Travel, tourism for a good cause

Helping to prevent sex trafficking in Nepal is the focus of two upcoming presentations in Coeur d’Alene on Friday at the Kroc Center and Saturday at Lake City Church. But the presenters are not going to just talk about what is being done to fight this global problem in one of the most remote corners of the globe. They are going to tell you how you yourself can travel to the county, high in the Himalayan mountains, and be that change.

Mike and Mary Szymanski, local nurse practitioners from Dalton Gardens, have been serving in the Jumla District in Nepal, in the remote northwest village of Muri, since the 1980s. They have lived and worked there to help treat ear disease needing surgery, to improve access to health care and to holistically develop the village in ways to reduce and eliminate infectious diseases. They have coordinated with Lake City Church and a team of about 100 North Idaho locals, who regularly donate time and money to support ‘Project Muri.’

Mick and Mary Haegeland have also been working in Nepal for more than 30 years. Founders of Five14 Nepal Adventures, they have a mission of reducing sex trafficking and generational poverty by supporting the economy through ethical tourism and travel into Nepal.

Five14 Nepal operates a bed and breakfast in Kathmandu and they create custom vacation packages and adventures that include everything from mountain trekking to homestays with local families. By increasing tourism dollars and supporting local small businesses, families have an alternative to selling their daughters into the slave trade. It is believed that up to 10,000 Nepalis are trafficked into neighboring India on one of the busiest trafficking routes in the world.

Anyone interested in learning more about travel to Nepal and Project Muri is invited to the free, two-hour presentations that begin at 6 p.m. on both days. Find out more at www.five14nepal.com or on Facebook, Project Muri Nepal.