The Darker Side of Three Sisters Trekking in Pokhara, Nepal

While it is true that Three Sisters Trekking in Pokhara, Nepal helps underprivileged girls from the mountains of Nepal by training them as trekking guides and providing them with a way to earn a living and better their lives, there is a darker side to this company. Through their NGO, Empowering Women of Nepal, the Chhetri sisters collect donations from around the world, ostensibly for supporting these young girls, but when I met Jean-Luc Perrotin and his wife, Sabine, they had a different story to tell about their experience with the company. At first committed to the cause, they donated large sums of money to the agency. Gradually, they became aware that not all was as it seemed. The children were living in difficult conditions, without even socks and jackets in the dead of winter. Yet, when the Perrotins purchased jackets, they later learned from the girls that the jackets had been confiscated by the sisters. They also realized that only a small portion of the donated funds were allocated for the girls. Where does the rest go? Perhaps to build their hotel, or their trekking company office, or their huge new personal residence, which is the largest home in all of Pokhara. Please listen to this interview with Jean-Luc before you donate to this NGO or use their services. To read about my perpetual round-the-world travels, visit my blog, http://holeinthedonut.com.

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