KATHMANDU: The US Nepal Climbers Association (USNCA) has formally launched a social security protection campaign for Nepal's tourism workers, calling on the government to establish a comprehensive welfare programme covering mountain guides, trekking guides, Nepal Mountain Leaders, high-altitude workers, and porters - along with their families.

The campaign, announced on Thursday, seeks to address the near-total absence of social protection for the thousands of workers who form the backbone of Nepal's Himalayan tourism industry, despite the severe risks they face on the job every season.

"The courage, dedication, and hard work of these workers have brought glory to Nepal's tourism industry before the world, yet when accidents or disasters strike, neither they nor their families have adequate social security," said USNCA President Jangbu Sherpa. "We are formally launching this campaign today to demand that the government recognise and act on this long-standing injustice."

The USNCA has placed two specific demands before the government. First, that children - at least two per affected family - of tourism workers killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty receive free education up to the higher secondary level. Second, that the same children be provided with fully government-funded health insurance covering treatment, medication, and medical services.

"Nepal's mountain tourism economy depends entirely on these workers, yet the state offers them almost no protection when things go wrong," said USNCA General Secretary Ang Dawa Sherpa. "Free education and health insurance for their children is the least the government can do for families who have given everything to this industry."

The campaign's launch comes against the backdrop of the Spring 2026 Everest season, which saw record summits alongside fatalities - and, most starkly, the case of Dawa Sherpa, a Sherpa guide who spent seven days alone in the death zone after being left behind by his expedition company, with no rescue mounted on his behalf.

The USNCA said it was urging the government to implement the demands without delay in the interest of social justice, worker welfare, and the sustainable development of Nepal's tourism industry.