Dechristo Posted April 25, 2006 Posted April 25, 2006 April 2006 The Mountain Fund Newsletter Together We Can Move Mountains! Please Forward, Help Us Spread the Word! Help Communities Around the Globe From Your Desk clinc kids One of our greatest challenges as a new nonprofit is reaching a wide audience who can support our grassroots programs in mountain communities. Let’s be blunt here: we need dollars to operate. We need volunteers. We need supporters of every shape, size and ability. We need to spread the word and we need YOUR HELP to do it. What is the easiest thing that you can do to help? Forward this newsletter to anyone you know who is interested in human rights, a healthy planet, sustainable travel or incredible people doing wonderful things. Forward this newsletter to someone you know who should be informed. This is the beginning of a movement of people who care about the outdoors, care about other people (who they will probably never even meet) and care about the future of this planet. The 32 programs that we support around the globe operate in the world’s most impoverished places. All of the programs that we support have small budgets and minimal overhead. Contributing to the Mountain Fund and its programs, dollar for dollar, is some of the most powerful giving that you can do. It is easy to be discouraged and become hopeless after watching the evening news. But, it is amazing the good that can be accomplished when people join together. I propose that collectively we can make positive change and that... TOGETHER WE CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS! Dave david@mountainfund.org Please visit our website at www.mountainfund.org If this e-newsletter was forwarded to you and you would like to get added to the mailing list just send me an email and I'll add you. The End of Poverty EconomicPossibilities for Our Times, by Jeffery D. Sachs Jeff Sachs' groundbreaking book asserts that extreme poverty can be eliminated from the planet by the year 2015. In this, the second part of our three- part series we will discuss the specific goals of the Millennium Development Goals including examination of what we in the US agreed to do, and what we are doing. The Millennium Development Goals The Global Compact to End Poverty * Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger * Achieve universal primary education * Promote gender equality and empower women * Reduce child mortality * Improve maternal health * Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases * Ensure environmental sustainability * Develop a global partnership for development To see the full MDGs click here. For us in what Sachs' calls a "high-income" country, these needs are already 100 percent fulfilled even for the relatively poor. To meet these needs for the world's poor will require a decade or more of investment. But, let's pause there for a moment and get a handle on what sort of investment is required. The total amount needed to meet all eight goals sounds like a staggering number, $72 billion per year, until it is put into context. There are roughly 1.1 billion people living in extreme poverty, the type of poverty that kills. Each of those 1.1 billion people however, requires the modest sum of roughly $65.00 per year in aid for the MDGs to be realized. Spending $65 per person, per year doesn't seem like too large an investment to make in our fellow humans. Do we have the resources to afford the MDGs? Yes, without question. Again the small and personal numbers help to keep a real perspective on the issue. Consider five developing countries - Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda. In order to scale up infrastructure and social services by the year 2015 to address the needs of those nations will require about $100 per person per year from 2005 to 2015. The rich world, the one we live in has an annual per capita income of nearly $27,000 per person plus government revenues of an additional $7000 per person per year for a total of $34, 000 per person per year. An investment of $100 is a small sum. For the poorest countries however, $100 per capita is a very large sum, equal to the income per capita of Ethiopia in 2001. Has something on this scale been attempted before? Absolutely. At the end of WWII the Marshall Plan was implemented to re-build war devastated Europe. The United States, from 1948 through 1952 contributed more than 1% of our gross domestic product to support the Marshall Plan. That's around ten times the effort we are currently making toward the MDGs as a share of our GNP. Today we are giving 0.15 percent of GNP toward the MDGs. We pledged to give 0.7 percent and are short of our pledge by 0.55 percent of GNP. Our GNP rises about 1.9% per year, meaning that the amount we have pledged, but not contributed is less than one third of the annual increase in our GNP. Think of it this way, if the US were on track to reach the level of $40,000 per capita disposable income by January 1, 2010, making our promised contribution would delay that until May 1, 2010 or a third of a year. This four month lag would mean