Meet the Himalayan kung fu nuns using their martial arts skills to challenge stereotypes about women’s roles in the region’s patriarchal societies.

“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,” practitioner Jigme Konchok Lhamo, 25, told AFP.

“Kung fu has helped us in taking a stand on gender equality as we feel more confident, we feel strong physically and mentally.

“We are doing kung fu as an example for other girls.”

The nuns are from the 800-strong Druk Amitabha Mountain Nunnery in Nepal and belong to the centuries-old Drukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism.