Sarita was only 13 years old when her parents sold her to the owner of a hotel in Kagbeni, high in the Himalayan Mountains in the Lower Mustang area of Nepal. For the next year, she slaved in the kitchen, preparing meals for the 10-20 men who stayed at the guest house. She was paid 8,000 Nepali rupees for the year, about $91 USD. Sarita hated the work, but without any means to pay for food and lodging, she was trapped. Then one day she met Nicky Chhetri, who along with her two siblings, Dicky and Lucky, had opened Three Sisters Trekking Pokhara Nepal. Nicky was scouring the mountains for underprivileged girls who would agree to be trained as trekking guides. If Sarita could find her own way to Pokhara, Nicky promised, she would be given food, lodging, education, and specialized training that would allow her to become one of the first female trekking guides in what had, up till then, been an exclusively male profession.
The Chhetri Sisters had seized upon the idea of female guides because many trekkers, especially women, reported feeling unsafe on the trails when accompanied only by male guides and porters. They battled Nepal’s male-dominated society, never giving up on their idea regardless how many times they were told that only men could be licensed as trekking guides. Finally, they gained permission and set up their own school in the top floor of an older building on the north end of Pokhara, using the remainder of the building to house the girls.
Sarita scraped together the few Rupees needed for bus fare but when she arrived in Pokhara she could not find Nicky, so for the next seven months she worked as a laborer in the construction industry until, one day, she found a business card with Lucky’s name and contact information. Full of hope that she was finally on the path to a better life, Sarita presented herself at Three Sisters Trekking, only to be attacked by Lucky when she discovered Sarita was of a lower caste than the sisters. “You can’t come here, we are all Karki,” she sneered. Eventually, the sisters accepted her as a resident, but Sarita’s lower caste was often used as an excuse to treat her like a dog.
“What are you, a buffalo? You eat paper?” screamed Nicky when Sarita ran out of paper to do her schoolwork. “This is paper I buy from my pocket money, you should not waste.”
Gradually, 21 girls, ranging in age from five to 16 years old, became residents of the home, which soon prominently displayed the sign Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN), a non-governmental organization (NGO) that the sisters set up for the purpose of soliciting donations to support the children. At first, the girls were paraded out before contributors who visited the center to see first hand the result of their donations. Sarita recalled one such instance: “One day I was sitting in the library with a foreigner, who told me, ‘you must do good work, study hard.’ The visitor explained how he made donations to help us. After this, we were never again called to talk to foreigners. The sisters always told us they paid for everything; they did not want us to know that other people were sending money.”
Jean-Luc Perrotin and his wife, Sabine, were among the earliest supporters of the agency. They met Lucky Chhetri during a trek in the Annapurna Himalayas in May 2006 and were very impressed with the sister’s work to rescue marginalized girls, especially after meeting 13-year old Sarita in the restaurant where she was slaving away. In his delightful French accent, Jean-Luc recalls how their association began. “We want to contribute to the welfare of these children and we start to make some donations, quite heavily.” They returned to Nepal twice each year, sometimes staying with the children in their home and other times in the Chetri sister’s guest house behind the trekking office. “After some times, we realize that all the children…are not well treated, and it seems that all the money was not used for the children – only a small part was used for the children.”
According to three former residents I interviewed (whose names have been changed here to protect their identity), the children lived in deplorable conditions, despite generous monetary gifts from donors around the world. They had use of only one toilet and a shower with cold water. Because the well often ran dry, the girls were allowed to wash their bodies only twice each week and their hair three times per week. On days when there was no water, they bathed in the nearby lake, which is considerably cleaner than the brown well water that was also their only source of drinking water. The girls slept in dorm rooms, four or five bunk beds to a room and usually two girls to a bed. They were expected to rise at 5 a.m., clean their dorm rooms and the bathroom before eating breakfast, after which they walked 45 minutes to school. Anyone who didn’t get up on time risked the wrath of the sisters. “Lucky poured cold water on our faces,” said Sarita.
