Porters' Progress

Until recent years the welfare and well-being of the hardworking Sherpa porters were not given great consideration by trekking companies nor their clients. The organization Porters' Progress has stepped forward for public awareness and to safeguard the porters with clothing donations and to enable them with basic health education. The perception of the Sherpa porters, based more in legend than reality, is that genetically and through their acclimatization they are impervious to the harsh altitude and weather conditions, and that they possess super-human strength to carry their massive loads. Typically they are poor farmers for the lower lands who seek to supplement their income during the heavy tourist seasons. They show up for work with practically no cold weather gear, let alone good shoes. They also have probably spent just a little time in the high elevations acclimatizing as the tourist groups they serve.

Porters' Progress maintains a clothing donation bank, and they welcome the trekking guides to accompany their porters to take the warm clothing they will need for their trek. For those porters who are resting between jobs or who are unable to get hired on, they can go to the branch office, located in Lukla, and spend some time learning about hygiene, health issues, and some basic English and French language. Porters' Progress emphasizes being self-sufficient, so they also host a small cottage industry of handcrafts made by the porters. The Lukla branch offers an attraction for trekking groups passing through. Every afternoon they screen a video tape of a BBC documentary from the year 2000 that exposes the harsh conditions and the lack of consideration or enforcement of protection for the porters. Although conditions have improved over the years since that production, it's an eye-opening presentation for hikers. It gives perspective and compassion for the quiet and humble workers who are so vitals to trekking experience.