HIMAWANTI is a truly remarkable organisation, a network of grass roots women from across the Hindu-Kush Himalayas concerned with the protection and development of natural resources such as forest, land, and water. In October 1999, after years of planning and preparation, HIMAWANTI succeeded in bringing together more than 200 women from the region for a regional workshop. The aim was to provide a forum for grass roots women to share experiences and evolve strategies, and to strengthen communication and alliances, among the rural women who are actually involved in conserving and managing natural resources. The situation of the women, their needs, the challenges they face, and how they are campaigning for change all were discussed at length in the supportive atmosphere of the workshop. The main themes are presented in this book in a visually stimulating form in three languages (English, Hindi, Urdu) that we hope will appeal to and inform a wide audience. The book is richly illustrated, with more than thirty reproductions of full-colour pictures by Param Meyangbo illustrating the central themes of women's life in the mountains.