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APPEAL

 Request for the Sponsorship for the FIWSE 2008 spring

For nearly a century, Mt. Everest (Sagarmatha) has figured centrally in the world’s collective imagination for adventure. It began with the first mountaineering attempt by a British team in 1921. Dreams became reality when Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first recorded summit in 1953.

The second half of the twentieth century saw a significant number of milestone expeditions, in which men were the dominant players. Things began to change when Japan’s Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit in 1975. Since then, many women have made the ascent. Despite this and the fact that seven Nepali women, mainly from the Sherpa community, have accomplished the same feat, major participation has yet to become a reality for the country’s native Nepalese women. Nepali women who dream of climbing Everest face not only the extreme physical struggle of the attempt, but are further challenged by gender and caste discrimination – it is believed that women by and large should not be on the mountain. We believe that the mountain should belong to all Nepalis regardless of caste or gender and this is why it our pleasure to introduce the First Inclusive Women Sagarmatha (Everest) Expedition, FIWSE 2008.

In the spring of 2008, 10 women, representing the full spectrum of Nepal’s castes and ethnicities, will attempt the summit of Mt. Everest. We aspire to be the largest female expedition to date, as FIWSE seeks to employ women during all stages of the expedition from coordination, to cooks, to mule drivers, to support staff. These women, supported and encouraged by Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who has the Speed World Record for Mt. Everest, have undertaken this tremendous task to promote women’s empowerment and open-up mountaineering to all Nepalis no matter what background or gender.

In order to make this a reality however, we need your support. Our expedition represents an opportunity for your business to help confront the issues of gender and caste discrimination while gaining worldwide brand exposure. Depending on your level of sponsorship, your name will be widely visible; your logo will be prevalent before, during, and after the expedition, and our team members will be your brand ambassadors throughout. Our current sponsors include United Nations World Food Programme, Kathmandu District Development Committee, Everest Hardware, K.L. Dugar Group, and Everest De Cargo (Licensee of Federal Express Corporation). Despite their generous support we are still short of our goal of $203,000 which needs to be met by March 1st, 2008, therefore any support you provide will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,


Susmita Maskey
Expedition-Coordinator FIWSE spring 2008

PROJECT CURRENT STATUS AND FUNDING REQUEST

FIWSE was envisioned by Mr. Pemba Dorje Sherpa, Mr. Da Gombu Sherpa, Ms. Susmita Maskey, and Ms. Pasang Lhamu Sherpa in July 2007. The climbing members were selected and have completed the Basic Mountaineering Course administered by the Nepal Mountaineering Association. The official press meet was held in presence of chief guest Mr. Dinesh Hari Adhikari (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation (MOCTCA)), Mr. Ang Kaji Sherpa (Treasurer, Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA)), Mr. Padam Ghale (Vice President, Nepal Mountaineering Instructors’ Association (NMIA)), Media Representatives and the FIWSE team on August 26, 2007 in Nepal Tourism Board.

The FIWSE website (www.fiwse2008spring.com) has been launched and is being managed by Longtail e-media. Design and promotional materials have been handled by Longtail e-media Pvt. Ltd.

The estimated total cost of the expedition amounts to US $203,000. The Ministry of Tourism has agreed to waive the royalty that is usually charged for expeditions to Sagarmatha under the condition of the expedition’s financial security. FIWSE is supported by the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP), the District Development Committees of Nepal, K.L. Dugar Group, and Everest De Cargo. So far we have raised about 25% of the budget in cash and in kind sponsorship.

For a more detailed explanation of the expedition costs, please see the budget below. Monetary support can be sent to:

Bank Account No.: 0108010005267at
Swift Code: GLBBNPKA
Global Bank Ltd. Kantipath Branch.