This archive report was first published on 28 November 2019.
Published on November 28, 2019, a group of kung fu-trained nuns from the Druk Amitabha Mountain Nunnery in Nepal are making headlines for their efforts to challenge stereotypes about women's roles in the region's patriarchal societies.
Meet Jigme Konchok Lhamo, a 25-year-old nun who, along with her fellow practitioners, trains with swords and fighting fans after their prayers and morning chants.
"In the Himalayas, girls are never treated equally and girls are not given equal chances -- that's why we want to push the girls up," Lhamo told AFP.
The nuns, who belong to the centuries-old Drukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, were encouraged by their spiritual leader, His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa, to learn kung fu in 2008 as part of his mission to bring about gender equality in Buddhism.
Emboldened by their fighting prowess, the nuns travel across South Asia to teach self-defence classes and promote awareness about human trafficking in a region where violence against women is rarely reported.
They also embark on gruelling mountain walks and cycling campaigns to reach out to remote communities, including a recent three-month, 8,370-kilometre "bicycle yatra (journey) for peace" from Nepal to the mountains of Ladakh in northern India.
Despite initial criticism from their families and communities, the nuns have gained recognition for their efforts, including an international award in New York for the nunnery's efforts to inspire young girls.