that a billion people would be given an economic future of hope, health and improvement rather than a downward spiral of disease, despair and decline. I think we could stand the four month wait, don't you? Another approach to the math. In 2000 the IRS issued a report on the richest taxpayers. The top four hundred tax payers had a combined income of $69 billion dollars or roughly $174 million each. The income of just these 400 taxpayers exceeds the combined incomes of Botswana, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda which is $57 million dollars. Consider the most recent three tax cuts we have been granted and the impact of those cuts which amounted to $220 billion dollars per year. The tax savings of the households above $500,000 per year in income amount to about $50 billion per year, enough to fund our share of the MDG needs. Why we can't wait for the top 400 taxpayers. The preceding paragraph may have influenced you to believe that if "they", the richest people in our country, would just pay their fair share all would be well. We get too easily trapped in the idea that "they" is someone, but not us. The truth is that if you and I don't take action, no one is going to. Waiting for the richest four hundred people to fork over $50 billion could be a long, long wait. Small amounts from people like you and I can make a huge difference. I recently read, for instance, that their are 1.6 million people who climb in North America alone. Sounds like an exaggeration but try to get a route on the Flatirons on a weekend and you'll start to believe it. I took a look at the budgets for the 32 programs that The Mountain Fund operates and determined that if every climber each sent us just twenty- five cents we could meet all of our goals for program support here at The Mountain Fund. Just a quarter each and 32 programs would be solid for one more year. So, you see what each of us can easily afford to do. I know there have been a lot of numbers in this article and I urge you to go back over these and allow them to fully sink in. Once you do, I think you will agree that the end of poverty is firmly within our grasp. Get a copy of The End of Poverty at our online bookstore here . Join in this discussion at The Mountain Fund Blog here. (This article consists of excerpts and commentary on writings from both The End of Poverty and from the December/January issue of Time Magazine.) MicroFinance Programs Keep Growing With Your Support Mountain Fund Letter from Shantidhara Shantidhara operates a children's library and a dormitory for poor children in the Visakhapatnam district of India who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend school. Presently 12 children live at the dormitory, receive meals and help with their homework, and attend the local schools. Shantidhara hopes to add 10 more children to the hostel and start a women's microfinance program for the families they serve. Mountain Fund wants to help Shantidhara start a microfinance program much like, Aynikuy, the micro-lending program we are supporting in Peru. [see the December 2005 newsletter for the story--archived at www.mountainfund.org]. Below is a letter to Molly Loomis, Mountain Fund staff, from A.M. Jojayya, president of Shantidhara. Dear Molly Loomis, One of the child in Shantidhara Children hostel lost his mother. She committed suicide by consuming pesticide. The family was having disputes since one year and it seemed the poor woman lost her patience because of the harassment of her in-laws and committed suicide. I took boy to his village, was there till her final rituals completed. She was the victim of harassment. Thank you for your concern and initiation of focusing on Shantidhara and its Mahila Mandals (woman Associations). As it was mentioned in the website our women initiated small savings which they deposit in their woman association account in the village post offices very regularly every month. Though they are saving at their best, the amounts are so tiny to take any micro enterprise. So if you kindly focus on this and raise the fund, this amount together with their monthly savings will be useful for them to initiate small businesses such as vegetable vending, Milk and curd vending, Basket making, leaf plate making etc., so that they can earn the money which will supplement their other aspects of life like their children education and health etc. Hope you understand me and do needful. In any case if anyone needs any other information about Shantidhara and its activities particularly with regard to Women associations, please do not hesitate to ask me and I will immediately submit it to you. Thank you once again on behalf of the target women and I wish you very success... With best wishes. Sincerely, A.M. Jojayya President Shantidhara website: http://www.shantidhara.org, Email: shantidhara@yahoo.com Nepal Trekking Report Sudhir, IMEC Interviews and Observations Along the Popular Lukla-Thame Sudhir, an employee of Mountain Fund member organization International Mountain Explorers Connection, went on a porters' rights information gathering trek and