Help equip expedition porters in Nepal
17 Sep 2009
Cicerone have received the following information, and feel that anyone intending to visit Nepal might be interested in this project, and consider making a donation.
It gives me great pleasure to inform you that Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP) has started its new program “KEEP Porters’ Clothing Bank” from the 1st September 2009 with the financial support of International Porter Protection Group (IPPG) and other international organizations concerned with porters’ welfare and safety.
Porters play a vital role in the tourism industry in Nepal, enabling tourists to visit Nepal’s most picturesque areas while also providing their families with much needed income. But unfortunately, many porters are not provided with proper equipment by their trekking company and their clients, which often lead to preventable injuries or even death. Every year, porters die from altitude sickness or cold related illness while others are harmed by frostbite and snow blindness. These injuries, sometimes with long term consequences, could be avoided with the proper gear and care. Hence, it is KEEP’s pleasure to announce a new program, the KEEP Porters’ Clothing Bank that will help ease the burden for porters by providing the necessary clothing and equipment for a nominal deposit (refundable) amount.
As being a non profit NGO, the KEEP PCB seeks your support for providing such facilities to the porters. At present, KEEP PCB has hundred new sets of clothes and some old clothes donated by the Mountain Fund and Peregrine Adventure. We need more clothes for running the program. The clothes donated by trekkers usually do not fit Nepali Porters who tend to be much smaller than Westerners. Hence, we encourage supporters for supporting the project through cash donation rather than donating used clothes. Your support will be precious for the long-lasting and swift operation of our program.
Hence, we would like to request you and your organisation for supporting KEEP Porters’ Clothing Bank. The KEEP PCB is located at Jyatha, Thamel.
Donations in the UK and EUROPE
Here is how you can make a donation to IPPG in the UK:
1) Send a cheque (in pounds) in the name of ‘IPPG’ to:
IPPG c/ Bob Cassidy
37 Redfern Road
Walton,
Stone
Staffs
ST15 0LF, UK
2) Through internet banking/direct deposit/electronic transfer:
Bank: Lloyds TSB
Address: Birmingham branch
Sort code: 30-00-06
Account number: 01963917
Name: International Porter Protection Group
IBAN: GB25 LOYD 3000 0601 9639 17
BIC / SWIFT: LOYDGB21044
