Nepal In The News

Placed between the global powerhouses of China and India, and boasting more than 40 different ethnic minorities speaking 126 languages Nepal, though small in size, Nepal is an incredibly diverse country rich in culture and a salient political atmosphere. Follow these links to explore more of Nepal's transition from a Hindu monarchy to a secular republic, and learn more about the different cultural traditions I am experiencing during my time here. Please feel free to comment or email me with any interesting articles you find about Nepal!

For a discussion on the complications of fair representation of ethnic minorities and castes in Nepal click here

In a country where women have significantly less economic and personal freedom, than men, this strong adventurous woman is making strides to empower women through sports. 29 year old Mira Rai grew up in a remote Nepali village, but through her chosen sport of trail running is reaching global celebrity. This year she was named National Geographic's adventurer of the year. Click here and here to read more about this inspiring woman.

Check out what the process of counting votes has been like for Nepal's first local level election in 20 years here

A challenging part of my service has been watching the stigma around women's menstrual cycles. When I was eating with my family, I was unable to go into the kitchen at all during my period. In Panauti where we had three months of pre-service training, I witnessed my little sister's first period. She was relegated to a dark room downstairs where she wasn't allowed to see any men and had to follow strict rules about eating and washing. And these are some of the more liberal families in Nepal, more rural villages with more traditional families have to follow stricter rules. Read about some of these women's experiences here and here

Another take on threats to endangered species in Nepal. As rates of poaching decline, rates of infectious passed from domesticated animals outside national parks have increased, leading to widespread deaths of endangered animals such as the one horned rhino which I saw in bardia national park. To read more about this phenomena click here