Starting in the mid-nineties, I had the opportunity to travel to Nepal as well as live and work in the country briefly. I also traveled and trekked a great deal during that period. Doing so, I learned a great deal about my country and people. As amazing as some of those experiences were, especially the treks, discoveries I made about some of our systems left me wondering if Nepalis are second class citizens in their own country.
Starting in the mid-nineties, I had the opportunity to travel to Nepal as well as live and work in the country briefly. I also traveled and trekked a great deal during that period. Doing so, I learned a great deal about my country and people. As amazing as some of those experiences were, especially the treks, some of the discoveries I made and some of the experiences I had left a bad taste in my mouth, leaving me to wonder if Nepalis are second class citizens in their own country.
Earlier this month, the evening of April 5 to be precise, I gave a presentation at Wisdom Wednesdays series of talks at Paddy Foley's organized by NGN. The series, and therefore the talk, is about ETHICAL voluntourism. I volunteered to give the presentation as a contribution towards the organizer's efforts to #StopOrphanTrips to Nepal.
The first experience Mustang had with development aid was in the nineties, some of which I saw first hand. And they failed miserably! Part of the reason was the condescension with which Kathmandu has always treated Mustang.