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A project to introcude Nepali girls into kayaking and rafting
The Himalayan River Girls is a kayak club set up as part of a project to help Nepali women become kayakers and raft guides. The project was started in Pokhara, Nepal in March 2008 when I started teaching Sita and Mona kayaking on Fewa Lake.

Background
After spending several months in Nepal every year for the last 9 years, this wonderful country has become my second home. I learned kayaking in Nepal the first time I was here, and have since paddled many of the Himalayan rivers. The Nepali river guides have always looked after me on the river and are great friends of mine. But after having spent so much time here it really started bothering me that there were no girls in Nepal kayaking or working on the river at all...

A few times in the past I have taught some young Nepali girls the basics of kayaking. Seeing their happiness, bravery and the hope in their eyes has given me a lot of inspiration to try to really make a difference. It is very hard for girls in Nepal to get into outdoor activities. Girls often get married young, sometimes as early as 15 years old. They often get very limited education and no chance to get a profession. After an arranged marriage the girl will often move to her husbands family and become a housewife. The Nepali rafting companies have been hesitant to employ women, and this is why I decided to take this first important step to show that Nepali women also can paddle and work as a kayak instructor, safety kayaker or raft guide. I am also hoping that in the future, Nepali girls will be able to do paddling as a hobby or sport and even compete in international compmetitions.

The club.
When I came to Pokhara in February 2008 I met Mona, a Nepali woman who has an adventurous spirit like me. Being 34 she was not sure about becoming a professional white water kayaker but she had the same wish as me, to see Nepali girls get into the sport and the profession of kayaking. Having met Mona, she instantly introduced me to other girls dreaming of becoming kayakers. Within a few days I was training 4 girls on the lake in Pokhara. Shortly after that we got a chance to go to the river. Together we starting making plans to start a club and to give lots of girls the chance to learn kayaking and become professional river guides. With support from some local rafting companies we got started. After the fall season 2008 we now have 16 kayaks and lots of other equipment donated from all over the world and brought over by girls who joined us to help with the Nepali ladies training program. Our base is now in Pokhara where we have a small club house for equipment and for girls to stay while training. We still need lots of support though to keep the club running and to have more training going on.

The training program November / December 2008.
The river guide training in November 2008 we organised together with the the Himalayan River Guide Association. It was a five week long program that we specifically designed for Nepali women to provide them with a good base of basic river guide skills to confidently take employment with a rafting company. 10 women took part in the program that contained kayaking and raft guide training as well as W.R.T. (Whitewater Rescue Techniques) first aid, leadership, communications skills, cooking and setting camp for big groups on the riverside.

Girls kayaking expedition on the Sun Kosi Nov 08
Part of the river guide training program was a 10 day river trip together with 21 female western kayakers who not only brought a lot of equipment over for the club. They inspired, encouraged and taught the Nepali girls kayaking along the way. At the end of the long journey we all went together to show "girl power" at the 3-day long Himalayan Whitewater Challenge.

Read and see pictures from the Himalayan River Girls Sun Kosi expedition in Nov 2008 on Laura Claytons blog

Peak UK Himalayan Challenge

The competition on the Trisuli river this year was different than any year before with more than 30 female compeditors! 3 Nepali girls entered in the kayak competition and Susmitas dream finally came true, to become the first Nepali woman to win the Challenge and got a brand new Jackson kayak! Sita (in the picture) also did very well and came second. All new Himalayan River Girls entered in the raft race as the first ever full Nepali female raft team seen anywhere!

How you can help:

There are a few different things you can do to help:

1. If you are going to Nepal, or know anyone going to Nepal, bring some gear, weather it is an old paddle, some thermals, a kayak etc. Right now we need new life jackets!

2. Click on the donate button below to use paypal to donate money to "Nepali Girls Kayaking Club"

3. Come to Nepal to teach, paddle with, or learn from, girls in the club! And, In Nepal, ask rafting companies if they have female guides.

