The Chhetri Sisters:  Empowered Women

Lucky, Dicky and Nicky Chhetri, three Nepalese sisters are pioneers in the field of female trekking guides. Since 1994, they have worked towards empowering women in Nepal.  

In the early nineties no one would have dreamed of a Nepalese woman guiding a trek. Nepalese society is ruled by the Orthodox Hindu religion where women are considered second-class citizens. Their role is to be a diligent wife, a loving mother, and an obedient daughter-in-law. Society dictates that a woman should not cross out of her home threshold. But the Chhetri sisters did just that.   

Nicky Chhetri
In 1993 we were running a restaurant and a lodge in Pokhara. We had the opportunity to meet women from all over the world. We came across some unhappy and frightened solo women travelers who had had bad experiences with their male guides. Upon hearing these stories, we felt sad and decided to do something immediately. With urging from our friends, we gathered up all our courage and entered into this uncharted territory. 

Dicky Chhetri

Lucky, our oldest sister, had trained in The Himalayan Mountaineering Training Institute in Darjeeling, India in 1990. The training sparked her interest in an adventurous life and we, her sisters, shared her feelings and dreamt of trekking throughout the Himalayas. This, combined with the requests from our trekking friends, gave us a unique idea for women to be trekking guides. In 1994, we started a women's trekking guide service.  

Years earlier, during a field visit to the far west, Lucky saw the harsh lifestyles of the women. With their husbands and brothers gone to India, women were abandoned in the dry, uncultivated landscape of western Nepal. "I dreamed of working to support them. Our female trekking agency helped me realize that dream. Remembering these hard working women, I recognized that rural women would be ideal candidates for female trekking guides and porters. This opportunity could offer them choices in, what looked like, an inevitably bleak future." 

Lucky Chhetri

To include these women in the trekking industry, we created a training program to provide them with the necessary skills. The early success of these first women inspired others. After a few years, women from all over the country were attracted to our program for training and job opportunities. Some were low caste women whom society looked down upon, others were socially disadvantaged and facing challenges in life. We have encouraged and motivated other Nepalese women from all backgrounds to enter into the tourism industry.

Our aim has been, and continues to be, to empower and develop women through tourism and to encourage sustainable tourism in remote areas where there is little hope for the future.

It is not easy to break down social barriers within a few years. Women trekking guides is a new concept for Nepalese society. It has been a great challenge to bring women into this industry, since society doesn't condone women working as guides, but after a long struggle we have proven ourselves. Women can also work as a guide if the opportunity is provided to her. We have demonstrated that women are mentally, physically and emotionally as strong as men. 

 

Empowering Women of Nepal