A group of 14 members of the Network of Mountain Women of the World from Nepal, Chile, Bolivia, Italy and Argentina, today began their ascent to Mount Aconcagua for the first time, reported the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Mendoza, which offered its expedition support.
This grouping aims to promote an international network of mountain women, build collaborative leadership, strengthen economic justice, tell a collective mountaineering story that brings to the fore the knowledge and collaborative experience of mountain women, they said.
Minister Nora Vicario received the group and commented: “Aconcagua is an emblem of Mendoza and an attraction for mountaineers and nature lovers globally. It is very valuable to receive the first expedition of the Network of Mountain Women of the World, whose presence here further strengthens the importance of protecting and promoting our mountains as part of environmental, social, cultural, historical, heritage and tourism networks.”
“We support their collective work and celebrate the knowledge and experience that these women leaders bring to promote these values. We wish them success and that they enjoy the challenges of the highest peak in the Americas,” Vicario concluded.
Participating in the expedition is Muna Gurung, from Nepal; Stephanie Carmody Lobo and María Fajardo, from Chile; Patricia Breuer Moreno, María Belén Escudero, Sofía Lana, Karen Fabiola Martínez, Julieta Alejandra Balza, and María Soledad Figueroa, from Argentina; Alessandra Segantin and Cecilia Mariani, from Italy; and Sonia Altamirano Dorado, Julia Quispe Tincuta, and Cecilia Llusco Alaña, from Bolivia.
The expedition to Aconcagua will have a documentary, whose script and audiovisual filming will be in charge of the group of 14 women.
Mountain Women of the World is a collaborative network founded in 2020 by the non-profit organizations Empowering Women of Nepal, the Feminist Hiking Collective; the Kilimanjaro Women groups; the Cholitas Escaladoras, from Bolivia, and the enterprises Mujeres a la Cumbre, Women Who Hike-Africa, and Topchu Art Group from Kirgyszstan.
It is a social project through which it is proposed to value the knowledge and collaborative experiences that mountain women promote to protect the mountains, nature and their communities.