Contact: inka@farawayadventures.com

LATEST NEWS 

10 June 2010 - Spring Training Camp

Now, back in Sweden after another great season with the girls. In May we had a 7 day training camp on the Trisuli with 8 girls, a mix of "new and "old". I did the training with help of Santosh Magar and Amrit Gurung. We mainly practised kayaking but also did a lot of swimming practise, rescue training, fitness, guide behaviour, English, briefing and lots of talk about the river, safety, environment etc. We also did one day rafting training running the Trisuli as well as doing flip/reflip training. For girls new to multiday trip we also did a 2-day lower Seti trip in high water with help from Erin Galey, great fun!!! Do check out the pictures on our facebook group "Himalayan River Girls" At the moment, all the active Himalayan River Girls are doing a one month English language course.

24 April 2010 - More new girls!

The last 3 days I have spent on the lake with 2 new girls, Bimala and Sasi from Pokhara. Goma and Shanti who joined last spring came and helped yesterday! Great fun, and nice to be on the lake in this very hot weather!

17 April - Girls busy paddling this spring season

We are now in the middle of spring season in Nepal. It is hot and the water is slowly rising on the rivers. Girls are out there paddling, though sometimes struggling but gaining experience and skills. Sita is just off to a second Karnali trip with Equator - altering kayaking with raft guiding. Goma, who now works with Lotus Rafting recently kayaked the upper Seti and upper Modi with Jon Smith and a Brittish group of his. Radha is busy on the safety kayaking or guiding on the lower Bhote Koshi. Shanti is training kayaking/rafting/duckie on the lower Seti and a few days ago paddled a full loaded duckie on a 3 day kayak clinic with a smile :)
On May 3 - 12 we are all getting together, around 12-14 girls, some new, some old for kayak and raft guide training. Will will practise slalom, rescue techniques, teaching and communication skills.

22 January - Planning for a trip to India

Making a plan to go to India next december to paddle the Subansari river in Arunanchal Pradesh, India - Maybe the most scenic river in the Himalayas. Not many people have paddled it and not many people will as a dammed will be built soon. JOIN US!!!

14 December - Training camp and Himalayan Challenge 2009

Had a fantastic Himalayan Whitewater Challenge! 6 girls competing. Susmita, Sita, Anu, Kamala Magar from Bhote Koshi, Ritu from Upper Trisuli and Goma, Susmitas younger sister. Susmita won the overall competition again this time! Before the competition we had five days of training, with our lovely coach Ashley Courtney from Canada!

17 October - Susmita in the newspaper

Things going well, girls keeping busy and doing well on the high water rivers! Yesterday, big article about Susmita in Nepals newspaper Nepali Times: http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue/2009/10/17/Nation/16398

30 sep - New girls getting employed

Back in Nepal, and as usualy things are happening! 3 of our "spring girls" - meaning girls learning kayaking last season, have been employed. Ritu is now working for Equator Expeditions and brought a friend, Lakshmi there as well. Rupa and Goma started working for new company Rapid Runner based in Pokhara where they are now doing trips training to be safety kayakers and kayak instructors. Meena is also working for Rapid Runner as a raft guide. Today they are all on the river - it looks like we are going to have a busy season!

4 sep - Susmitas competition in the world championships

Susmita did really well in the competition. She looked super relaxed and surfed the wave nicely! She didnt make points to continue at the competition, but she has developed her freestyle skills and knowledge, she has lots of fun and a great experience! CHECK OUT THE PICTURES!!! Big thanks to ICF (International Canoe Federation) for sponsoring her to come to the competition!

3 sep -The big day!

Today is the big day! Susmita is happy and not too nervous as she did really well training late last night in the dark! She is competing at 13.24, keep your fingers crossed!

27 aug - Susmita arrives in Switzerland

Susmita has arrived to Switzerland for world championships. She is very nervous, especially as because of health and family issues she has not been able to kayak for a while. But no hopes from my side that she will get great results other that learning a lot and having fun!!!

24 aug - Sponsorship with SILVA/span>

Silva Sweden, developer of gps compasses binoculars heightmeters etc. are now sponsoring me and the girls with headlamps and Gerber Crucials - a handy multi-tool with pliers and knife good for the river: http://www.silva.se/en/

23 aug - Sweden season finished

Just finished the last kayak clinic at Kajaktiv for the season. Thanks all my students who bought my photos to help finance the club!

