A record number of Nepalese women are climbing Mount Everest this spring season, officials have told the BBC.
Fifteen Nepalese women are planning to climb from the Nepali side, with just five male Nepali climbers so far.
The last time a large number of Nepalese women climbed Everest was in 2008, when all 10 reached the summit.
Many of this year’s female climbers want to use the opportunity to bring attention to gender and environmental issues.
“The female climbers in our team have two different messages – to stop female trafficking, and to remind the world that the Buddha was born in Nepal,” Sharmila Lama told the BBC from the Everest base camp.
Trafficking has become a serious issue in Nepal. Rural girls are lured by traffickers, who promise them employment in other countries. Instead, they are sold abroad into the sex trade.
Some of the areas hit by the 2015 earthquake are particularly rife with trafficking, reports suggest.
“We are also trying to amplify that Nepal is the birthplace of Buddha,” says Ms Lama.
“Time and again, some people seem to misinform the world by saying that he was born in India.” She says the team a facing a huge challenge.
“It is difficult for us to work in this altitude because we are not from here [the Himalayan region].
“I have a headache now but it has been just few days and I’m sure we will acclimatise soon and be able to start climbing.”
Ms Lama is a trekking guide herself and the rest of her team is made up of a mixture of professional mountaineers and amateurs.
One of these is photojournalist Purnima Shrestha. She has already exhibited her photographs of “smiling Nepali women” at Everest base camp and plans to do the same on the mountain’s summit.
Last year she photographed a marathon in the region, sparking her interest in the subject.
“When I went back to Kathmandu and said I would climb Mount Everest next season, people started making fun of me,” she says.
“They said if all those who reached the base camp started climbing the highest peak then we all would become Everest climbers.”
But the comments didn’t deter Ms Shrestha from chasing her dream.
Source: bbc.com