recorded his observations along the way. Excerpts from his report are below- editor. I did my Trekking Lukla to Thame via Namche from March 19th to 31st 2006. Since this is the most popular and safe trekking route in Nepal, I found many trekking groups and individual trekkers on the way. There are 3 types of porters: 1. High altitude (Expedition) Porters: These porters carry the loads of the summiters. Generally not other than Sherpa ethnic group is involved in this profession. These porters carry the loads from the base camp. Almost all the expedition company has enough mountaineering gear for these porters. The more high altitude they climb, the more they make money. These porters carry 10- 20 Kg of load only. 2. Trekking Porters: These porters who carry the loads for trekkers. The peoples between 15 - 50 years old from different ethnic group like Sherpa, Tamang, Rai, Limbu, and Brahmin/Chhetris are in this profession. Generally, they carry loads for 5 - 21 days with one trekking group. There is no rule and regulation for certain weight and fixed rate, which makes very confusing to both porters and trekkers. The load varies from 30 - 60 kg and wages varies from 250- 500 rupees per day without food. They walk 4-6 hours per day according to their trekkers. Only a few porters are outfitted well. 3. General Porters "Dhakre": The porters who carry the loads/goods for the hotels, stores and local market are the "General porters" and the Nepali term for them is "Dhakre". Basically, Rai, Tamang, Giri, B.K., and some Brahmin/Chhetries are involved in this profession. Surprisingly, Sherpas are almost none in these types of porters. The age group varies from 12 - 55 years. They get 8 - 12 rupees per kilo without food. Since the money is defined as how much they carry, they try to carry heavy load as much as they can which is up to 110 kg. The conditions of these porters are very poor. About the "Porter Progress". I met Mr. Surendra Rai, Asst. Branch Manager of Porter Progress, in Lukla. According to him, Porter Progress conducts different trainings like English language, HIV/AIDS awareness Training, Environment Awareness Training etc for the porters. It also does registration of porters and provide them Identity Card and Porters' Log Book. It outfits the porters taking certain amount for deposit. It could be either individual porter or through the agency. Porter Progress has many publications like posters, stickers, and brochures about the porters' concerns/rights and signboard of awareness like "STOP CHILD WORKERS" etc which can be seen in many times in the trekking area. Conclusions According to my trekking and the interviews of the porters, I found out that: * Most of the porters have no idea about their own rights. * Only a few porter know about the Porter Progress which is working for them. * Most of the porters are not outfitted well. Their clothes, shoes are in very poor condition. * Every single porter is very interested to take trainings like Language, and First Aid Training etc. * The General Porters "Dhakre" is in the poorest condition, so not only about the trekking porters but also we need to think about them as well. * The new concept "Mobile language and First aid Training" would be the best idea for the porters. What is the Value of Medical Training? Laura Tashjian Support Young Medical Student in Nepal January 2006 Dear Colleague and Friend, How much is a medical education worth? Is ‘worth’ measured in earning power, personal satisfaction, or the ability to help others? I would like to suggest that for some people the value of a medical education can be measured in very concrete terms: infant mortality rates, growth and development percentages, and even cultural survival. I recently had the chance to see firsthand what it is like for people to struggle to provide the most basic needs for their families, and to attempt to do so without access to skilled health care. I saw that there are ways to make a difference, a real difference, in the lives of the people I met. I am sharing this story with you in the hope that you can see it, too. For several months this past year I had the opportunity to travel and work in the Himalayan region of Nepal. We are all familiar with the awe inspiring beauty of these great mountains, but did you know that Nepal is one of the very poorest countries in the world? Per capita income there is less than $300.00/year and continuing political unrest has added enormous strain to an already precarious social structure. I was fortunate to meet a small group of very committed people who are working in a remote, ethnically isolated area of Nepal to improve the healthcare situation there. Karing for Kids (KFK) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded by a group of mountaineers to honor the memory of Anatoli Boukreev, an elite climber lost in an avalanche. A small clinic was established in the northeastern district of Rasuwa and the primary focus began as supporting maternal/child health. The people of this border region of Nepal are ethnic Tamang, closely related to Buddhist Tibetans. Nepal