I'm really outa' here, and going to Kathmandu, Nepal

I think I'm going to Katmandu

I think it's really where I'm going to

If I ever get outa here

That's what I'm gonna do

K-K-K-K-K-K-Katmandu

I think it's really where I'm going to

If I ever get outa here

I'm going to Katmandu

--Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (1975)

Nepal has always seemed like one of those places that is so exotic that visiting there seems out of the realm of the possible. Yet, here I am on my way to Kathmandu.

In Kathmandu, I’ll be meeting 61 Pakistani and Indian journalists with whom I’ve been working over the last two years on a Cross Border Reporting Project. This project has the journalists teaming up to report about cross border stories of interest like pollution, climate change, mental health, women’s rights, and so on. See the website journalistsforchange.org for more.

The Cross Border Reporting Project is sponsored by the East-West Center in Honolulu. It began with online trainings in peace journalism (taught by yours truly) and in reporting subject matter areas like agriculture, health, business, and climate/environment, taught by subject matter experts from the University of Missouri.

In Nepal, the journalists will review the work they’ve done thus far, and plan for the major cross-border collaborative stories that they’ll be finishing up this fall.

I’ll of course provide updates about the project in this space. Stay tuned.