs right now is to dumb down and simplify their objectives to streamline the development process. They do have a deadline to meet for the constitution. But then again, is rushing it the right approach?