is officially Hindu and a de facto caste system that favors Brahmins is in place, complicating matters further for the ethnic minority groups. One of KFK’s goals is to provide education opportunities for local people so that effective, committed and compatible health programs can be sustained there by the Tamangs themselves. Meet Phurbu, an amazing young man from the Tamang village of Chilime with the dream to become a doctor. He has successfully finished college in Kathmandu. He took entrance exams for medical school and achieved a high score, but scholarships in Nepal are scarce and rarely awarded to minority applicants. KFK would like to continue to support Phurbu so he can earn his MD, but the financial burden is significant. I was lucky to spend time with Phurbu, with the KFK organization and with the wonderful people of this region. I had the opportunity to see first hand what it was like for people to be living on the edge: an infant dying of malnutrition, a young girl with end stage gangrene for lack of proper diagnosis, child after child sick with intestinal parasites. I know the difference that a doctor, a native of the community would make in the health and well being of the 7,000 people served by the clinic. For the Tamang people who visit the KFK clinic the value of a medical education is immeasurable. Please support the effort to assist Phurbu through his medical education I invite you to consider giving a donation to Karing for Kids. To learn more please visit www.karingforkids.org or contact me at the address below. Thank you for your consideration, Laura Tashjian lauraleetashjian@yahoo.com Please donate to the "Phurbu Education Fund" via the Mountain Fund's donation page or by clicking on Phurbu's photo above. Please write "Phurbu" in the comments. Thank you. 3 Sisters Change Paradigms for Women of Nepal Mountain Fund Empowering Women of Nepal Nicky, Lucky and Dicky Chhetri are three Nepalese sisters who are pioneers in the field of female trekking guides in the Himalaya. In the early ninety's no one would have dreamed of a Nepalese women 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. "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." How the project works Twice a year, girls from remote villages in all parts of Nepal embark on a journey which will change their lives. An intensive 4-week training program awaits them in Pokhara at the base of the Himalayas. The training teaches technical and conversational English as well as essential skills and knowledge to work as trekking guides. In only a month, women, who had no means of earning a living by themselves, start on the path to self-sufficiency. At the end of this 4-week training, women have the opportunity to enter into an apprenticeship program where they will earn full wages while acquiring field experience working as trekking guide trainees. This provides immediate economic benefit to the women. Those with good skills and a command of English, work towards guide certification. Those who require more training and practice work as women porters until their skills are refined enough to become guides. The most radical learning for these women, takes place out of the classroom. The trainees, many from remote and isolated areas of Nepal, have never had contact with westerners or Nepalese from other ethnic groups. As the girls hike together through the Himalayas, a rich cultural exchange occurs. Each girl learns from another, sharing equally, regardless of caste or creed. All castes (high and low) sit at the same table and drink from the same cups. A deep bond occurs between the women. They find a strong support base as they strive to become guides and independent women. Visit Empowering the Women of Nepal's website by clicking on the photo of the Chhetni sisters. Donations can be made through the Mountain Fund's donation webpage. Please write EWN in the comments. Hike For Youth! Hike For Youth Support Youth Programs With this Fun Fundraiser Enjoy Hiking, Prizes and Kids’ Activities at the 3rd Annual Hike for Youth, Saturday, June 10th, 2006! Spend a day hiking beautiful trails at Golden Gate Canyon State Park just outside of Golden, Colorado and show your support for youth in the outdoors! The 2006 Hike for Youth is set for Saturday, June 10th. The Hike for Youth is a collaborative “hike-a-thon” benefiting six environmentally focused youth agencies serving the Denver/Boulder metro areas. In addition to a magnificent morning of hiking, all Hike participants are invited to attend the after-hike party, featuring live entertainment, kids’ activities, gift bags for all hikers, snacks and beverages. Team and individual prizes (hiking guides, outdoor gear and other cool stuff) will also be awarded at the party. Families are welcome! Registration fees and pledges will go to support the six benefiting agencies. Hike registration is $25 for adults, $10 for youth ages 5-17, and kids 4 and under are free. You can also register a team of up to 10 individuals for $200 All hikers are encouraged to raise a minimum of $100 in pledges to benefit the participating agencies. We hope to see everyone out there supporting youth and the environment! For more information or to register for the event, go to www.hikeforyouth.org. See you on the trail! Can’t make it to the hike? You can still support the six benefiting agencies by donating to the event at www.active.com/donate/HikeforYouth. 