Though the Chhetri sisters tell donors that the girls are being fed a healthy diet, Sarita claimed that they ate mostly dal bhat, a combination of stewed lentils and white rice, with only one meal per week that included vegetables, chicken or egg. “The sisters tell us all the time that we come from poor families, so we are used to simple food.” Food was also used as a punishment. Another former resident of the house, Ritu, recalled the time she was falsely accused of breaking the sink. “They took away food for two days.”
One December, the Perrotins arrived to find the children shivering in thin, short sleeve shirts, and no socks in near freezing temperatures. When he asked why they did not put jackets on or wrap themselves in blankets, the girls explained they had none. Jean-Luc and Sabine promptly purchased jackets and shawls and distributed them directly to the girls, which angered the sisters. Jean-Luc later heard that the sisters had confiscated the warm clothing. On another occasion, after watching the girls do their laundry by hand, the Perrotins offered to buy a washing machine for the home. “We speak about that with the three sisters and immediately they say ‘Oh, what a wonderful idea.’ Right away we went to market and we buy a brand new washing machine and (it) was supposed to be installed within the children’s house.” After the Perrotins departed, the children were told that their clothes were “too dirty” for the washing machine; the Perrotins later learned that it had been installed in the sister’s private home.
Confiscation was not limited to large ticket items. When Ritu came to live with Chhetri sisters, they took her ring, necklace and watch and refused to give it back when she eventually left. When Jean-Luc brought the girls T-shirts with a picture of the Eiffel Tower, those too were taken away. The girls tell stories of a large room within the facility, stacked to the ceiling with donated merchandise, none of which is ever distributed to them. Disillusioned by what they saw, the Perrotins stopped supporting EWN.
I wanted to witness for myself the conditions of the orphanage and home for the trekking guide trainees, so I showed up unannounced one day. It was mid-afternoon and all the children were in school, but I convinced one of the employees to give me a brief tour of the facilities. It was not as bad as I had expected, given the description of the former residents. Still, considering the trekking office, hotel, and most recently, the palatial private home that the Chhetri sisters have built, I was frankly appalled by the conditions in which the orphans live. They sleep in dark, windowless rooms in the ground floor, into which three or four bunk beds have been crammed, and prepare meals for 20 in a cramped, dirty kitchen.
Trekking guide trainees seem to be treated considerably better than the orphans; they have better accommodations on the second level, including decent bedrooms that sleep two to a room and a large, bright kitchen. Twice each year, Three Sisters provides a free 6-month trekking guide apprenticeship program, free accommodation and food at the EWN hostel, as well as free trekking equipment to women from remote rural areas. When they successfully complete their course of study, the girls can begin work as porters, earning 700 Rupees (about $8 USD) per day. If they prove themselves, they can then become trekking guides, who earn 850 Rupees (about $9.50 USD) per day. According to the NGO employee with whom I spoke, had they stayed in their villages, tending fields, at most they would have earned 350 Rupees ($4 USD) per day. While this is certainly an improvement in their circumstances, it must be noted that the going rate per day for a porter and trekking guide is $40-50 USD.
Three Sisters Trekking has undoubtedly provided a better life for the girls who become trekking guides and porters, however I question what percentage of the revenues brought in by the NGO are actually benefiting the girls. Though there is no disclosure of revenues or financial statement provided on their website, in 2009 the sisters partnered with UnitingPeople.com to raise $26,484. As part of this process, they were obliged to provide an audited financial statement to the organization. One line item shows expenses of 672,269 Rupees (about $7,500 USD) NRS for “ice climbing training.” Yet in a supporting document entitled “Rock Climbing and Ice Climbing Report” the sisters disclosed that only one girl was actually trained in ice climbing and four in rock climbing. Given that the site of their rock climbing training is a cliff behind their office, the $7,500 expenditure seems improbable.
