Introduction

WELCOME TO THE BORDERLANDS GROUP’S march NEWSLETTER!

The month of March was a very busy month for the Borderlands Group, which comprises of the Borderlands PDP, the Borderlands Resort, Ultimate Descents and Nature-treks.com. While the Borderlands PDP was busy preparing for its two major events that were held in March, Nature-treks.com and Ultimate Descents had a good number of bookings for trekking and rafting. Some of the staffs from the Borderlands also took part in Canyoning Guides Training and Rafting as well which was undertaken to better equip the guides so that we can serve our guests well!

The Team Building Event for the UNICEF team and the Leadership Development Program for the Grade 9 students of the British School was considered a major challenge for the Borderlands team as both the programs were organized simultaneously and on top of that there were 116 participants from UNICEF. However, with our professional facilitators and instructors, proper planning and implementation, the Borderlands team did a great job and both the programs were a success.

On the other hand, we also witnessed two major fun filled festivals in the month of March, Maha Shiva Ratri and Holi- the Festival of Colors were observed throughout the country with a lot of zeal and zest. All in all, March was a very good month for us and we look forward to more of those in the coming days while making sure that we give all our clients and PDP participants the experience of a lifetime!

Constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome from our valued readers, clients, friends and fellow people!

ACTIVITIES DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY / MARCH 2009

1. Employees of the Borderlands Group undertake Canyoning training

Two employees from the Borderlands Group took part in a Canyoning Guide Training which was organized by the Nepal Canyoning Association from February 11-17, 2009. The names of the participants from the Borderlands group are: Bobby Thapa and Jeevan Thapa. The training took place in Haadi Khola as well as Old Jumboo/ Kavre Khola at Sindhupalchowk, Nepal. A total of 9 participants participated in the training, the main objective of which was to further enhance the skills of the canyoning guides.

2. NRCT organizes various programs to celebrate Wetlands Day

Nepal River Conservation Trust (NRCT); founded by the Managing Director of the Borderlands Group, organized a series of programs to celebrate the Wetlands Day which fell on February 2, 2009. The main objectives of organizing the programs were: raising awareness to increase local participation in conserving the rivers, to effectively disseminate information about the river happenings in the area and to create awareness about climate change.

The various programs that were organized are as follows:

a. Interaction cum workshop- Organized on February 24, 2009 for the river bank schools of the Bhote Koshi river basin, this program saw participation from 12 local schools. This program was followed by a quiz contest on February 25, 2009.
b. Community awareness rafting program- This program was organized on February 26, 2009 and saw active participation from the river bank representatives of 13 schools, 15 clubs and the local people.
c. Annual River Festival- The 11th Annual River Festival and community awareness rafting program was organized on February 28, 2009. 90 participants including representatives from NGOs, INGOs, environmentalists, local school kids and journalists took part in the event.

3. The British School’s Leadership Development Program organized

21 students and 3 teachers from The British School took part in the Leadership Development Program organized by the Borderlands PDP from March 9- 13, 2009. The program for the Grade 9 students was a part of their curriculum and included icebreaking games, trust exercises, problem solving games and abseiling in addition to trekking and other educational activities which the children enjoyed immensely. The main objective of the five day program was to improve the student’s skills such as: verbal and non- verbal communication among themselves, trust, unity, coordination and teamwork, patience and motivation and to instill in them a sense of adventure. According to the participants, the program was very beneficial as they could better trust each other in addition to honing their leadership skills.

4. UNICEF’s Team Building/ Staff Retreat program organized

The staff of UNICEF Nepal participated in a Team Building/ Staff Retreat program organized by the Borderlands PDP at the Borderlands Eco Adventure Resort from March 11-13, 2009. There were a total of 116 participants in the fun filled yet educational program. The three day long program focused on different activities that would assist the participants in harnessing various skills such as: communication (verbal and non-verbal), team building, unity, team work, leadership, trust, cooperation and coordination among themselves and their planning skills apart from having loads of fun at the same time. The participants took part in various ice breaking, problem solving and team building games besides hiking, abseiling and rafting. In addition, the UNICEF team also had their own internal session and the cultural program presented by the UNICEF staff was the highlight of the event. The program was considered a success as the participants said that they did learn a lot of things that would better assist them to carry out their day-to-day work.

The Borderlands Group

Ph: +977 1 4700894, 4701067
Fax: +977 1 4701933
Email: pdp@borderlandresorts.com
Website: www.borderlandresorts.com