2006 Benefiting Agencies: Butterfly Hope, cityWILD, Colorado Mountain Club- Youth Education Program, FrontRange Earth Force, Mile High Youth Corps, Thorne Ecological Institute The 2006 Hike for Youth is presented by TheFerrantiFoundation and supported by The Weaver Family Foundation, Starbucks, and Lara Bar. A Himalyan Children's Story Mountain Fund New Book Benefits Grassroots Projects Clear Sky, Red Earth: A Himalayan Story, by Sienna Craig, tells a story of life in Dolpo through the eyes of Namsel, a young girl who lived in Dolpo several centuries ago, and who grows up to be a great painter. Tenzin Norbu, the artist whose paintings illustrate this book, comes from a long lineage of Dolpo painters. He is known for his illustrations in other children's books including Himalaya and Secret of the Snow Leopard. A portion of the sale of this book goes to support grassroots development projects in the Himalaya. Poverty with a View Mountain Fund Life in the World’s Mountainous Regions Shiprock stands as a solitary sentry over the desert of the Four Corners area. To the Navajo Tse Bi dahi, or “the rock with wings”, is a sacred place. This rock was once a great bird that carried the ancestors of the Navajo to safety in Northwest New Mexico when fleeing a warring tribe. Adventure athletes express reverie for mountains of rock and ice in their own way. The Alps were climbed in the 1800’s and Everest’s summit was first reached in 1953. Sir George Everest, a British surveyor-general of India, had his name bestowed upon the world’s tallest mountain in 1865. Tibetans call the mountain Chomolungma, mother goddess of the universe. When early adventurers first began exploring the slopes of the Himalayan giant, local people were mystified and a little frightened. Locals were amazed that anyone would want to visit the top of the mountain and scared of the possible consequences that could ensue when one offended the mountain gods. A close friend who pioneered a climbing route on the Ship Rock monolith had to obtain tribal permission to climb there. Sacred sites are not always respected however. Devil’s Tower in Wyoming continues to be one sacred site where a few rock climbers persist in climbing during tribal holy days in spite of repeated requests to curtail such activities at those times. Natural Resources The mountainous regions of the world are repositories of natural resources that we depend upon. Forests are harvested for lumber and mountainsides are excavated for minerals. Freshwater is born from snow and glacier melt in the high peaks and nourishes plants and animals, including people, throughout its journey to the ocean. The headwaters of the Colorado River, one of the most important rivers in the Western US, are high in the alpine tundra of Rocky Mountain National Park. The protection of mountains and natural resources such as plants, water sources and wild life has become a pressing issue that people need to be aware of. Mountain soil and vegetation are easily, and sometimes permanently, lost to erosion when natural resources are exploited in an unsustainable manner. The degradation of mountain ecosystems directly affects nearly half the world's population, including both highland and lowland communities. According to the International Year of the Mountain, an initiative started by UNESCO, “degradation of mountain environments poses a serious threat to the world's biodiversity and food security. Specially adapted to a wide range of altitudes and climates, mountain ecosystems have produced a wealth of plant and animal species...” Mountain People In an area so rich with natural resources you would think that there would be plenty to eat. Sadly, the opposite is true; many of the 800 million chronically undernourished people in the world live in mountainous areas. While rivers flow freely, mountainous areas are defined by their inaccessibility. Urban areas are typically far away. Roads when they exist at all are often impassable for much of the year due to weather, rockslides, avalanche and flooding. In Peru, one small single-track dirt road leads to the village of Tinqui, the traditional starting point for the trek to Nevado Ausangate. Ausangate is considered sacred by the people of the high Andes and in another sense became sacred to climbers and trekkers following its first ascent in 1953 by a German team that included Heinrich Harrer, author of Seven Years in Tibet and member of the climbing party that summated the infamous north face in 1938. When I was last in Peru the price of gas was approaching $12 a gallon. Bringing tools, food and other supplies to this tiny mountain hamlet is a difficult and expensive undertaking Langtang, Nepal is a three day trek from the nearest road. The nearest road is a 12 hour drive from