Expenses for ‘female trekking guide training” were shown as 1,472,233 Rupees (about $16,500 USD). On the day I visited, the current trekking class consisted of ten girls and I was told the maximum was 15 girls, twice each year. Assuming that they trained 30 girls in 2009, the cost per girl would be 49,074 Rupees (about $550 USD) per girl. While that may seem reasonable, according to Three Sisters website, “At the end of this 4-week training course, the women start work in the apprenticeship program where they will be paid while acquiring field experience working as trekking guide trainees.” Five hundred fifty dollars is a significant amount of money in a country where the per capita income is less than $2,700, according to the World Bank, especially since other line items in the financial statement make it clear that the training costs do not include rental of the building, food, clothes or health care. Another line item shows 43,600 Rupees ($3,633 USD) for Internet. Having lived here off and on for the last three years, I am well aware that Internet costs nowhere near that much.
In 2009, two years after the Perrotins had discontinued their aid to Three Sisters, Jean-Luc reestablished contact with two of the girls, who had by then fled the agency. Hoping to help, the couple returned to Pokhara, where they also reconnected with Devu and Bina, the other two girls they had been supporting through the NGO. Bina related what had happened. “I stayed two years at Three Sisters, but I knew what was going on was wrong, so I confronted them. They said ‘You are not respecting us.’” She was made to sign a document, admitting that she had misbehaved, and was kicked out. The Perrotins decided to directly support all four of the former residents of Three Sisters Trekking and have been doing so ever since.
Ritu married and now has a small child. She recently divorced her husband and is looking for a job. Devu, the youngest, is in secondary school and has moved back in with her mother and step-father. Bina is in grade 12, studying management. Sarita, soon to be 21, has just completed her final year of secondary school and has passed her SLC exam; she will start nursing school in September. When Sarita looks back upon her time at Three Sisters Trekking, she says, “Life is not good there. The Chhetri Sisters treat children like a farm. They grow children, pick them, and use them to get money from other countries. If foreigners want to help, they should give money directly to people who need it instead of to a local NGO.”
Though there are some deserving and well-run charities in Nepal, many local NGO’s are thinly disguised means to solicit donations, the majority of which line the operator’s pockets. After the country was opened to the world in 1951, money began pouring in via International NGO’s and Nepali quickly learned that the quick and easy road to riches was to set up an NGO and bilk good-hearted tourists. If the private, gated residence of the Chhetri sisters, which is reputed to be the largest house in all of Pokhara Nepal is any indication, it is a lesson that Nicky, Dicky, and Lucky learned well.
Update June 28, 2012, Author’s note: A reader contacted me to correct the price for trekking guides that was quoted in the above article. There was a typographical error in the account; originally it said “the going rate per day for a porter or trekking guide is $50 USD.” It should have said: “the going rate per day for a porter AND trekking guide is $50 USD.” The reader commented: “Barbara do you use pot or so. What kind of nonsense are you writing about. A rate for a porter is around 15 dollar a day, you pay to every company all over Nepal.” Based on this comment, I re-checked with several other trekking companies and was told that the average price per day for guides is $25-30 and for porters the average is $20-25 per day. However, in the pursuit of complete accuracy, I have modified the price in the story to a range of $40-50.
Considering a future visit to Nepal? You’ll want to check out my Essential Travel Guide for Pokhara, Nepal, which is updated regularly.
Hey Barbara,
because I felt like trying other options after reading your article, I went out on a little search of my own, and luckily I found some alternatives!
I’d like to thank you for answering my email, and opening my eyes with your article on 3 sisters adventure.
Happy travelling!
Way to stir the pot Barbara. Having been to Nepal multiple times I can certainly imagine this happening. Thanks for the information!
