At the end of September 2023, we left again for our beloved Nepal. Normally we go for 12 days and have a full programme. This time we stayed a little longer and in addition to an intensive programme, we spent 4 days trekking through the mountains to enjoy the impressive mountains, beautiful scenery and the always hospitable Nepalese people. With very sore muscles at the end of it, but it was well worth it!

Tough decision on paper mill
During our recent visit, we met up with many current and potential new partners. We also made the tough decision to stop the paper mill operations in its current form given the many challenges and problems we have faced over the past 6 months. That was a very difficult decision to make and the ladies who worked there took it very hard. We are now in the process of looking for other work for them. It will take time to find something suitable for them.

Workshops
One of our favourite parts of visiting Nepal, is the time we get to spend with the ladies who are involved or have been involved in our projects. Laetitia, our communications professional was also with us in Chitwan. This time we organised 2 workshops. The first workshop was about team building. The ladies shared what they are good at, what they are proud of and what their dream 'sapana' is. In the afternoon we played “Oud Hollandes spelletjes” which resulted in hilarious scenes and a lot of laughter. It was good to reconnect with them.

Finance training
Alpa Baldani, our Nepalese management consultant, gave a basic finance training to the ladies to give them more insight into their income, expenses and savings options and encouraged them to think about their own potential. 

Catching up 
It was impressive to see how the Eco Farm is developing and that preparations for making natural soap are in full swing. Our 6 Degrees Village concept is really starting to take shape. Six nature guides from our previous programme still work in the National Park. It was nice to catch up with them again and we will continue to support them in the future.

Food for thought
The Mardi Himal trek gave us the time and space to think carefully about the future of 6 Degrees and how we can make our business model more sustainable. We are full of ideas again and we will continue to develop them in the coming weeks together with our business coach, with partnerships and collaboration being key elements of the revised model.

In Nepal we were also busy preparing for the upcoming Royal Christmas Fair to be held from December 7-23 at the Lange Voorhout. We have again sourced beautiful products made by Nepali women and hope to see you all at the fair!