Kathmandu over a bone jarring 4wd road. Were it not for the fact that Lantang is still a fairly popular trekking destination, very little in the way of building materials, food, fuel or other supplies would ever arrive there. As it is, all supplies to Langtang and several smaller villages in the area are transported by human porters whom often carry loads equal to, or greater than, their body weight for wages of less than one dollar per day. The Tamang villages that lie a few miles west of the terminus of the Langtang approach road produce beautiful woven goods and unique, traditional hats and jackets. Rarely are these items found in the souvenir shops located throughout the Thamel area of Kathmandu. Goods produced for trade cannot make it out of the community, hence the community has no economy. It is also difficult to make it up to the villages. The inaccessibility of mountain communities leaves many needs unmet. Education and health care are rare. Poverty and malnutrition are the norm. It certainly is not the case the people of our mountainous regions thrive in their simple and idyllic lives. It may appear this way to the casual visitor but the reality is a life in the mountains is a hard life. Crops and livestock are much harder to grow leaving empty plates or severely limited dietary options. Infant mortality rates are higher in most mountainous regions as well, owing to the inaccessibility and resultant lack of medical staff or facilities. The people living at the top of the world in Nepal, Tibet, Peru, Africa and much of Central Asia, to name a few are keenly aware that their lives are not the same as others they have met either on the nearby trail or in an annual foray to a nearby city. They value the same things as people everywhere do: education, healthcare and the opportunity to provide a good life for their families. I have watched school age children in the high Andes walk many miles, in winter to attend school. Often as I walked the same path as they, I would be asked if I could spare a pencil or some paper as they needed it for their studies. I have witnessed this same dogged determination to become educated in the blistering heat of the labyrinth of Mexican canyons we refer to by a single name, Copper Canyon and the cold winter chill at the top of the world in Nepal. The Mountain Fund works in the world’s mountainous regions to alleviate poverty, lack of health care and worsening environmental problems. Mountain Fund member agencies protect porter’s rights, operate health clinics, protect children, advance sustainable travel and do much more humanitarian work around the world. Learn more by visiting The Mountain Fund’s website at www.mountainfund.org Alpine Fund Brings Adventure to At-Risk Youth Alpine Fund Alpine Fund Spreads Its Wings Below are excerpts from the Alpine Fund's February 2006, Report to Board of Advisors. Alpine Fund continued to utilize its Alpine Learning Center, with two more weekend trips. The Alpine Fund first worked with the Voenna Antonovka orphanage five years ago on its inaugural hike. The tradition of working together was continued for their first dacha trip this winter. Important to me, this marked the third separate group to attend the dacha. In other words, the Alpine Fund is spreading its wings, and reaching out to a broader spectrum of kids. It is a delicate task to balance our goals of making genuine impacts and fostering relationships with kids, versus just serving as many as we possibly can. I personally believe we are currently striking that balance as well as we can. It has been our goal to work with two orphanages, plus our English students, and we have accomplished that. Trip 1 The weather, more than anything, threatened to frustrate the weekend, as rain poured down Friday night, following a week of Spring-like temperatures. The group arrived on time at the dacha. Another wonderful lunch prepared by Arianna was had, followed by a quick turnaround, and out the door for our local peak – known now as Pik Alpine Fund. Fog rolled in and out, and snow blew sideways for the duration of the hike. There was no view, but the kids delighted in their first peak, and were remarkably upbeat and enthusiastic. It was a good start. Things soured late in the evening, when our guest troublemaker (one of the more frustrated young boys), could not keep his insulting comments, meant for our ethnic Kyrgyz girls, to himself. Some tactful intervention and conflict resolution had us sleeping again, but not before some bad feelings set in amongst the group. This incident proved a bit of a turning point in the weekend. The mood was dampened for sure. Trip 2 The “English class boys” joined us on the most recent trip. After the previous trips with large groups, planning and prepping for these guys was a piece of cake. They are extremely helpful and attentive. They enjoy themselves and genuinely take something positive away from their time in the mountains. We hiked Pik Alpine Fund (the first time for this group) and added a round of Frisbee on the summit for kicks. Besides Frisbee, we enjoyed sweets, local