Empowering communities through responsible tourism in the Karakoram valleys.

Daltir is a remote village in the Thallay Valley where women work largely in agriculture, and where limited access to higher education and restrictive social barriers leave few routes to an independent income. Their skill in traditional Balti handicrafts, above all the Balti cap, is already exceptional.

Craft training and a dedicated outlet so the women of Daltir can sell their own work, under their own name.

The Yugo Welfare Organization created something quietly remarkable: a place where the village's male elders gather to weave traditional baskets and simply be in each other's company. It is craft as companionship, and as a defence against isolation in old age.

A weatherproof shelter so bad weather cannot end the gathering, and marketing help for the baskets they make.

In a region where social barriers keep most women out of tourism entirely, Kaneez Fatima founded Balti Cuisine in 2022, a kitchen built on yak meat, dried apricots, walnuts, barley and homegrown vegetables. It fills a real gap: authentic Balti food, served in an authentic Balti setting, run from her own home.

Capital to scale beyond the home kitchen, sharper marketing, and training for local women to carry the traditional menus forward.