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Meet the young leader helping rural Himalayan communities thrive
Mountain Resiliency Project founder Tsechu Dolma is committed to strengthening vulnerable communities like the one in which she was raised
Courtesy of Mountain Resiliency Project
On the morning of April 25, 2015, a powerful earthquake shook Nepal to its foundations. Over 9,000 people were killed and 22,000 injured as modern office buildings collapsed and ancient temples crumbled. While the damage to urban centers was immense, the populations hit the hardest were arguably the many rural mountain communities of Nepal, who typically have the poorest infrastructure and receive the least amount of government support.
“Many of our families are Tibetan refugees who lack legal documentation and have been largely ignored by Nepalese society,” says Tsechu Dolma, founder of Himalayan nonprofit the Mountain Resiliency Project (MRP). “Our regular programs around food security and economic empowerment were disrupted, and we had to shift gears for a year to get our communities from shelters to homes.” The tragedy forced Dolma and her MRP to demonstrate what truly sustainable – and inclusive – rural mountain development can look like, and fast. MRP built 200 new homes working with Tibetan refugee nuns, using entirely locally sourced, earthquake-safe materials, while also providing construction and management trainings to the local population.
The organization’s earthquake response is just one example of the work that Dolma and her team have been engaged in since she created MRP in 2013, while still an undergrad at Columbia University. Born in Nepal to Tibetan refugee parents and having spent the first decade of her life living in refugee camps, she intimately understands the challenges faced by the populations she now serves. When she was 10 years old, her family fled the Nepalese civil war and sought political asylum in the US, and she went on to become the first in her family to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees. While studying ethnography, she realized she had an opportunity to make a tremendous difference in communities like those she was raised in.
“My entrepreneurial spirit brought me back to the country I left behind,” she explains. “Through my ethnographic studies, I found that the immediate adverse impacts of climate change have exacerbated hunger, poverty, marginalization and development gaps in the trans-Himalayan region.” Dolma’s hard work – which has earned her numerous awards, fellowships and accolades, including a spot on Forbes’ 2017 30 Under 30 social entrepreneurs list – has already impacted thousands of lives.
Poverty in rural mountain regions
24%
of the Earth’s surface is covered by mountain regions
1 in 8
people worldwide (~980m individuals, or about 13% of the population) live in mountain regions. They’re among the poorest and most affected by hunger on the planet.
90%
of the global mountain population live in developing countries
6.6m
rural poor people live in Nepal, according to the most recent data
$1.55
USD, on average, is what rural citizens of Nepal live on each day, and some mountain populations are much poorer
MRP’s impact
MRP’s triple bottom line approach focuses on food, energy and talent security with a particular focus on cultivating social and economic resilience in the face of climate change. “The mountain poor and vulnerable depend the most on natural resources, and impacts of changing environmental conditions continue to exacerbate the vicious poverty cycle,” says Dolma.
25
bee colonies created, making beekeeping and honey a new source of income for local farmers
80%
of female entrepreneurs’ earned income goes to their children’s continued education. The remaining is reinvested in their respective trade
5 years
is how long MRP has been leading ecotourist trekking experiences in Nepal – the revenue funds sustainable agriculture
200%
average annual income increase is seen for the female entrepreneurs MRP partners with
15,000
mountain farmers in Nepal have experienced improved food security, women's economic empowerment and social development through MRP
95%
of MRP's female entrepreneurs have expressed significant increase in psychological empowerment including self-worthiness to lead
Sources: United Nations University; UN Food and Agricultural Organization; Population Reference Bureau; Government of Nepal; UN Committee for Development Policy; Tsechu Dolma/MRP
The Mountain Resiliency Project in action
A wide range of projects led by Dolma, MRP and partner organizations bring together young and old, men and women alike to create more resilient, healthy and ecologically sustainable Himalayan mountain communities. Click through to explore some of MRP’s initiatives.
On the ground with MRP
How can we help strengthen Himalayan mountain communities?
1 Make a donation
The easiest way to support Mountain Resiliency Project is also one of the most effective, namely, providing the main source of funds the organization relies on. You can donate here.
2 Visit Nepal
Support Mountain Resiliency Project by going on an impact-driven trek with them in the mountains of Nepal, experiencing their work in local communities firsthand. Learn more here.
3 Become a volunteer
The Mountain Resiliency Project is always looking for more help. Students can host a talk in their school, start a fundraising campaign or even become summer interns at an MRP community in Nepal. Submit an inquiry here.
4 Sponsor a young girl’s education
Nepal has one of the highest child marriages in the world, and the literacy rate for women over 15 years of age is only 49%. Sponsoring a girl’s education can alter the trajectory of entire generations. Look online for a supportive organization that appeals to you.
5 Support your local women’s organizations and community farms
As Dolma is the first to point out, Himalayan communities aren’t the only ones in need of help. Supporting your own local women’s organizations and community farms can help dramatically improve lives closer to home.
Image credits: Courtesy of Mountain Resiliency Project (all photographs); /Getty (background of map)
Topics: Personal Investments