The most intensive phase of rice harvest is the pounding. Women and girls are the ones responsible for using wooden pestles to pound the outer husk from the rice grain, which is then ready to be cooked. These Achhami sisters (ages 12 and 15) take turns driving the poles into the mound of grain. They play a crucial role in food production for their family as they most likely spend days in the fields planting and harvesting as well.
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Lindsey Youngquist is a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar studying Community Health in Nepal. She recently volunteered at Bayalpata Hospital in Achham.
