International Women's Day 2008
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Hello. I'm Rachel Hobson
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And I'm Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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All over the world women gather together. They are celebrating International Women's Day - around March the eighth.
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In Beirut, women will celebrate the day at the UNESCO Palace Dinner. Here, they will think about the difficulties of working women in Lebanon. And they will discuss new medical improvements concerning women.
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In Sierra Leone a national show will mark the day. Women will celebrate female artists. The event organisers are the Sierra Leone Female Musical Association. This group unites native female artists all across Sierra Leone.
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In the Bahamas women will celebrate with a special radio broadcast. The aim of the broadcast is to encourage women across the world. The organisers work to stop violence against women and children. One way they do this is through talk shows.
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At Spotlight, we celebrate International Women's Day by discussing the work of three women in Nepal. Together they are empowering women in an amazing way.
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The wind blows over the huge mountains. A group of women follow a narrow path. They look around them in wonder. In the far distance they can see the white tops of the Himalayan Mountains. The Himalaya Mountains circle round other groups of mountains. One of these groups is the Annapurna Mountains. The women are travelling, or trekking, into the centre of these mountains. The mountains tops reach up to eight thousand metres. To be so close to such beauty is an amazing experience. The women stop for a time, and enjoy the wonder of nature. Then, the women's trekking guide leads them on. Their guide is experienced and knows the mountains well. The women travellers chose this guide for a particular reason. They chose her because she is female.
Female trekker guides are not common in Nepal. But three sisters are working to change this.
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Lucky Chhetri is a fit young woman. She trained in the Himalayan Mountaineering Training Institute in Darjeeling, India. And she dreamed of trekking throughout the Himalayas one day. Lucky's sisters, Nicky and Dicky, shared her dreams. But it seemed impossible. It was unusual for Nepalese women to do this. However, one day at work, Lucky had an idea. At that time, the three were working in an eating place in Pokhara, Nepal. Lucky said;
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‘In 1993, we were managing a restaurant. It was in a hotel in Pokhara. We had the chance to meet women from all over the world. We met some unhappy and frightened women - who were travelling alone. They had had some bad experiences with their male guides. We felt sad when we head these stories. So we decided to do something.' Voice 1
In 1994, the sisters started a women's trekking guide service. It is part of EWN - Empowering Women of Nepal. The trekking service is for female travellers. But it also works to empower the women of Nepal. Years earlier, Lucky had visited the far west of Nepal. Here, she had seen the struggles of many women. Their husbands and brothers had gone to India. The women were left on the dry, unfarmed land of Western Nepal. Lucky dreamed of working to support these women. She said;
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‘Our female trekking group helped me make that dream real. I remembered these hard working women. And I recognised that country women would be the perfect people for female guides!' Voice 2
Nepali women come to the EWN for different reasons. Some want employment. Others seek knowledge and skills. They can then use their skills in their communities. At the EWN trainees take part in a four week English programme. They also learn about water cleanliness, waste management, and different kinds of fuels. The women's training gives them skills to teach others how to care for the mountains. For example, they encourage people not to use plastic water bottles. Instead they advise travellers to use iodine to purify their water. This way, plastic bottles will not cover the beautiful mountains.
When the women have completed their training they can work as guides and earn money. Then, they gain experience. They lead groups of women on different treks through the mountains. After this, some women return to their villages to spread news of the program. Others continue their education at universities. Or some receive a loan from the EWN. The loan is for women who want to become community leaders.
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So the EWN is a success for the local women and the travellers. Women trekkers like the female guides. They enjoy the knowledge that they share. And they like the fun atmosphere that the sisters create. They feel at ease as they explore the wonders of the Nepali Mountains. The sister's treks are very different to other treks. These usually involve racing to the top of mountains! The EWN treks are all about enjoyment. Lucky and her sisters said;
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‘We concentrate on exploring the mountains and enjoying all they have to offer. The enjoyment of the trip is as great as reaching the end destination. Our aim is to share knowledge of our country and its culture. We are not racing against time. We bring time. We bring time to stop and smell mountain flowers. We bring time to watch animals play, birds fly.' Voice 1
The sisters seem to be walking along two roads. First there is the real road - where they trek through the Himalayan Mountains as guides. Then, there is the road that people cannot see. This road leads towards women gaining control of their lives. In many ways, the second road is harder. Social laws may put women as second class citizens. They may stop women getting a good education. And they may make women feel as though they are not worth very much. But the sisters hope that education and skill training will change all this. They hope that Nepali women will go on to bring real changes in their communities. The sister's work is not easy. It is a difficult road ahead. But it is worth it. They said;
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‘Our dream is to empower the women of Nepal. It is a long and hard path to walk. But the jewels at the end are so great. It is a path that we must travel.' Voice 2
The writer and producer of today's programme was Marina Santee. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and South Africa. All quotes were adapted for this program. Computer users can hear our programmes, read our scripts and see our word list on our website at www.radio.english.net. This programme is called, ‘International Women's Day 2008.' Voice 1
How do you celebrate Women's Day? Write and tell us. Our email address is radio @ english . net. Thank you for joining us in today's Spotlight programme. Until next time. Goodbye.