12 aug - Square Rock helping out wiht a kayak

Square Rock and Jackson Kayaks are sorting out a small freestyle boat for Susmita for the worlds!!! Thanks to Lluis Rabaneda who is making it all happen!

11 aug - HRG movie trailer on facebook

Check out the movie TRAILER on facebook group: Himalayan River Girls - the movie project!!!!!!!!!!!!

6 Aug - Susmita ready for worlds!

Susmita is going to the worlds! She is picking up her visa tomorrow, ready for her first trip to a foreign country. She will be competing in freestyle in Switzerland and slalom in Spain.

6 July 2009 - Thanks Jill Marie and Aquabound!

Paddles from Aquabound are finally out of customs!!! Thanks Jill Marie Stokes for all your help!

2 July 2009 - World chamionchips???

Working on getting at least one Nepali girl to come to Europe and attend to world championships slalom and freestyle in September. The Nepal Rafting & Canoeing Association are finally on to it!!! So keep your fingers crossed it will happen!

25 June 2009 - Come to see us!

For anyone coming to Nepal this fall season, our club is set up in Pokhara. Do come by and visit, and let us know if you would like to teach / learn kayaking. We are also hoping to get some more gear donated and if you need to rent a kayak let us know!

23 June 2009 - Rupa turns down MTB offer

I got an email from Rupa today, one of our young new stars in Pokhara. She has been offered to learn mountainbiking with Nepals MTB champion, and she asked me how to say no as she prefer only to do kayaking! :) :) :)

17 June 2009 - Susmita forced to give up her job as a kayaker

I have some sad news. Our star kayaker Susmita is no longer allowed to work as a kayaker as she got back with her husband who has decided that she should stay at home. Her employer Paddle Nepal are really sad about this as she was just starting a fantastic career doing a very good job as a safety kayaker. The club is now closed for the monsoon season, but some rafting trips still go on, and some of our girls are still out there paddling, and the rest are looking forward to getting going again in September starting a hopefully busy fall season, where we are hoping to get some more girls employments! Until then, I hope to get some fund raising going and some volunteers together to do more professional training!

26 May 2009 - Monsoon time

I am now back in Sweden for summer season work here. Club still goes on, new girls training for one more month until monsoon hits the rivers too hard. Thanks mum and thanks Jeff! for your kind donations to help with club rent!

17 May 2009 - Back from girls trip

Training trip on Seti was fantastic, with all 6 new girls kayaking! Unfortunately we could not afford to do any more training all together this season other than on the lake, but local companies are helping out, so they all get to go on the river frequently. Ritu and Guma paddling lower Seti again with Cross River and pro-instructor Kundan Lama!

12 May 2009 - Girls trip on the Seti

Tomorrow we are off on a 3-day training trip on the lower Seti with Paddle Nepal. All 6 new girls, plus Sambhavi, Hassila and Pasang!!! Wish us luck! Mona says hi to everyone! She is now in Manali in India to work in a rafting office in Nepals off season.

9 May 2009 - Anu starts working for Ultimate Descents Nepal

Anu finally got a job working on the river! She started training with Ultimate Descents and is today off KAYAKINGI!!! Sambhavi and Hassila is now here in Pokhara working at the Paddle Nepal office and helping to look after the club house and the new girls! They went rafting on Upper Seti yesterday. Rupa came back from lower Seti yesterday, rolling in the rapids, got stuck in a hole, no swimming! Loved it!

8 May 2009 - Goma in the newspaper

Article today in Kantipur, Nepals biggest newspaper about the new girls training on the lake. And picture of Guma! Thanks Ashok and Heidi who were teaching them that day!!!

6 May 2009 - Need help with funding!

I am desperately looking for fundings for the club. We need help for club house rent, so if anyone has any ideas, please let me know!!! Have just recruited two more girls. Ritu from upper Trisuli and Kaji from upper Seti! Started teaching them on the lake yesterday with Jenny from Holland who is doing a great job helping out this season! Susmitas sister Goma came back from kayaking the lower Seti yesterday, no swimming! She is just amazing! Rupa is off today on a kayak clinic on the Seti with Adrenaline Rush! Rest of the girls going on the lake

5 May 2009 - Susmita paddling Kali Gandaki

Back from 3 days paddling Kali Gandaki with Paddle Nepal. Big water after big rain. One very nervous Susmita did amazingly well!!!