bread and tea while soaking up the sun and excellent views. The following day was augmented by a visit form a local naturalist who works for a snow leopard trust. His great demeanor, excellent photos (of snow leopards!), and enthusiasm for the subject made for a fun few hours. He joined us on a shorter hike up a local creek bed and we looked for some interesting animal tracks. Things ended well and we headed home in good spirits. Conclusions The hardest part is behind us in many ways. Regular trips are up and running with largely positive results. The trouble presented the other week amongst our group from Antonovka is not out of the ordinary. In many ways, I’m surprised there are not more problems. Instead, the kids have been thankful, upbeat, and pretty well self-motivated. The challenge in the future will be to continue funding our operations, and keeping up the enthusiasm amongst volunteers and staff for continued trips. Matt Klick Mountain Fund Support Grows Mountain Fund Moving Mountains The Mountain Fund has been busy gaining support for our programs. Partnering with like-minded individuals, companies and other organizations can take many different forms as you can see from the examples below. Two climbing websites, GetBeta.com and RockClimbing.com, have donated key advertising space. The Wasatch Mountain Club printed an article announcing The Mountain Fund in their March Rambler http://wasatchmountainclub.org/March06screen.pdf (page 8). Big Stone Publishing, publisher of Rock and Ice and Trail Runner magazines, continues to be a great supporter. Information about The Mountain Fund was included in recent email blast campaigns to their subscribers. Outdoor Research, manufacturers of technical outdoor clothing and gear, donated boxes of mittens, hats and overboots for two programs: Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN) and International Mountain Explorers Connection (IMEC). Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival KIMFF 7-10 December, 2006 Kathmandu Valley, the cosmopolitan heart of the Himalayan region, will host the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival at the end of 2006, screening the best films on mountains, mountain people and mountain sports from around the globe. The non-competitive biennial festival of mountain films provides a unique platform for filmmakers to exhibit new and exciting works, and to foster an understanding of the worlds highlands, mountain cultures, and mountain sensibilities. The festival offerings will reflect life and times in the mountain regions from the Andes to the Tatras to the Himalaya. As a deliberate policy, the Festival will accept and show films in diverse genres and disciplines, as a means to address the diversity of mountain concerns. For more information visit the KIMFF website at www.himalassociation.org/kimff or click the image above. The World Redrawn Mountain Fund Worldprocessor Reinterprets the Globe The globe pictured depicts life expectancy. Inequalities are portrayed in globe form showing disparities across the world community. "This project started some eight years ago. An attempt to do justice to the term 'political' and 'geo-political' globe. Trying to tell the lie (of abstraction and visualization) that tells the truth." Presently there are more than 300 different globes on the Worldprocessor Website. Click on the globe above to visit the Worldprocessor website and see for yourself the world redrawn. Globes depict wealth, pollution, infant mortality and much more. Thanks to Ingo Gunther for his great work and permission to share it here. Let's Go to Peru: Travel for a Good Cause by mtnfund Mountain Fund Hosts Fund Raising Tour and Trek In July, 2006, The Mountain Fund will host a two- week tour of the best sites in and around Cusco, Peru including Machu Picchu followed by a high Andes trek around Ausangate. 20% of the price will be donated to IMEC to revive the Porters Assistance Program for the Inca Trail porters. See the trip and read all about it here.... Got Toner? iGive Online shopping for your office supplies is quick and easy. Buy your copy paper, toner, pens and pencils and contribute to The Mountain Fund at the same time. The merchants below will donate to The Mountain Fund whenever you visit their site. All you need to do is click on the Shop I Give link at the bottom of the page to start donating to The Mountain Fund. Igive stores include; * Office Depot * Office Max * Staples * Epson Store * Apple Store * HP Store * Palm Store * Office Furniture.com * 123 Inkjets.com SHOP Igive Welcome our newest supporter. Please welcome a new supporter this month, Summit Journal. Bringing you cutting edge adventure from around the globe. What weighs 0 grams, pollutes 0 bodies of water, fills 0 landfills, causes 0 acres of deforestation, disturbs 0 wildlife and relies on 0 fossil fuels for dissemination? summitjournal.com - leaving no trace. Contact Information email: mtnfund@mountainfund.org phone: 800-743-1929 web: http://www.mountainfund.org Join our mailing list! Quote
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