Dear readers of this forum. This morning I came back from my holidays after two weeks of sunshine I ended up in a kind of monsoon here in Europe. So I just wanted to read something nice again to cheer me up and just to go back to a story which could bring me back in a better mood. I have been reading more often stories of Barbara but than I went to other pages and found the story about the 3 Sisters and I was so shocked to read this story, I’ve even followed Barbara’s articles for a few years since I was traveling myself many times during the past years in Nepal and spend many months in Pokhara, the Annapurnas and walked many times on the trails. Always meeting up with workers from the 3 Sisters trekking and always had good comments from the girls. I read many articles about them and felt proud to be in contact with them in an unformal way. I feel so sad that one single person can spoil so much and not only the fun I had in reading your articles. You can’t imagine how angry I am with this report. I looked up many links which
Barbara mentioned in this article and only can say that must have a very large sick imagination. She made up a story based on figures and not on facts. She makes readers believe that she is the only person who knows the truth! I think she has some personal conflict with this well runned organization. Readers, do you think that the Chettri family build a home from sponsor money gathered from the children home and their EWN projects. If you would say something like that on the other side of this planet people would think you are crazy and not good in your mind. And you know this morning I burned the printed out reports which I kept together with my travel guides in my open fire, since I felt so fucking cold after reading this lies. And you know, it felt so good; since it felt so wrong what she has written. In this way I said goodbye to this untrue facts.
Shame on her!
Readers, it seems that Barbara also can remove comments. I made a note just a couple of hours ago and now it’s gone. She probably can’t face the truth that her story is just one big lie and is scared to lose her face as being “the big and famous” reporter/journalist or whatever she might think she is. Face it, you cannot always win. This is not the USA !
Peter: Of course I can remove comments if I choose. It’s my blog, not yours. However, I haven’t removed anything. Try sorting your the comments by “newest” under the Disqus dropdown menu for “Discussion” at the top of the comments.
I still wonder IF this very famous Barbara has the guts to see her mistakes because her story is a TRUE lie!
Stuff like this should absolutely be illegal. I was reading another blog a few weeks back about ‘orphanages’ in Africa that do the same, gather as much money as possible to line the founder’s pockets and spend the bare minimum actually helping children. It’s terrible things like this are happening in the world and most people don’t realise so they keep donating money.
Is it just me or do some of the commenters on here seem to be from the Three Sisters themselves, pretending to be other people defending it???
LOL Chris! Yes, almost all the negative comments came from two IP addresses, so I’m guessing the response was manipulated and directed by the powers that be at 3 Sisters.
hahaha…that’s a cheap trick by the people at 3 sisters.I think they are scared of being ripped off…even i was confused at shocked by their comments at first but right now i can’t stop laughing…. and ofcourse they are posting those comments in real nepalese names just to make believe…hahaha
Ugh thats the trouble with some organizations….. it’s just so hard to trust if your money is being used in the way that you hope it is. :S It’s good that there are people like you exposing these organizations.
I have been to Nepal 9 times, I know some trekking agents personally and 3 Sisters through a friend. Let’s put it this way: 3 Sisters run a trekking operation, which is not among the biggest in Nepal, far from it, as they do not do climbing expeditions and specialize in female staff only. The house they have built for themselves is HUGE. Now, what is the difference between them and others: They also have an orphanage & their own NGO, which is a vastly better BUSINESS than a trekking agency.
I believe every word Barbara wrote. Westeners really tend to be blind. By one estimate 95% of Nepali orphanages are scams to milk money from tourists and volunteers. Better be overcautious than trusting, as so much evidence, alas, is clearly pointing to that direction.
I wonder why you have been removing my posts..are you mad? I think you are posting nonsense just to obtain publicity..what a journalist you are! If you have guts enough to write a bag full of fake stories..you should leave the comments as they are too..! “Believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear”..You must be three times older than I am, it’s sad I still have to remind you of this! It’s ridiculous how people can develop so much of hatred and jealousy within oneself! As I already mentioned before, Barbara, Jealousy is a terrible disease and sure as hell, you shouldn’t confuse it with hatred and yeah! instead of travelling you should visit a lunatic asylum,but before that do step into our Children home again..not just for taking pictures..there is a lot more to it that you ought to know 🙂
Sadly this is a prime case of a personal blogger calling themselves a “Journalist” and doing more harm than good.