27 April 2009 - Paddling Trisuli with Anu

Back to Pokhara after picking up a box of KAVU clothes. And tried to pick up paddles sent from Jill Marie Stokes. Paddles still in cargo - Nepali customs are not my best friends. On the way back stopped by Trisuli and had an awsome paddle with Anu (Himalayan River Girl), Andy Beegan and the Royal Beach boys. Anus last day at Royal Beach as she has decided to look for work training to be a river guide. She is doing awsome, flipped a few times, but her roll is solid! The new girls in Pokhara are doing well. Sometimes joining rafting trips with Lotus Waves who are being very supportive, and yesterday we did some hard training on the lake. All girls rolling, bracing, loving it!

25 April 2009 - Radha bungee jumping

News from adventurous Radha who did a bungee jump!!! And she is keeping busy, today off to kayak lower Bhote Koshi

17 April 2009 - What a day of good news

Got up at 5 this morning to send off new girls Goma and Shanti (Susmita and Minas sisters) on a two day rafting trip on the Seti with Lotus waves. Their very first day on the river. AND Simon Eriksson went on the lake with new girl Anita and got her to roll! AND! Susmita came along with her son in her kayak!!!! AND! Sita just called me from Fishling having kayaked the Trisuli today safety kayaking for Equator!:)

16 April 2009 - Susmita safety kayaking on Trisuli

Susmita came back today with a big smile after her first safety kayaking job on the Trisuli!!! :)

14 April 2009 - New girl on the river

This morning Rupa, one of our new girls, joined a kayak clinic with Adrenaline Rush on the Trisuli with Kamala Chepang .She has ben doing amazingy well on the lake and even teaches other girls how to roll after ten days.

12 april 2009 - Kamala training with Adrenaline Rush!

Kamala Chepang has just finished her first trainee rafting trip with Adrenaline Rush on the Trisuli!

6 april 2009 - Trisuli girls are on to it!

Visited Anu in Royal Beach who is lucky to have UK kayak coach Andy Beegan at the camp this season. Also visited 3 girls in Fishling, who after seeing the Nepali girls in the rodeo started paddling with their brothers. Had a meeting with Adrenaline Rush in Kuringath and looks like Kamala will be on the river with them soon!

5 april 2009 - UD-Radha introducing her sister

Met Radha in Kathmandu who introduced us to her sister who is 15 and wants to start kayaking! Radha is very busy kayaking this season with Ultimate Desents!

4 april 2009 - Paddling with Bhote Koshi girls

Paddling on the lower Bhote Koshi wirh Sita, Mona and Kamala. Stefan Erdman came along to get more material for his documentary.

3 april 2009 - Joshs film doing good in NZ

Good news from Josh in N.Z. He is travelling the country showing his documentary about the Himalayan River Girls. Sounds like succcess!!!

2 april 2009 - Club house is going on!

We have found a club house in Pokhara. Susmita and Mina are currently living there when not busy on the river and training 3 new girls on the lake! One of them in Susmitas younger sister, Guma!

Anita Sapkota who trained with us last year is now working in the sales office in Namaste Adventure / Paddle Nepal Office, but looking forward to going kayaking on her free time!

20 March 2009 - Girls are doing good and getting employed

Things are going very well here in Nepal. I have just been paddling on the lower Bhote Koshi with the girls around Equators Sukute Beach, Sita, Mona, Kamala and Sushila. They are all doing good, and their kayaking is improving. Sita now starts safety kayaking on the lower Bhote Koshi. Also, Radha came by the camp one day doing a trip with Ultimate Descents, her employer, and it was great to see her kayaking! She is really happy with her job and is off on a Karnali trip kayaking on the 22nd. Pasang is also working with U.D. and is training canyoning at the Borderlands. Sambhavi has asked to go trekking, and is currently on the way to Everest Base Camp with a Far Away Adventures group. Hassila has today been offered work for Adrenalin Rush and Kamala Chepang will also be doing training with them on the Trisuli when she is free from school.

