Our mission is to empower womenin Nepal through outdoor sports
Our vision is to provide outdoor sport opportunities to women throughout Nepal that celebrate the countries natural beauty and the positive effects of exercise on our mental and physical wellbeing.
About us
Ladies Mountain League was founded in February 2016 to empower Nepalese women through outdoor sports. It is a community of women who meet to take part in a variety of outdoor sports such as mountain biking, rock climbing, mountaineering, kayaking and trail running. Through collaboration with other organizations and businesses we aim to provide weekly activities as well as developing classes on nutrition, physiotherapy, bike mechanics, sports’ psychology and inviting inspiring sports women to come and talk to us. We aim for participants to take part free of charge or for a minimal fee to allow maximum participation from all. All Nepalese women from the age of 15 upwards are welcome to join us and we hope to expand our efforts to isolated villages all around Nepal empowering Nepalese women to become leaders and instructors.
Vision
We want to see all women in Nepal empowered through adventure sports and friendships. We do this by creating opportunities for women to connect with others and facilitate social inclusion and integration. We want women to have the chance to try new experiences and develop an appreciation for the beautiful landscape of Nepal. We believe outdoor sports have a huge potential to bring freedom and self-confidence, by overcoming physical and mental challenges. We think that sports can enhance health and wellbeing, and foster self-esteem through developing an individual’s talents and skills. We want more girls to discover the joy of outdoor sports as a recreational past time as well as a potential career path. We do this through a combination of training, instruction, courses, events and networking. We hope to give women more space to practice outdoor sports in a positive environment where they feel safe and secure. We are passionate to see women lead in outdoor sports, challenging the current gender norms and encouraging the next generation to embrace the joy and freedom that can be found within outdoor sports.
Why?
Most women in Nepal are familiar with hard work in all different kinds of terrain; Nepalese women are strong and capable. Their experiences can easily translate to outdoor sports, but this is not always valued in society, where being strong as a girl is not encouraged. . During the last decade there have been significant improvements but gender inequality, discrimination and violence against women still persists. Women in Nepal have to face discrimination in all different domains; economic, social, environmental, political and traditional. Practices such as, as son preference, stigmatization of widows, seclusion, and family violence put women at a disadvantage in society. Boys are more likely to be educated in Nepal as they are seen to bring financial security whilst daughters live at home to take care of their in-laws. Marriage plays a decisive role in all women’s life choices and social- economic position. The limited opportunities and the constraints have also driven many women to seek employment opportunities elsewhere in Nepal or abroad, a trend accompanied by concerns about their vulnerability to sexual exploitation, forced labour and abuse, and their concentration in the informal sector. We want to see a change. The UN currently states:
- Within the 15-49 age group, over 40% of women have never been to school compared with 14% of men in that category
- Almost half of the population gets married between the age of 14 to 19
- Most women are engaged in unpaid, home-based labour and 74.8% of the unpaid family labour is carried out by women.
- Nepalese women have much higher work- load than the global average
- Suicide is the single leading cause of death among women of reproductive age
The maternal mortality rate is still highest in the world - It is estimated that more than 600,000 women suffer from conditions related to uterine prolapse due to early marriage, early pregnancy, overwork and neglect
- 12,000 women and children are trafficked to the Middle East and India every year, mainly for exploitation in brothels or as forced labour
- Among married women, one third have experienced emotional, physical and sexual violence from their spouse
With the highest mountains in the world, marvelous rivers, and infinite tracks and trails, the beautiful landscape of Nepal is a paradise for outdoor sports. There are numerous adventure businesses in Nepal that tend to cater for the foreign tourists. Therefore, many Nepalese people haven’t had the opportunity to explore their surroundings and discover the joy of outdoor sports. Nepal has huge potential for sporting adventures and the adventure tourism sector is important for the overall economic development of the country. Sports in general are not considered for women and as a result they are at a disadvantage within the sector. Beside employment potential, outdoor sports in Nepal can give self confidence, the ability to overcome challenging situations, and a respect and appreciation of nature and its need for conservation. Research on sport, gender and development indicates that sport can benefit girls and women by:
- Enhancing health and wellbeing;
- Fostering self-esteem and empowerment
- Facilitating social inclusion and integration
- Challenging gender norms
- Providing opportunities for leadership and achievement
Join With Us
Support us
In order to be able to reach our vision we are dependent on donations and sponsorships. To run Ladies Mountain League events takes many hours of coordination and sourcing of supplies. Please contact us if you would like to support or sponsor us and we can provide further information about our goals and the many ways in which you can help.
If you have any gear that you would like to support us with please contact us. We are in need of;
- Camping gear
- Helmets; climbing helmets, mountain biking helmets, kayak helmets
- Sleeping bags
- Outdoor and sports clothes
- Hiking boots and shoes
- Climbing gear
- Mountain bikes
- White water kayaks
Please note that we cannot meet the cost for shipping right now. For further information please contact us.
For all our monthly expenses such as rent, salary to pay, and costs for events, we are in need for donations. Would you like to be a part of our economic support team? This would help us to run for a longer time. Please contact us and we will give you more information on this.
The headbands are made out of organic Bamboo Viscose produced by Purnaa, an ethical manufacturer working to empower those most marginalized by society in Nepal. Our logo is beautifully printed on the front and these are great accessories to your sporting adventures and can be worn as either a headband or scarf, These are currently available in Stockholm, and Östersund, Sweden, and will soon be available in Kathmandu. The price is 18 USD or 160 SEK and they come in green, pink, black, blue and orange. Check out Purnaa’s website here www.purnaa.com and contact us about receiving your very own Ladies Mountain League headband and support the work we do.
Partners
Thank you to all businesses and organizations that are helping us to operate or are working for the same vision