The “story” is just that. Another case of tourist simply not getting Nepal. Compared to so many other NGO’s, companies etc 3 Sisters has broken many boundaries in Nepal. As the “story” itself dictates life for women in not so easy in Nepal. In fact life for anyone in Nepal is not easy.
The 3 Sisters have created a profitable business in a country where most people live in poverty. I’m quite sure not everything is as good as it could be, it never is. Not even in the big western companies. But at least here they have helped others who had no chance before. Is it perfect, no. Is the orphanage down the road asking for $400 a month from foreign volunteers ripping them off? Yes. Are they giving back, no. Is 3 Sisters helping their own, yes.
Is Barbara “reporting” all the facts? No. Has Barbara caused a lot of damage to people with this one-sided “story?” Yes.
Perhaps next time you “Travel” and live in a relative plush hotel do so in your own home state and “report” on how your own people are mistreating others. Only this time as a “Journalist” you might want to tell the whole story before you ruin peoples lives, hopes and the chance of even eating a dinner tonight.
I only hope the few people reading this will also read these comments to realize a little more of the truth behind this. And I desperately hope a qualified journalist visits the 3 Sisters and gives a less one-sided more professional report.
I must say “Amanda” I find your comment rather disingenuous.
It seems obvious to me that Barbara is asking some serious questions in a very responsible way; even
with corroborating witnesses on video; and clearly, as accurately as any
reasonable person might expect. While you on the other hand offer no factual
information which might dispute the important issues addressed in the article.
As far
as I can tell; you feel that a potentially fraudulent NGO’s should be left to its
own devices; all of which suggests to me that perhaps you yourself have some vested
interest to protect. Clearly a legitimate business has nothing to fear from the
facts. And unless you are intimately involved; or you have personally investigated
the situation, you are clearly in no position to judge neither the writer, nor the
facts.
Thank you Robert! I very much appreciate your comments.
This is ridiculous! As they say, never let facts get in the way of a good story..
Hi Barbara,
Your travel blog was originally referred to you by a mutual friend
in Australia and I’ve been following your postings via Twitter and Facebook for
a more than a year. When I came upon your posting “The Dark Side of Three
Sisters Trekking” I read the article with great interest, both professionally
and personally.
As a philanthropic consultant, I’ve been traveling the world for
more than 18 months volunteering with local nonprofit organizations. I
volunteered with 3 Sisters for several days in April 2012. During this time, I
worked intensively with the Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN) staff and spoke to
Lucky Chhetri for several hours over two days. I
also participated in a 14-day 3 Sisters trek.
On the professional side, I learned that 3 Sisters / EWN has received
funding from two well regarded international foundations: the Global Fund of
Women (GFW) and the Ashoka Foundation. GFW has given EWN 4 grants over 7 years,
attesting to their consistent support of the program.
In addition, Lucky Chhetri has been honored
as an Ashoka fellow – a top designation for social entrepreneurs. I have worked
with Ashoka as a consultant, helping assess fellowship applicants. I can tell
you the screening process is arduous, usually taking more than a year. The background
of each candidate is thoroughly reviewed and organizational and personal financials
are scrutinized. The fact that 3 Sisters / EWN received financial support from
these international funds indicates that the organization has met the strenuous
standards set by these institutional donors.
As someone who donates regularly to international NGOs, I know it
is very difficult for donors to know where their funding to going. That is why
most international donors rely on outside, independent assessments from
foundations (like GFW and Ashoka) that have taken the time and have the
resources to diligently research each of their grantees.
On the personal side, the trek I did with 3 Sisters is one of the
best experiences of my life. This positive experience was due in large part to
the 3 Sister guides and assistants (porters) that led our group. While on the
trek, I also met many other graduates of the 3 sisters training programs, young
women who are now either working as guides for 3 Sisters, working independently
as guides, or have joined other guiding outfits. These women were strong,
competent and personable — a testament to the success of the 3 Sisters / ENW
program.