10 March 2009 - Articles start coming out

The last few days articles about our project have started coming out. Kajaktivs magalog, Outside (Sweden), Utemagasinet and Utsidan.se Check out: utsidan.se and Utemagasinet

9 March 2009 - Back with the girls

Finally I am back in Nepal, and it has been great catching up with some of the girls so far. Radha is shining with happiness and loves her work as a trainee guide with Ultimate Descents. Tomorrow I am heading out to the Bhote Koshi to paddle with Sita who is kayak training with Equator Expeditions new boys. We will work on Sitas roll that is not working that great at the moment. And Mona (who is now managing the camp out there) and I will be doing more brainstorming for the future, we now have an idea to do a "Save the Karnali kayak expedition" next year and more...

19 Feb 2009 - Susmita and younger sister with Paddle Nepal

Susmita, who won Jackson kayak in the Peak UK White Water Challenge in november is getting best use out of it possible, getting more girls in Nepal into kayaking! She has now started teaching her own younger sister paddling on the lake in Pokhara. She has also quit Kathmandu based Equator Expeditions for Pokhara based rafting and kayaking company Paddle Nepal. Her sister also started working for them helping out in their lovely café at the office! Susmita just came back from working on a three day trip on the lower Seti, and the reports from new employer Paddle Nepal were excellent!

10 Feb 2009 - Radha and Pasang starts working for Ultimate Descents Nepal

The spring season in Nepal is now starting. Two of the girls from our training program just started working for the Kathmandu-based rafting company Ultimate Decsents as trainee river guides. Radha Tamang is currently on a Karnali-trip! Congratulations!

28 Jan 2009 - Nepali girls on the board of Himalayan River Guide Association

Good news from Kathmandu: The Himalayan River Guide Association had their Annual Genera Meeting yesterday. Six of the newly trained girls attended the meeting and Pasang and Sambhavi, two of the girls, also got elected into the board. I found it very good news as it means the girls are really involved in the guide association which will help in their own future as well as helping the guide association who is doing a lot of great work for developing the situation for Nepali River Guides. It was with HRGAN we organised the raft guide training program for the Himalayan Rive Girls.

14 Jan 2009 - First womens river guide training program completed!

I have just finished the project report of the project success in 2008. The result is amazing. In less than a year we have 14 Nepali ladies active in Himalayan River Girls. 4 of the girls that I started teaching myself in the spring are now employed and are supporting themselves. One of them won the Himalayan Whitewater Challenge in november. Five of Nepals most prominent rafting companies have all come forward to let me know they would like to employ the girls that we trained in the First Womens river guide training in Nepal. The club now owns sixteen!!! kayaks and lots of gear for kayaking training.

Please download and have a look at our project report!

BIG THANKS to all our sponsors and especially all the girls from all over the world who came to Nepal to paddle with the girls and brought out all the equipment.

8 Dec 2008 - Susmita wins Jackson Kayak in Himalayan White Water Challenge

The lastest news this time could fill up a whole book but in short this has happened: We have now finished a succesful 10 day Sun Kosi trip with 10 Nepali girls and 22 female western kayakers and achieved our goal to inspire and teach the Nepali girls as well as having a fun trip and probably the biggest ever amount of females on a rafting / kayaking expedition ever. We also broke records coming to the Peak UK Whitewater Challenge and putting in over 30 female compeditors. 3 Nepali female kayakers from Himalayan River Girls entered kayaking in slalom, freestyle and downriver race. Susmita won a Jackson kayak for the total competition and 8 Himalayan River Girls entered a raft race guided by the first ever professional Nepali female raft guide Mina Gurung. After the rodeo the girls attended raft guide training for 5 days on the Trisuli with the Himalayan River Guide Association, and at present 10 girls are attending a WRT course sponsored by Chandra Ale at Initiative Outdoor and XLENT Strategy.

12 Nov 2008 - Awarded the Golden Paddle in Sweden!!!

Receiveng wonderful news from home. The project with the Himalayan River Girls has been awarded the Golden Paddle as best white water event of the year in Sweden! The girls from New Zeeland have arrived, and they have spent the day in the swimmingpool teaching kayaking and tomorrow we are off to the river!

