Thami bags “Leadership Award for Community Resilience”

Kathmandu – Chhali Maya Thami, a resident of Sorung Khola in Dolakha, has received the “Leadership Award for Community Resilience.” 

The award sponsored by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Himalayan Consensus Initiative is offered to a collective project that reaffirms a community’s ethnic identity—in this case the 30,000-member minority Thami community in the Dolakha home district of Nepal – which is economically disenfranchised, and successfully tests and promotes a new approach to environmental resilience. 

The award was co-presented by Renaud Meyer, Country Director of UNDP Nepal and Laurence Brahm, Founder of the Himalayan Consensus Initiative during the opening day of the 2018 Himalayan Consensus Summit on March 23. 

The award highlights the efforts of a community to establish and manage an integrated approach to production and distribution of “cardamom,” a plant that has a deep and widespread root system that maintains moisture and saves the soil. 
Upon receiving the award, Thami said "This has demonstrated that there are many women in Nepal who can take the leadership roles for the greater good of their community despite the odds." 

The award was decided by an independent jury comprising of experts from UNDP and Himalayan Consensus, it is said.---