Shakti Samuha

03/01/2014

The girls fill the air with a vibrant energy as bright as the sun which hasn’t come out to play today. They greet us with chai, laughter and enthusiasm for the day hike we have planned. They are late, but it is hard to be irritated with so much good humour and kind smiles.

The jokes and joyous chatter continue as we make our way to the base of Shivapuri National Park where we are planning to hike. The girls are training to climb Mt Everest base camp. The girls are part of the organisation Shakti Samuha (the name translates as power or strength and group or together – so it means roughly that together we are powerful/strong) that seeks to prevent, rescue, repatriate, rehabilitate and reintegrate trafficked girls from Nepal – some of them are themselves survivors of human trafficking. Recently they received funding for a group of girls to make the trek to base camp.

Two of the girls confide in me that it is their dream to climb Mt Everest. For one young woman (19yrs), it has been her dream since she was six years old. She tells me that at that time, she had learned about Pasang Lhamu Sherpa in school and went home to tell her mother that she was also going to climb Mt Everest. Her mother wasn’t too pleased though and told her that it was too dangerous (the fact that Pasang died while descending from the summit didn’t help to convince her). Despite her mother’s objections, the young woman persisted and while base camp is a start, I believe that one day she will make her dream a reality. Currently, she studies social work, but her adventurous spirit shines through her bright and engaging personality. After talking to her, I am convinced that she will go on to do amazing things with her life; that she will continue to reach new heights and uncover unknown horizons.

For another one of the team members, climbing Mt Everest is a personal challenge. She is afraid of heights so she chose to participate in this quest as a way to face and overcome her fears. She tells me frankly that she doesn’t want to be afraid any more, that doing this climb is both a literal and symbolic way for her to throw away her fear. I find her very courageous. I also understand where she is coming from. I have spent the last 12 years of my life practicing the art of letting go of my fears and jumping into the void of uncertainty. After all this time, I can’t say that I don’t know fear; I am still scared every time I get in my kayak; every time I enter a social situation; every time I am in a new place or I try something new. I still get scared, but I don’t let that fear paralyse me or prevent me from achieving my goals. My companion may not have realized it yet, but I think that she has already succeeded. By choosing to do challenge her fears, in a way, she has already conquered them. 

Before reaching the start of the hike, we get caught in a downpour and have to take shelter in a restaurant. We enjoy an early lunch and play a game while waiting out the rain. The girls who speak good English translate for me and even though, I still miss a lot of the jokes, I am content just to listen to their laughter. I am happy to be surrounded by so much positive energy and good people. During the game, someone asks one of the girls what is the most important thing to her. Her answer: education.

When the skies clear, it is too late to climb Shivapuri so we meander our way through the hillside, slowly making our way back to town. Along the way, the girls tell me about Shakti Samuha and the innovative work they are doing to prevent trafficking through education and intervention in rural communities in Nepal. They sing a song for me about human trafficking that was written by a staff member at Shakti Samuha and interpreted by a local artist to highlight and honour the work the organisation is doing. They are currently looking for funding to record the song and make a videoclip.

 

I go home feeling both inspired and invigorated. They call them survivors, but the girls I met today are doing so much more than just surviving; they are living, creating, growing, reaching, shining, conquering and thriving. Once again, I am blown away by the women here; by their resilience, integrity and good humour. I resolve to continue training with them and who knows, maybe there will be more opportunities to get involved with such a fantastic group of young women and such an ground breaking organisation.