In fact, during our trek several of us became friendly with Nirma
Rai, our lead guide, who had us over to her home for butter tea after the trek.
Nirma was one of the women who received advanced ice climbing training from 3
Sisters (as part of the 3 Sisters’ sponsorship of the first successful summit
of Annapurna 4).
During our visit, Nirma proudly showed us her passport with her
visas for Italy and Poland where she traveled to receive the advanced training
– training that most probably helped save the expedition team’s life as they
were caught in an avalanche during their descent.
One final question: Did you attempt to interview Lucky Chhetri or anyone from the staff of ENW? It
would seem only fair to give the organization the opportunity to comment on
your very serious allegations.
I look forward to seeing comments on this post published and hearing
what your other readers think about this article.
Cheers, Erin Michelson
Namaste Barbara. My name is Tess Stapleton and my mother and I are very close to the Three sisters. We too have visited the 3 Sisters/EWN..not just twice..but 7 times now. i have complete faith in the organisation that they are running and feel proud to have been able to be a part of it. For you to sit behind your computer screen and type out harsh insults is something that you should be very ashamed of. Yes we understand that you are a journalist and you have all the right in the world to your own opinion but can i just say maybe you need to work on your research skills. The three sisters have helped countless girls and young ladies of nepal to gain the courage (something you may lack?) and confidence in taking steps to ensure their own future. How did you actually feel when you wrote this article? did you think of the long haul that the 3sisters have endured to make this work, not just for them but for all the beautiful girls they are helping along the way. remember we are in nepal here, not america. so excuse us if everything isn’t up to your sky high standards. i really feel bad for you because you seem like a great writer but you surely are lacking some emotions in your heart. This is the FIRST EVER bad review i have seen, that in itself is saying something. The misrepresentations you have made in this article are appalling not only to everyone that reads this but also to yourself as a journalist. how can you judge people who are doing so much more to make this world a better place then you could ever dream about doing behind your computer screen. and you really sound like you think you know it all…go figure!
Namaste. I am Kalpana, a recent graduate of the Children Home program. I am sad that you have written many wrong things about our Children Home. I lived in this home for 5 years and I never ate vegetable once a week or ate cold dal bhat every day. We never went to the lake to take shower in the dirty water. In fact, many of our neighbours went to the lake because they had no running water at home. It took us 15 minutes to go to school. We were provided everything we needed. The cold and dirty rooms that you visited gets so hot during summer that we sleep most of the time with the fan on. Every room has a fan if you did not know about this. We were never thrown cold water. We all live together and we live as a one family. Please contact me directly if you have any questions.
An amazing place for having a rest with family
Namaste. My name is Kamala B.C. I am working in this organization from 1999. I am proud to say that I am from lower caste and have been working with the sisters for many years. When I came here, I feel very safe and respected. My life was very hard and I was very desperate because I could not find any job elsewhere. I remember the day when I walked in the Sisters office and how they comforted me and gave me opportunity for training and employment. Today I am a trekking guide and a happy mother. I have two children, my older girl receives support from this organization. She gets extra tutoring help and when I go trekking I feel very comfortable leaving my daughter at the Children’s Home because they take good care of everyone equally. I am very happy to give you a tour of this organization upon your visit. What you wrote about the Children and the sisters are all false. I am living and working with them for so many years but I have not experienced any statements you made about our organizations. I am a mother, my daughter is one of the girls who have quite often use the EWN Children Home service. She is more happy to stay at the home than at our own home. She loves all the girls, studies well, and enjoys playing with them. I work very hard and my husband works in the Middle East still we cannot afford to give our children the same facilities that girls are receiving at the EWN Children Home.
