Company Overview
Company Overview
The beginnings of 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking
Lucky, Dicky and Nicky Chhetri are three Nepalese sisters and pioneers in the field of female trekking guides. Since 1994, they have worked towards empowering women in Nepal through their trekking agency 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking and their NGO Empowering Women of Nepal. Entering an uncharted territory In the early ‘90s, no one would have dreamed of a Nepalese woman guiding a trek. In Nepalese society, a woman receives less education and is expected to stay at home. In this society, many women are not allowed or encouraged to work outside.
But the Chhetri sisters Lucky, Dicky and Nicky did just that : “In 1993 we were running a restaurant and a lodge in Pokhara. We met women from all over the world and came across some who had bad experiences with their male guides. These stories touched us and we resolved to do something.”
Breaking down barriers for Nepalese women
In 1994 they started 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking, a trekking organization for women and by women. Breaking down social barriers they created a training program through their NGO Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN). This training program teaches local women the necessary skills for trekking and guiding. The success of these women inspired others. Since then, close to 2,000 women from all over Nepal have completed the training. Many have become guides and/or gained self-confidence to find employment elsewhere. Some were low caste women whom society looked down upon, others were socially disadvantaged and facing challenges in life. It has been a life changing experience for all the participants.
Lucky, Dicky and Nicky: "Whether or not these women go on to become a guide after the training program, we feel it is a seed planted for them and for future generations. We demonstrate that women are mentally, physically and emotionally as strong as men."
How we are structured
EWN and 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking work in partnership to promote and empower women through adventure tourism. Together we combine practical skill-based training programs with gainful employment opportunities. Our goal is to encourage our fellow sisters to become self-supportive, independent, decision-making women.
EWN provides:
• A 4-week Female Trekking Guide Training Program with no fees attached
• On-going daily English conversation classes
• Job placement as a guide or assistant upon completion of the course
3 Sisters Adventure Trekking provides:
- a supportive apprenticeship as an assistant during the training program and as part of the job placement thereafter
- a full-salary that is equivalent to their experienced male counterparts after the training program. Once employed, we pay the highest amount that the local economy allows and it adequately covers all their trekking expenses, plus cost of living.
- health and accident insurance coverage is provided for all trainees, assistants and guides
