Trailblazing female tour guide
Meet Tansuwa, a young trekking guide who’s supporting her family and showing the important role women can play in tourism.
As tours of Nepal’s breathtaking landscapes grow in popularity, Tansuwa is proving that girls and young women have an important role to play in Nepal’s tourism industry.
She says, “I believe that this profession holds immense potential.”
Every day, this 24-year-old trekking guide leads tourists through breathtaking locations, unveiling the hidden gems of Nepal’s natural beauty.
“I have come to enjoy the work of trekking as a means of earning income by guiding tourists through the beautiful terrains of Nepal,” tells Tansuwa.
She firmly believes in the boundless potential of her profession in one of Nepal’s well-known cities and tourist hubs.
“Through consistent effort and dedication, I strive to become a competent and successful female trekking guide in Nepal.”
Tansuwa
Though trekking occasionally encounters off-season lulls with limited work opportunities, Tansuwa remains patient and steadfast in her optimism. Her unwavering belief in the cyclic nature of the tourist season keeps her spirits high, knowing that an abundance of work is just around the corner.
Supporting her family
For Tansuwa, being a tour guide is also about being able to provide for her family. She tells us, “Since a young age, I’ve nurtured the desire to contribute to my family’s well-being and bring them joy through meaningful endeavours.”
The income she earns as a trekking guide goes beyond covering her personal expenses. It also serves as a means of support for her family, a lifeline of prosperity stemming from her passion for trekking.
Training for tourism
To acquire the skills needed to work in tourism, Tansuwa enrolled in a vocational and essential skills training programme with Right4Children and Plan International Nepal.
This programme equipped her with the skills she needed to work in tourism.
She shares, “After completing the training, I secured a job as a trekking guide for tourists. The essential trekking items required for my work were also provided with support from the project. Through these assistances, guiding tourists on treks became a smooth and enjoyable process.”
Tansuwa, who’s already mastering the art of guiding tourists, adds, “Through consistent effort and dedication, I strive to become a competent and successful female trekking guide in Nepal.”
Tansuwa’s journey shows the transformational power of education and training and that dreams, when fuelled by the right support and opportunities, can be transformed into a remarkable reality.
The realisation of Tansuwa’s dream has enriched not only her life and her family’s, but also the lives of all of those fortunate enough to journey with her through Nepal’s majestic landscapes.
“I believe that this profession holds immense potential.”
Tansuwa
About the project
Right4Children is implementing the Promoting Young Women in Employment in Pokhara project with funding and technical support from Plan International. The project aims to equip young women with marketable skills and help them to make the most of emerging job opportunities.
Right4Children is implementing the project in close coordination and collaboration with private-sector training providers. The project aims to train 800 young women like Tansuwa in marketable job skills, life skills, basic computer skills, and basic English language so they can find decent paid employment.
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