Mountain Spirit and Snow Leopard Conservancy (SLC) made a collaborative agreement to strengthen the capacity of the Snow Leopard Conservation Saving and Credit Groups in the four villages of Sagarmatha National Park. Over past year, MS assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the groups, and carried out a series of interventions to build confidence of the group and increase their visibility and recognition
by local authorities and encourage intra and intergroup cooperation.

Steps taken included, informing the existence and importance of the groups to the local authorities such as national park, buffer zone, the local Gaun Palika. Organizing joint meetings of the groups and supporting the groups to hold Annual General Meetings and conduct internal audits. The Thame Valley groups performed a Sherpa dance during the Great Vajraguru festival at Thame Monastery on July 2018. The song was written by Dr. Lhakpa Sherpa in support of snow leopard conservation. The song and dance is capture in a music video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDEDoKjc4Xw) which is expected to have a pan-Himalayan appeal and help transform people’s attitudes towards snow leopards. SLC contributed Rs.3,00,000 for this activity and MS matched an equal amount in kind through members voluntary time contribution.

Training of local resource person from four Snow Leopard Saving and Credits Groups

Mountain Spirit team in partnership with Snow Leopard Conservancy, USA was able to successfully organize a 5 days long training of Local Resource Persons for Four Snow Leopard Savings and Credit Management Groups of Khumbu region namely Phortse, Thamo, Thame and Thameteng. The training was given to eight trainees by Narayan Prasad Regmi (former auditor of those groups) followed by Mrs. Shanti Thapa Magar and Mr. Nandalal Majhi from World Education. The main objective behind the training was to make the groups capable enough to maintain their financial records themselves in other words build a self sustaining environment among the groups, so that the funds available could be effectively mobilized in productive sectors.