For all my readers, I just received this email from Monika Hendriks, a person who has previously been associated with 3 Sisters and EWN and has left comments below under the name of Monica:
“It seems you are blowing up a small story to a huge number of facts. If I was in your position I would have a talk with Archana, I saw her reaction and sounds
fair to me. Do you really think that organizations who sponsor EWN
never check accounts and spending reports! I’ve been involved with some
projects as kind of trustworthy person to check paperwork and
administration. I stand behind the sisters if it comes to money matters.
One year of investigation! Wow! Impressive,
just to nail people to the cross, I still wonder why!? The two
sponsors……frustrated because of what? Did you hear the story also
from the side of one of the sisters?
I don’t know if you are living in Nepal at the moment, but I
would go and have a talk with them and to clear things instead of only
going on the “one sided” interviews.
Did you ever hear about the owner of the French based
organization involved with the Sarangkot para club. He got beaten up
very badly……….
You are still a guest in Nepal and better keep it like that. I
noticed lot of “violence” cases against free publicity in the years I
was there. It’s just an advice!
I wonder how long your story will stand!
Good luck,
Monica”
It does not sound like advice to me. It sounds like a threat.
Associated? What!? Can’t remember that I told/wrote to you. I know them since I lived in Nepal for some year. You just make up your own story about me now?
it seems making up stories is something she is good at!
Barbara, I’ve posted a personal message to your e mail. I would say take the time to visit 3 Sisters/EWN soonest! Remember you are still a guest of Nepal and not a judge!
Monica
I am not a judge Monica, I am a journalist. And as I have said before, I have visited 3 Sisters and EWN twice.
But judging and accusing them in your last sentence in your story!
And that is my opinion, drawn from the interviews and research I did, which I have a right to.
Dear Barabara!
Thankyou for your beautiful story about ewn. Obviously I am suffering from complete blindness and I seem to be deaf as well. Having worked as a fulltime volunteer here in the office for almost 10 months now, meeting the girls every day, I have now learnt from you that all I have seen and experienced during this time must be wrong… …or are there maybe a few mistakes in your article?
As I have already asked in my e-mail to you: Would you please come here to the office or call me so we can meet? Having had the guts to write such a harsh story about very dedicated people you should at least have the courage to confront these people. Maybe you can also help me with my eye and ear problem.
Thankyou for that
Laura Ortlieb
Dear Laura: Sarcasm duly noted. I repeat: I have been to 3 Sisters and EWN twice, once to interview one of the Chhetri sisters personally. I am confident about my sources and stand by my article.
Dear Barbara, I’m surprised you do not specify who “one of the Chhetri sisters” you interviewed was or the name of the employee you met… since each staff member, including Lucky, Dicky and Nicky has its sector of speciality (budget, development, training, etc…), you may simply have come across the wrong person for your questions, hence the inability to reply to budget questions.
It would be like asking the cook of a restaurant how much profit the restaurant makes and how is the budget distributed… the cook would probably wouldn’t have a clue. You would have to speak to the accountant.
Moreover, If you allow me, I find it a bit cheeky of you to argue that you know everything about the organization by visiting it twice and interviewing 5 people (who obviously all know each other) when other people on this forum are arguing they have volunteered with EWN for ten months. Personally, I stayed there for 3 months and all I saw around the children was love, and a chance to get an education… but I’ll post a proper post about my experience so that people can see another side of the story and make their own opinion.
Best regards,
Joelle
Hello Barbara,
I work with the 3 Sisters and EWN already since 2006 and know all in and outs of this organization and family. You have a lot of guts to write so negative about a hard working team of people. For me no doubts at all about the way they work and deal with money and donations. It’s cristal clear! I think you should visit them, bring a full truck with excuses and get the hell out of Nepal!
Harry Brands (rock climbing coordinator for EWN)
Namaste. My name is Indra Rai and I am the Office Manager at
the 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking and Field Training for EWN. Barbara your
article is a heart striking blow to our organizations. For the last 15 years I
have been working under this organization and I know everyone in our
organizations and know the family very well. Whatever has been said has no
basis, no justification. It is made with ill intention attempting to defame the
organization. Seriously, before writing such remarks you should have thought
for those guides, porters, other employees, children who are presently staying
at the Children Home. Can you employ over 150 employees who are currently
benefitting from a trek season? Can you bring food to our tables and send our
children to school? Can you take all the Children from the home and give them your
American standard need? Come see how much love is put in the home. Yes, it is a
small Children’s Home, but a home built with love, care, and happiness.
