At the end of the year we would like give an update of our activities in May -December 2008 and say a big thank you to all donors who made this possible!

Also in 2009 we will stay focused on providing women practical skill-based training programs with gainful employment opportunities. Our goal is to encourage our fellow Nepali sisters to become self-supportive, independent, decision-making women.

Please, read the attached newsletter for an overview of all our activities in 2008.

Activities May - December 2008:

Training programs in the Far West of Nepal

Women’s Initiation in Eco-Tourisn in the Mugu district This 6-day training, organized by EWN in close cooperation with local NGO Rural Community Development Services, sought to educate and raise awareness for the positive possibilities of tourism, bringing this potential development tool to more deprived communities. 35 women were inspired by classes such as tourism, cooking, health & hygiene, and conversational English to become more involved in tourism.

Lodge Management Trainings The first ever training for lodge owners from the Karnali Zone (West Nepal) brought 10 participants to Pokhara in August 2008. The goal: to raise awareness about all aspects of lodge management to improve future tourist services offered in that area. In field visits the participants were inspired to bring home with them successful examples of running and maintaining lodges. This training was followed by a second one in Jumla in November 2008, with 25 participants from four districts: Mugu, Dolpa, Kalikot and Jumla.

Female Trekking Guide Training and Rock Climbing Course The two Female Trekking Guide Trainings in Pokhara (January and August 2008) saw an increase in participation: over 40 women for each! They all learned about map reading, English, geography, as well as flora, fauna, religion and culture. New additions to the curriculum included entrepreneurship and leadership.

Women are anxious to learn more skills and are looking for advanced training. To meet this need, EWN regularly organizes rock climbing courses. The last one took place in December 2008 and was met with lots of enthusiasm.

Children’s Home Twenty girls, in the age from 8 till 16, from EWN's Children's Rescue Program are now happily living in Pokhara. Three years ago, the girls' education was in jeopardy mainly due to poor family economic conditions, leaving their families no choice but to have their daughters work. Now the girls are enjoying the opportunity to focus on their education. EWN provides them with food, accommodation, clothing, medical care and pays for their school tuition.

• EWN's Annual Newsletter 2008.doc (DOC)