Saathi (India)

Saathi addresses menstruators’ health and combats the plastic pollution crisis through the production of 100% biodegradable and compostable sanitary pads made from banana and bamboo fiber. Utilizing innovative technology, they transform banana and bamboo agriwaste into sanitary pads that contribute positively to the well-being of individuals, communities, and the environment. The high-impact supply chain incorporates various social and environmental benefits at each stage.

The company directly sources raw materials from farmers, providing them with additional income that would otherwise go to waste. The raw materials are processed in an all-women-run manufacturing unit, where women from underserved communities are employed, trained in essential skills, and educated about menstrual hygiene. These empowered women then return to their communities as advocates for menstrual health education, offering accessibility to affordable, sustainable, and healthy menstrual hygiene products. These products are made available to urban customers, whose purchases play a vital role in subsidizing rural distribution, ensuring widespread access to sustainable menstrual products.

Saathi also actively addresses the issue of plastic pollution through a comprehensive program highlighted in their World Economic Forum article. This initiative, which transcends industries, fills the gaps left by current plastic credits in the market by addressing the root causes of the plastic pollution problem.

Rupani Foundation (Pakistan)

Rupani Foundation Pakistan is implementing innovative, community-driven development solutions to respond to development challenges for over 16 years, reaching out to vulnerable populations in Pakistan, irrespective of their race, religion, ethnicity, or gender. The goal of the Foundation is to consolidate the needed human, financial and technical resources to help the poorest and most marginalized in target geographies, especially women and girls, such that they achieve a level of self-reliance and positive change in their wellbeing.

Rupani Foundation is currently running over 300 ECD Centers, wehere over 5000 childern are enrolled. Also 6,730 beneficiaries including mothers, grandmothers, fathers and other caregivers of the children attending sessions in these centres. It also runs 400 STEM education schools where more than 40,000 students (50% girls and 50% boys) are enrolled for quality learning with 200 Tech Fellow Teachers of whom 100 women and 100 men. This makes a total of 50,000 beneficiaries including children, women and men care givers (parents/grandparents/ other caregivers). Rupani Foundation has also provided employable skills to 22,000 youth and adolescents, 4000 teachers and ECD educators benefited from this initiative. The entire focus of this programme is in mountain communities of Gilgit Baltistan, Sindh and Punjab in Pakistan.

Lhomon society’s Lhomon Education (Bhutan)

Lhomon Society’s Lhomon Education is an alternative school education which innovates experienced based teaching-learning rooted in themes: earth, air, water, fire, wood and space. It works to recognise and promote education which addresses earth stewardship because education is the key to sustainable mountain development in HKH and beyond.

Children from six remote, poor and region vulnerable to climate induced disasters like frequent flash floods, wind storm, drought, crop loss and food insecure districts of Bhutan avail Lhomon Education. They are equipped with knowledge and skills about nature-based solutions to everyday living and change in attitude towards being compassionate and earth stewards at the grassroots level. The children are assessed through their actual learning and there are no formal examination of passing or failing learners. This education model is replicated in India, Singapore and the US.

UKALI (Nepal)

UKALI focuses on sustainable biodiversity conservation, management and utilization along with environment restoration and climate change adaptation knowledge building and actions.

Through the UKALI initiative, the local community and institutions are capacitated via numerous workshops, citizen science training, education and awareness-raising on biodiversity conservation (including school eco club formation, citizen scientists development). The project leader also conducts biodiversity survey, documentation, and monitoring of habitat conservation, water source management, plantations and other projects. The initiative also focuses on livelihood support enterprise development for local cooperatives including honey enterprise, yak cheese factory in Limi Valley. UKALI also conducts community governance and conservation support program that focuses on human-wildlife conflict mitigation, reducing threats of illegal poaching and trade of wildlife parts.

 

 

The escalating effects of climate change are leaving the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) and its people vulnerable to heightened disaster risk, ecosystem imbalances, biodiversity loss, and socio-economic changes.

The Dr Andreas Schild Memorial Mountain Prize sets out to amplify the voices of those on the front lines, facing and adapting to these challenges. It recognises outstanding individuals and groups actively engaged in on-the-ground solutions, forging a path towards a more sustainable HKH.

 


The HKH region extends over 3,500 km, from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east and crossing Pakistan, India, China, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. All eight HKH nations are ICIMOD’s regional member countries


THE

MOUNTAIN

PRIZE

FROM 2018-2022

139

NOMINATIONS

9

WINNERS

16

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

The DR ANDREAS SCHILD

MEMORIAL MOUNTAIN PRIZE

In 2022, the Mountain Prize was renamed the Dr Andreas Schild Memorial Mountain Prize in honour of former ICIMOD Director General Andreas Schild, a champion of the mountains of the world and the HKH region, whose impact remains in the hearts of those in the HKH whose lives he touched during his long and illustrious career.

What happens in our region has huge implications for our people and the rest of the world. The snow, ice, and permafrost originating in the HKH provide water to 240 million people in the mountains and a further 1.65 billion people downstream.

With the climate crisis already devastating communities across the region, ICIMOD is working to build the public and political will for faster action and greater climate ambition. The Mountain Prize is an effort to empower change and champion resilience in the face of the climate crisis.

WE SPOTLIGHT KEY CONTRIBUTIONS IN

Cryosphere, water risks

Improving air quality

Transforming livelihoods

Regenerating landscapes

Regional cooperation

Global leadership

Past Winners and Honourable Mentions

Dr Andreas Schild Memorial Mountain Prize winner 2022
Dr Andreas Schild Memorial Mountain Prize winner 2022
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Mountain Prize winner 2018 – Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), India
Mountain Prize winner 2018 – Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), India
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Mountain Prize winner 2019 – The Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board (CHTDB), Bangladesh
Mountain Prize winner 2019 – The Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board (CHTDB), Bangladesh
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Mountain Prize winner 2019 – Didar Ali, Pakistan
Mountain Prize winner 2019 – Didar Ali, Pakistan
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Mountain Prize
Mountain Prize
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Mountain Prize winner 2020 – Binod Shahi, Nepal
Mountain Prize winner 2020 – Binod Shahi, Nepal
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Mountain Prize 2020 winner – Jagrati Swayam Sahayta Group, India
Mountain Prize 2020 winner – Jagrati Swayam Sahayta Group, India
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Dr Andreas Schild Memorial Mountain Prize Winner 2021
Dr Andreas Schild Memorial Mountain Prize Winner 2021
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