There are many girls like Sarita and Ritu from your video in
Nepal. Many girls who are being victims of human trafficking and abuse right
here in lakeside, Pokhara let along in some of the Middle-East countries, why
don’t you write and cover some issues as such?
We believe in freedom of speech, but freedom of speech
should be based on correct facts and stories. If you stand by your story, I
stand by my company and with many others are willing to talk with you and give
you our side of the story. Please come visit us.
Hello Indra: I appreciate that you have loyalty for your company. I have been to your company, twice.One recently, when I toured the EWN facility, and a year ago, when I personally interviewed one of the Chhetri sisters, who sidestepped my direct questions about how much of the donated monies actually go to benefit the orphans. Had she been more forthcoming, I might never have launched on my year-long investigation.
Namaste Barbara, thank you for replying to my comment. Surely, I am VERY proud to be associated and being employed with this company for the last 15 years that is the reason I cannot tolerate unfair external aggression. I am happy that you visited our company twice. Please note: at our company we (Dicky, Nicky, Indra (myself) and office staff) do not deal with any matters related to the Children’s Home or project activities. EWN office that you have visited (and only taken pictures) is the right place to conduct interviews regarding donations and project matters. Ms. Archana is the responsible person to address issues on budget, project activities, speaking with people who are interested to learn more about our initiatives. If you are still in Pokhara, we highly recommend you to please come visit us and clarify all the questions and concerns you may have. As the matter is of serious concern and a big shock for all of us, strange and unfair allegations, please realize that our lives and our children’s lives depend on this organization. If you are not satisfied we will be open to take legal procedure which will ensure fair trail. Thank you for your reply.
Seen the fact that on 28 th you make some corrections. I think the whole story should be modified since I don’t believe any of it. I also can look up figures about the Ice expedition and rock climbing, but doesn’t conclude to me that the money went into the wrong pockets. You probably have no idea what an expedition costs. Well anyway……what do you want
Peter: I corrected a typo – there will be no revisions to the facts in the article. I stand by my research and the interviews I conducted.
Namaste. My name is Bina Nepali. I have been working with
EWN/3 Sisters for the last 4 years. As part of my job, I am responsible for
taking care of children’s supplies. I do not recall anyone not having enough
supplies, clothing and equipment for school and at the home. This organization
has been one of the best examples in our society for tolerance, acceptance, and
giving disadvantage woman like myself hope, confidence, voice, knowledge and
skills to overcome obstacles in our rigid Nepali culture. I come from the most
remote mountain region of Nepal and am from lower caste. Not only have I
benefited from this program but this organization has also helped my brother
and sister. Hundreds of struggling women like myself have received free of cost
training and employment through this organizations. It is unfortunate that you
write such horrible stories. I am very grateful for EWN/3 Sisters for bringing
positive changes in my life and others…If you have any questions please contact
me directly.
Hi I am Tara working at EWN/3 Sisters for the last 8 years. I have lived, worked and played with the children from the time the home started. What a big fat lie……It is very sad that you write such article to hurt our reputation. Kind regards.
it is sad isn’t it Tara. you guys do a great job over there, we all know it. miss being there with you all!
Namaste i am working at EWN/ 3 Sisters Adventure for the past 4 years. I have worked as a trekking guide and lived with children. You have written a very biased article and we are very disappointed by your lies. Be honest and have some shame.
You all guys are bit in obligation that you must say some thing nice about your organization. Do any of you have a courage to tell truth about their so many other unfair activities. NGO is only facade to attract donors but if you really peer in side there are so many unfair treatment, unhappy staffs