With financial assistance from 'BergFrau', a Swiss-based travel company, Trip Himalaya has distributed food relief to the tourism workers of Naukunda village municipality wards 1 and 6 of Rasuwa district. The company has distributed 128 bags of rice, 640 kg of pulses, 128 kg of oil, salt, and Dettol soaps. Besides, cash assistance was provided to 13 households.
Thagendra Gurung, the Managing Director of Trip Himalaya Nepal said some food items were distributed as relief packages to the tourism workers affected by the pandemic. "Due to the pandemic outbreak since a year ago, our tourism business has come to a standstill,'" he says, "As a result, our tourism workers have become jobless, so we are distributing relief packages with support from our travel partner in Switzerland."
On receiving food relief, Pasang Temba Tamang a long-time cook from the company was grateful and expressed gratitude towards the company for the support.
Another assistant guide, Khamsung Lama Sherpa, said the relief was a great boon to those who lost their jobs during the pandemic including him. He had almost lost hope of staying without work for long in his home village. The tourism sector was affected for a long time since the coronavirus outbreak. He was pretty much happy to receive food packages. There was hope in his face, and he is optimistic about the pandemic to be calm down soon and keen to go back to tourism work.
The mountain region dominated by Tamang majority heavily relies on agriculture, animal husbandry, and foreign employment. For years, most of the local people of Sarsyu area have been working in the tourism sector as assistant guides, porters, and cooks. Earlier in Oct 2020, the company has distributed food relief to twenty-six corona-affected families. They provide 5200 kg Rice, 1040 Kg Dal (Lentil), 208-liter cooking oil, 208 kg Salt, and Soap and Masks to each holds.
Similarly in Nov 2020, with financial support from Berg Frau, they have distributed 2400 kg of Rice, 300 kg Dal (Lentil), 96 liters of cooking oil, and 96 kg of salt to the people of the remote district of Dolpo. In the same month of November, they had distributed fifteen baby goats to seven different families at Nau Kunda rural municipality, Rasuwa District, Nepal to support their livelihood during the pandemic.