9 Nov 2008 - Mona is teaching kayaking and donations are coming in!

Spent a few days out at Sukute Beach and to watch Mona teaching tourists how to eddy in and eddy out. It was amazing to see. She was doing so well teaching with the help of a safety kayaker :) Even though she still needs to learn a lot more to bring people down rapids, she is doing a really good job teaching in the eddies (after having been paddling for 8 months and being 34 years old) Next good new is that Kamala and Sushila that paddled with me in the White Water Circus Project in 2004 and 2005 are now coming down to paddle at the camp as well. Kamala started working at the camp and can go home at night, and Sushila who still, fortunately goes to school, can come to kayak after school hours. Special thanks to Slime dhai (Peter Knowles) who came to Sukute and gave me lots of good advise and a book for the club! and to Mahendra and Equator for supporting 5 girls now! A lot of donated equipment have already came in to Nepal, so I can also now provide them with suitable equipment. Donations in form of money is also coming in for the club to make the training program possible, for example the Swedish ladies at Uppsala Paddlar Klubb have been selling things for 3 Sundays in a row to collect money! Check out the new pictures at the bottom of the page!

30 Oct 2008 - New girls selected for river guide training program

I have now selected seven new girls to take part in the training program. Radha Tamang 23, Anita Sapkota 18, Sambhavi Karki 23, Hasila Shrestha 27, Pasang Sherpa 25, Rama Shrestha 18 and Kamala Chepang 17. At the selection I took the girls to a swimmingpool in Kathmandu to check their swimming skills and comfort with / love for water. Some of the girls selected are already good swimmers and speak very good English and some still need to practise swimming and work hard to get strong physically. After the selection day we spent a few days in a swimmingpool in Kathmandu to practise swimming and to learn the basics of kayaking. We had a few really fun days with western women teaching and supporting. One of the days Nepali TV came to interview us! Next we are starting on the river on the 11 November. Together with Sita, Susmita and Mona we now have 10 girls to jpin the training program. And from the 16th November 22 western female kayakers are joining us as we paddle down the Sun Kosi. Everything is going very well with equipment as we are getting lots of gear and money donated. Please see the Kiwi girls blog for more info about the awsome job they are doing fundraising:

http://nepaligirlskayak.blogspot.com

4 Oct 2008 - Mona also employed and documentary filmer is coming!

After an adventurous trip from Chengdu in China overland through Tibet to Nepal with my mum, I am now back in Kathmandu where things are really happening! Mona now also started working as a trainee guide for Equator Expeditions, so 3 girls are already training and working helping teaching tourists kayaking. HRGAN, the Himalayan River Guide Association have found 9 more girls to join the river guide training in Nov / Dec. Stefan Erdman from Sweden has now booked hos ticket and is coming to make a documentary about the girls. Nodan Club is helping to advertise and getting publicity and funding for the project. Alison has dropped off a big box of safety equipment from Northwater and it looks like everything is going better than I could have imagined :)

10 Sep 2008 - Full box of KAVU-clothes coming our way!!!

Barry and Seth at KAVU in Seattle emailed today and wants to sponsor the girls with a bunch of clothes! If anyone is coming over to Nepal from the US, do let us know if you could carry a few things for us!

8 Sep 2008 - Sita and Susmita employed!!!!

I am finally back in Kathmandu and things are going really well here. Sita and Susmita have just started working for Equator Expeditions as trainee river guides. I went kayaking with them on the weekend and they are doing good! They are really happy as they finally, or should I say allready!! can support themselves economically kayaking! They are also working hard at the river resort "Sukute Beach" cleaning and cooking and have a lot to learn still to become guides. I have had several meetings with HRGAN; the Himalayan River Guide Association this week, and they are now working on advertising for women in Nepal who want to join the kayak training program in November / December. The Nepali youth organisation Nodan Club are now helping us to make it all happen and we now keep our fingers crossed that we can financial support for the training program!

