Grassroots Gender Reform

A critical aspect of my work is also eco-feminism - working with the most vulnerable mountain groups: women and children of the horse communities. Many Himalayan children, as young as eight years old are relocated to Kathmandu for further education.

Gender inequality inexplicably has dire effects on sustainable wildlife management. Grassroots Gender Reform is my sub-project, which works around the perception of archaic gender roles right from the schools; bearing in mind their distinct cultural & ecological sensitivities.

As these communities precariously navigate changing times, I am looking into horse therapy as an easily accessible mental health intervention for mountain children that have migrated to Kathmandu and are severely affected by depression, trauma, or gender abuse.

Indigenous women are a powerful link in the pastoral economy: it is the women who feed and tend to the horses, while men go out to trade upon them.

Documenting and addressing the complex problems of herder communities—including domestic violence, alcoholism, gender inequality, and access to education and economic opportunity—ultimately plays into preserving the larger ecosystem. It is of prime importance to listen to—and work with indigenous communities on sustainable solutions to conservation.

As the winds of change quickly sweep over the alpine grasslands, I am glad to not only have had the opportunity to ride with them, be a part of their lives, but also to attempt to make a lasting difference therein.

My work with the horse communities hopes to bring support and rehabilitation not just for their indigenous ponies, but also hopes to secure the men, women and children that look after the inhospitable highlands of the Himalaya.