Gender Equality Nepal Project #32055

Girls Wanna Run! Training Nepal's Generation Next!

by Women LEAD

Project Report | Mar 19, 2020
Engaging with Policies and Politics

By Bidhya | 2018 YWPLI Fellow and Women LEAD Board Secretary

Bidhya encouraging others to vote during YWPLI

My experience participating in Women LEAD's Young Women’s Political Leadership Institute (YWPLI) was my first step into politics and policy-making. During YWPLI, I campaigned for Subuna Basnet, a young activist and candidate for the House of Representatives, who I had come to know of in 2015 through Women LEAD. While voters questioned her policies and, perhaps, I also did not understand them that well, what motivated me to support her campaign was her genuine passion for politics. While we did not succeed in electing her, working for her gave me a valuable lesson; it made me realize that even though people will doubt you, that should not deter you from achieving your purpose.

After graduating from YWPLI, I carried on exploring the interaction between people and the law. I started experimenting with film-making as a form of activism. I worked with a team of three other exceptional women to make Pahichan, a short documentary on Rukshana Kapali. Rukshana is a young transwoman fighting against a trans-exclusionary admission rule at Tribhuvan University, the largest University in Nepal. The making of that film was my first attempt to ‘put my statement out there’ in front of an audience.

By telling Rukshana’s story, we attempted to challenge the heteronormative patriarchy of Nepali society and the laws and institutions that emanated from it. While I have continued my journey of storytelling, I have further expanded on my knowledge and engagement with policymaking that began at YWPLI.

I currently work as a Research and Communications Assistant at Samriddhi Foundation, a public policy organization working to promote economic freedom. My work at Samriddhi has given me insight into the making of public policies and that the government can play the role of both a facilitator and an inhibitor in the lives of its citizens. I have written a policy brief on Nepal’s new media law, which is aimed at curtailing citizens’ freedom of expression. Somebody recently asked me why I have to work for a so-called ‘political cause’ and my response to it was, “don’t we all work for a political cause?”

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Dec 22, 2019
My Journey into Politics

By Anukriti | 2018 YWPLI Alumni

Anukriti explaining party's view of fellow voters

As a teenager, politics always frustrated me and I never wanted to be a part of it in any way. However, after taking part in Women LEAD’s Young Women’s Political Leadership Institute (YWPLI) in 2017, my perspective about politics changed.

Through the YWPLI, I was introduced to basic concepts within politics. We learnt about democracy and what makes a state a good democracy, about Nepal, its history, politics, and the importance of keeping ourselves informed because history can be biased to benefit the people in power. YWPLI changed the way I viewed myself and the world surrounding me. It gave me a critical approach to analyzing things and be more empathetic towards others.

One of the biggest learning experiences for me was being able to volunteer for a political party in which I saw potential. I had the opportunity to work in their headquarters and help them by distributing pamphlets and talking to voters. This helped me to learn how politics works on the ground in Nepal and made me more passionate to work in politics as my future career.

At the end of the YWPLI, my peers and I developed an art installation on women in politics. We interviewed women from diverse parties and backgrounds on their motivations for entering politics, their experiences, and the hardships they faced. This experience opened my eyes to the disadvantages women face in mainstream politics due to their gender

and it put all the things we learned during the YWPLI into context.

The major takeaway for me from the YWPLI was realizing how activism, law and policies go hand in hand. I realized that there is a huge difference between laws being written and being enforced. For example, although Nepal has very progressive laws these are often not correctly implemented and the benefits do not reach the people they are supposed to.

Women in Nepal have enormous potential; all my YWPLI fellows are amazing young women striving to make a change and I am so very thankful to be able to have this opportunity to meet and be inspired, by them.

I am truly grateful for the enormous support, love, and opportunities that I have received from Women LEAD. I would not have been able to be where I am today- currently studying at Centre College in Kentucky USA- without participating in the YWPLI program.

Anukriti campaigning for votes

Links:

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Sep 23, 2019
Nothing About Us Without Us

By Prakriti | 2018 YWPLI Alumni

Prakriti representing UNICEF in Sri Lanka

Nothing about us without us- what a fantastic slogan! The first time I heard it was in one of the presentations on the first day of 3^rd South Asia Parliamentarian Platform for Children. I was instantly hooked by its meaning and relevance as I have always believed in the importance of bringing youth voices to participate in decision-making that affects their lives.

My leadership journey began about a year ago when I was selected to participate in the Women’s Mock Parliament organized by the Association of Youth Organizations in Nepal and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). I was able to further develop my knowledge and experience in advocacy and politics by participating in Women LEAD’s Young Women's Political Leadership Institute (YWPLI).

Recently, I was able to put into practice by advocacy skills and passion for promoting young people’s rights when I was selected to represent UNICEF as a Youth Ambassador at the South Asian Parliamentarian Meeting in Sri Lanka. There I received the opportunity to raise the voices of youth and ratify the youth pledge for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. I was also able to join an informal network named “Nothing About Us Without Us” which advocates for the strong presence of youth voices within South Asian countries.

I am grateful to have participated in Women LEAD’s YWPLI program and the confidence it has given me to take represent young people on the international stage. With the demographic dividend of Nepal at its highest point of (with nearly 40.3% of the total population being youth), I strongly believe that sustainable change can only be achieved once young people have a seat at the decision-making table.

Prakriti with fellow youth representatives

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