26 August 2008 - Protec is sending 12 helmets!

Whitney Hansen in th US just beeped me on facebook to tell me she got us 12 helmets from PRO TEC! Monica Gokey has also emailed me the other day with news of collections of some privately donated spraydecks and paddles! Fergs Kayaks in New Zeeland is also helping out with some paddles, decks and BAs.

12 August 2008 - Nepal river guide wants daughter to become paddler!

Another cool email came in today. Deepak, who was my guide the first time I was rafting in Nepal now wants his daughter to become a kayaker and is asking me to teach her! This is exactly what we have been hoping for and it shows the wonderful change of mentallity in modern Nepal! :) And of course as he was the first one to guide me on a Nepali river I will be honored!

7 August 2008 - American paddler teaching yoga and donates the money!

I am just overwhelmed with amazing emails coming in from all over the world to support our project. Today I got an email from a women in Iran who was the first women to do white water kayaking in Iran 3 years ago and is now part of a national womens slalom team. She is hoping to come to Nepal with her 16 year old daughter to help in our project. Another email I got is from Whitney in the US who has been teaching yoga classes on donation only basis to collect money for the project. And finally it´s less than a month untill I will be in Nepal again!

5 August 2008 - Swedes getting donations and sponsors!

Some donations and sponsorshiip deals have been made. Kajaktiv AB is giving us 2 kayaks to use. Ute from Germany will bring her kayak and donate it, Malin Bergman is donating her old Skip which will be perfect for the girls to play in! Also Linda Falk is looking for her old boat to bring. Francesca Garbaldi has helped a lot with a money donation. The Swedish girls will also be sponsored on the trip as a test team for Amandas Intima, testing the Moon Cup (menskopp) ! Malin at Mest Fors together with Lena Cedrenius collected both money and kayakers for the trip on a girls kayak weekend in Sweden. 

16 July 2008 - Kiwi girls getting some serious sponsors and media attention!

The Kiwi girls are doing an amazing job to find sponsors in New Zeeland to be able to come and paddle with the girls and to donate gear for them, check out their blog: http://nepaligirlskayak.blogspot.com/ Also, Cumec (the NZ and Oz kayak magazine) are going to profile the trip in their next issue!

15 July 2008 - Girls trip and media is on!!! Sun Kosi here we come!
 The first important part of the project for this fall is done! This is getting girls together from all over the world for the Sun Kosi trip. I now have 7 girls from Sweden, 6 from New Zeeland, one from Wales, the states and one from Canada who want to come on the trip. Now we are working on finding equipment, fundings and someone to make the documentary. Media coverage is otherwise looking good so far. In the latest Outside magazine (Sweden)  they did an interview with me about the Nepali paddling girls. 

12 June 2008 - Plans going on for ladies Sun Kosi trip in Nov!
 A lot of paddling girls in the world have shown support for the project. Chianti Quinn in Canada is working hard to find us sponsors. Malin Bergman, Liv Isdahl and Kicki Engdahl from Sweden and Sophie Hoskins, Hester, Anna White and Laura Clayton are booked on the trip in November!

30 May 2008 - Sita on national TV
Good news! I today received an email from my friends Binod Adhikari, a film maker who wants to make a Nepali documentary about the girls. During a picnic at the Bhote Koshi organized by NARA he had interviewed Sita. (see the last picture) and also met the president of the Nepali Tourism Board who had said he is very interested to support the project and the making of the documentary. I also talked to Susmiita on the phone this morning and she is planning to go kayaking with our good friend Kundun Lama who wants to help to train the girls.

22 May 2008 - Girls been training at Royal Beach
After a computer breakdown I am finally back on the net. Lots of things have happened in the last few weeks. 6 girls went kayaking at Royal Beach for a few days, and after that 3 of them went to Sukute Beach again. Sita was doing so well, NARA actually tried to send her to the Asian Olympic trials in canoe slalom in Thailand! Even though Sita would not have been ready for this it is really good news that NARA is realizing that the girls really can paddle and they are getting a lot of attention. Both Sita and Mona have also been interviewed on TV in Nepal at a river pick nick.

