SOLUTION
To empower the porters, we must think boldly. We are working actively with our partners to more precisely understand the problems impacting these people and where we can make the biggest difference. We have one initiative underway and two more in the planning stages.
Initiative #1 - Upskilling (Current Focus)
To help the porters achieve a better quality of life, we can enable them to be upskilled. Specifically, their salary can quadruple with certain classes.
As discussed on the Problem page, a normal porter makes $10 per day which doesn't afford them many basic comforts. However, a porter who undergoes English education will be paid $20 per day. These classes cost $200. Furthermore, a porter who gets first responder training will be paid $40 per day. These classes cost $500.
So in total, for a porter to increase their salary to $40 per day, they have to pay $700. Now that's A LOT of money.
Initiative #2 - Safe Gear (TBD)
The details of this initiative are still being planned. The idea is that all the gear that the porters are using is either donated to them by climbers who have worn through them or purchased by them at a second-hand market. Climbing is dangerous and using old gear is unsafe.
Initiative #3 - Education for Kids (TBD)
The details of this initiative are still being planned. The idea is that the public schools are not great in the area surrounding the mountain. However, the porters do not have enough disposable income to pay for private school for their kids. We want to invest in programs to help their children get educated.