Last year the Soarway Foundation was a partner in the Wounded Heroes Trek of Hope, a program supported by the United Nations as part of the Year of Tourism For All. We sent American heroes to trek in Nepal– military men and women, first responders, and private citizens — all who had experienced intense physical trauma but all determined to rebuild their lives and show the world what resilience, courage, and determination are all about.

We want to give that experience to others and, in the process inspire Nepalis with their own physical limitations and remind them that they are not alone. We want to help them be active participants in the life and economy of the nation. And we want to continue to expand the accessible tourism sector in Nepal to help grow the economy and build a stronger and more resilient nation.

To that end, we are proud to partner with the International Development Institute and the Independent Living Center for People with Disabilities as they host the International Conference on Accessible Adventure in Pokhara, Nepal on March 29-31, 2018.

Our focus is to engage the government and private sector in a partnership with Nepal’s disability NGOs to use this time of nationwide reconstruction to achieve international standards of accessibility and employment. New handicap-accessible infrastructure, services and marketing will open Nepal’s tourism industry to a rapidly-growing market of senior and physically-challenged travelers transforming the Nepal experience of adventure for the adventurous to a new era of adventure for all!

The ICAA 2018 theme – “Inspiration and Perspiration” – relates to the awareness, planning, commitment and collaboration necessary to make Nepal “The Accessible Adventure Capital of Asia.”   The keynote inspirational speaker will be Corporal Hari Budha Magar, Nepal’s famous Gurkha war-hero injured by an IED in Afghanistan.

Hari will lead his Conquering Dreams team to scale Mt. Everest the first week of April 2018 “to show the world that any disability, any hardship, can be overcome.” Hari will be the first double-amputee above the knees to scale Mt. Everest bringing worldwide media attention to his climb and Nepal’s accessible adventure opportunities.

And, with your help, we’ll not only be a catalyst for not opportunities in Nepal’s tourism sector but we’ll use this event to launch a partnership with the Independent Living Center and the International Development Institute to train physically challenged Nepalis to become guides and workers in Nepal’s growing Accessible Adventure tourism industry.

We need to help give these physically challenges trailblazers a chance to show that Hari isn’t the only one who can make an impact…we all can conquer our challenges and make our dreams come true. Your tax deductible contribution to the Soarway Foundation will help us in our efforts to change the future for those with disabilities in Nepal even as we help to make Nepal more accessible to all who refuse to allow age, or physical challenges, to keep them from experiencing the Adventure of Nepal!

For more on the conference, visit the webpage here: http://icaanepal.com/

Engage Nepal!