Get involved

Development of the micro-enterprise of our local women

Himalayan Ecotourism has been developing a microenterprise model for women in our villages to encourage their entrepreneurial spirit through a sustainable business opportunity in order to provide an alternative source of income to local, underprivileged women. A team of women from Pekhri and around Gushaini have been selected and trained to make products like natural cosmetics, handicrafts, traditional food products, etc. We have tried to create an environment and working conditions that will give them the flexibility to work from home, according to their convenience and from our workshop very close to the village to encourage more participation from women.

There has been a gap in the production process because of the pandemic but we are ready to scale up the process now. The production now needs to be systemized, right from procurement of the required material, to packaging, quality control and eventual marketing and retail.

Sales to the local tourist would continue, and we would like to start online sales so that we can sell throughout the year.

Work of the interns/volunteers :

• Volunteers and interns can help in revising the production process with the women after understanding the process well.
• They can help in improving the branding / packaging to offer eco-friendly yet efficient packaging of our products.
• Training the women in a systematic way of production and quality control.
• Establishing outlets at the local resort, guesthouses or homestays and other avenues to promote our products.
• Helping set up an online store for our products and look into collaborations with other online platforms and brands.

For tourism or MBA students

Himalayan Ecotourism welcomes motivated students in the field of tourism or MBA students who want to gain an experience with a social enterprise. During their internship they will get to know about the unique cooperative-based model developed by Himalayan Ecotourism.

Besides working for the day-to-day management of the business, they will have to take interest in the other projects implemented by the organization and to lend a helping hand when required. We have had students from some very prestigious colleges across India like TISS, IIM Indore, Delhi University, etc. join us on our projects

The work usually consists in :

• Market researches and product development.
• Social media marketing, website optimization, other promotions of the organization.
• Working with the cooperative members to enhance their management skills.
• Quality control of the trekking and camping equipment.
• Marketing of the local products made by women.
• Meeting clients, organizing leisure activities.
• Video editing, blogging and photography are desired skills.
• To contribute to at least one of the projects of Himalayan Outreach along with the above-mentioned roles.

Our Reforestation Project and Prevention of Forest Fires Campaign

Setting intentional fires to the beautiful forests that are a bounty of resources, is an age-old system for reaping short term economic benefit. In the long run, this technique is severely problematic for the environment and people alike. Since 2016 Himalayan Ecotourism has organized campaigns to raise awareness among the locals to stop these intentional and widespread forest fires. We will be actively working on this until this practice is completely dropped. Posters and informative road signs are put up, discussions are organized in the villages, and the children are approached and educated about the issue in their schools.

Since 2019, Himalayan Ecotourism has also started a tree plantation program in the ecozone of the Great Himalayan National Park. Following the COVID-19 breakout, we decided to scale up our program in order to provide an alternate source of income to our cooperative members, and to continue working for conservation despite the financial stress caused by the pandemic. We have tried to involve women in the project as much as possible to encourage their participation in conservation activities and nurturing the regenerated ecosystems.

The initial stage of the program is being implemented around the village Pekhri where we have our nursery to produce the saplings, and where many villagers are members of our cooperative. You may have to stay in Pekhri village if you work on this project.
This program is closely linked to the carbon-offsetting service we provide to our clients to sequestrate their carbon emissions in exchange for reforestation in the Tirthan Valley.

The program also involves social activities with the village women and children.

Contributing to the improvement of the administration of the Cooperative society

The GHNP Community-based Ecotourism Cooperative Society was a movement started with the local community members in the Tirthan Valley in 2014 to help elevate the economic standards of the members through environmentally conscious tourism alternatives.

Over the years, the cooperative has grown into a successful grassroot organization but there’s still a lot of work left to do. Keeping the cooperative members motivated, working with them, and revising our model is a continuous process to ensure the success of the movement.

Work of the interns/volunteers :

• Assess the opinion of the cooperative members about their society and work around their concerns and requirements.
• Help the board members to be more systematic and to organize regular meetings with adequate reporting.
• Help in publishing the Himalayan Ecotourism newsletters.
• Volunteers and interns with a background or previous experience in managing finances, administrative roles and managerial positions are encouraged to apply.