24 April 2008 - Susmita paddled Kali Gandaki!
I got a phone call today from Susmiita! She has justs come back from kayaking the Kali Gandaki with Shai river rafting! Apparently she did really well with no swimming and she was sooo happy!!! Thanks Shai for helping out!!!

19 April 2008 - Malin Bergman planning to come and help out!
The plan for the fall season is looking good. Malin Bergman from Sweden have decided to come on the trip with the girls in November! Now, just waiting for more girls to follow! Also, the Swedish magazine "Paddling" wants to have the story in their magazine. And the girls? Well, they are on the lake the whole weekend and are going to Royal Beach to paddle on the Trisuli river mon & tue. For 3 girls it will be the first time on the river.

16 April 2008 - Sita & Susmita paddled Lower Bhote Koshi
I am back in Sweden now, sad but true. But got good news from Mona today on the phone. Sita and Susmiita had a good trip on the Seti with Ian Roberts, so Ian then brought Sita paddling on the lower Bhote Koshi a few days later, and apparently she did really good. Amazing stuff! That is a nice stretch of class III white water. Well done Sita!!! and thanks Ian!!!! Also, the 2 trekking girls, Muna and Maya have come back to the lake in Pokhara after trekking and are keen to really get into the kayaking now!

8 April 2008 - Making plans for river guide training with HRGAN
In Kathmandu, missing Pokhara and the girls. I have spent 2 days at the Bhote Koshi and helped out with the Nepal national rafting race. Met a lot of people there interested to help with the girls club, also media people that are interested in writing about the project. Churamani Aryal and I are putting together a plan for a 5 week training programme for girls in Nov/Dec. Also, I have talked to Kamala, a young girls from Sindupalchowk who we were teaching kayaking in the White Water Circus Project. Today she is working in Kathmandu as a maid. But it looks like I might be getting her a chance to work at Equator Expeditions resort in Sukute close by her home village and get the chance to do kayaking again. Keep your fingers crossed!

3 April 2008 - More girls on the lake
I had a such nice day on the lake yesterday. 4 new girls were waiting for me in the morning. All 4 come from quite troublesome backgrounds but have been trained by the Chetri Sisters as trekking guides. They were so sweet and had so much fun. More good news is that Mona and Sita have been offered to come on a 3-day kayak clinic with Ultimate Descents Nepal from tomorrow! :)

2 April 2008- Trekking guides want to join us!
Everything is going well. We met some more girls that have been working as trekking guides interested in learning kayaking so I am going on the lake with them tomorrow. The problem is we dont have enough gear yet...

31 March 2008 - 4 girls on the lower Seti!
Back from another wonderful trip with the girls. Susmita, Anita and Sita were really showing power on the Seti and all the Paddle Nepal boys and clients were really imppressed with the girls skills and balance. Personally it was one of my best and most rewarding river trips ever in Nepal. Hanging out by the campfire with the girls, singing together, sleeping under the stars...

27 March 2008 - New girl joins us on the lake
Anita, a new girl joined us on the lake today, and she did so good and learning the teqniques so quickly I have deceided she can come on the trip to the lower Seti tomorrow! Paddle Nepal has offered us to come on a 3-day trip free of charge! We cant wait! Unfortunately Chiza is having some pains after a surgery she did a few months ago and can not join us, but in stead Anita will now get a chance. We are borrowing 2 kayaks from Charlie at Ganesh Kayak Shop for the trip and all the rest is provided by Paddle Nepal.

26 March 2008 - Free training at Sukute Beach
We are now back in Pokhara after 4 days of kayaking on the upper Sun Kosi river which is an excellent place to learn kayaking. Equator Expeditions and NARA kindly offered us to use their kayaking camp "Sukute Beach" for a few days. The Equator kayakers and 3 kayakers from Finland helped me teaching them. We had a wonderful four days together, and the 4 girls learned a lot, paddlings class II-rapids. The girls are now on the Pokhara lake practising rolling as I am writing this. The last couple if days we have found several other girls interested in learning kayaking. At the moment we can borrow some gear from Paddle Nepal and Ganesh Kayak shop, but when the season picks up it will be hard to get enough gear to get the girls on the water training... We need all the help we can get to keep these girls on the water and to give more girls the opportunity