News Release
14 February 2008
FORMER
WFP SCHOOL FEEDING BENEFICIARY IN WOMEN’S TEAM TO CLIMB EVEREST
KATHMANDU – A former beneficiary of the United Nations World Food Program’s
school feeding program is to join the largest team of all-Nepali women to climb
Mt Everest this spring.
Nimdoma Sherpa, who as a child received
food under WFP school feeding, will join an expedition of ten Nepali women from
multiple castes and ethnicities of Nepal, who will attempt the summit in April.
“This is
an amazing opportunity to feature the power that school feeding and education
play in a young person’s life. It’s an
example of children who have grown into healthy adults ready to take on one the
greatest challenges on earth, to climb Mount Everest,” said WFP Nepal Country
Representative Richard Ragan.
“We hope
the efforts of this unique expedition will inspire women across Nepal to reach
for their dreams – dreams to become doctors, teachers or even mountaineers,”
Ragan said.
Since
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
Sherpa successfully reached the summit of Mt. Everest
in 1953, so far only seven Nepali women have completed the climb.
The
members of the expedition hope that their efforts will not only open up
mountaineering as both a sport and a career for women in Nepal, but will also
encourage women, no matter what community they are from, to work together to
pursue their goals.
The team
is also very concerned about the effects of global climate change on Nepalese
people and their livelihoods and its impacts on one of Nepal’s greatest
resources – the Himalayas. They hope to play a significant role in promoting
education, empowering women and educating people about the effects of climate
change in Nepal after completing the expedition.
“It is
amazing to think about how far I have come.
WFP was there to motivate me to begin my schooling and is now supporting
me and this amazing group of women from across Nepal to achieve our dream of
reaching the top of the world,” said Nimdoma Sherpa. “This is an incredible opportunity and we all look
forward to promoting WFP’s ongoing school feeding
efforts in Nepal after we complete our expedition.”
WFP is
providing organizational support as well as some funds to the team. UNDP is also providing financial support. The
expedition, however, is still in need of additional funds in order to begin the
expedition.
Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who
holds the Mt. Everest Speed Ascent World Record of 8 hours 10 minutes and is
also a former WFP beneficiary, will be the climbing leader for the women’s
expedition. Da
Gombu Sherpa, who has been
in the mountaineering profession for over 30 years, will serve as general
leader.
“Two of
the women, Sushmita Maskey
and Usha Bista, have
already attempted Mt. Everest, with Sushmita falling only
48 meters short of her goal. With the
support we have received from WFP and UNDP we are very confident that the
expedition will be a success, but we still need to raise additional funds to
ensure all ten women can take part in this historic expedition,” said Da Gombu Sherpa,
the team leader.
For more information on the expedition,
see www.fiwsee2008spring.com.
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For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Paul Risley, WFP/Asia
Spokesperson, Cell. +66 (081) 1 701 9208
Heather Sutliff , WFP/Nepal, Tel. +1 977 5542607, Cell +977 9851105247