Help Young Women Break the Glass Ceiling in Nepal!

Our girls have become the key decision-makers in Women LEAD. In 2013, we established one of the only participant boards in Nepal, entrusting our girls with programmatic decisions and ultimately, the direction of Women LEAD. The Board, elected every two years by the general members, holds us accountable, fulfills fiduciary and regulatory responsibilities, and sets the direction of our growth. From approving budgets to developing strategies to sitting on hiring panels, their role as board members ensures that our most significant decisions are made by the young women we serve and embody their voices and ideas.

Our current Board of Directors in Nepal (Nepal Board) comprises seven alumni elected by general members in 2021. Every year, Women LEAD hosts Annual General Meeting (AGM), which is joined by its alumni who are general members. After two years of hosting our AGM virtually in 2020 and 2021, we could hold an in-person AGM this year.  

Our Nepal board conducted the AGM on the 31st of December, 2022. The Board presented the general members on the organization's finance, budget planning, and upcoming programs to be done by Women LEAD Nepal. General Members (alumni), Board Members (alumni), and Women LEAD Nepal Staff attended this year's annual general meeting. The program started with the opening remarks by Nepal Board President Sagoon, followed by a warm welcome by Executive Director Hima Bista. All the reports were approved and passed by the general members. 

The 2022 AGM brought together Women LEAD Nepal's alumi across different cohorts of the programs, program types, and alumi belonging to diverse professional and academic backgrounds. It also served as a great networking and reunion event for our alumi who shared about their work and passion with each other.

At Women LEAD, we are committed to providing adolescent girls and young women (aged 15-25) with the skills, support, and opportunities they need to become leaders and changemakers in their schools, communities, nation, and the world. Every day, we work towards a Nepal where the voices of women and girls are powerful and influential, and women occupy positions of leadership and decision-making. 

Stay tuned to hear more about our amazing leaders!

Women LEAD was established in 2011 with the vision of a better world where women leaders co-create the future because we believe in the power of girls to change Nepal’s trajectory. We are committed to providing adolescent girls and young women (aged 15-25) with the skills, support, and opportunities they need to become leaders and changemakers in their schools, communities, nation, and the world. Every day, we work to foster a future where women are equally represented in leadership positions across all sectors by:  

1. Transforming adolescent girls and young women into leaders who have the confidence, ability, and agency to shape their own lives and those around them. 
2. Developing a diverse and inclusive community of women leaders who can support and encourage each other. 
3. Challenging the gender stereotypes that limit women’s ambitions and achievements by normalizing women in leadership positions, amplifying women’s voices, and publicizing female role models. 

Women LEAD Nepal is specifically focused on the long-term leadership development of young women. We invest in and make a life-long commitment to our 390+ member alumni community of passionate and ambitious girls to help develop their identity & self-esteem and enable them to make important life decisions while accompanying them in their leadership journey. Through this, we aim to build a community of solidarity by bringing girls from diverse backgrounds together so that they start breaking down caste, ethnic and economic segregation.  We believe that in the long run, this growing community will become a powerful network that will drive unprecedented change and transformation in Nepal.

Women LEAD Nepal continues to provide opportunities for our alumni to build their leadership and professional skills and achieve success in their professional careers after the completion of the program. By doing so, we will ensure that our alumni continue to utilize and build upon the skills, knowledge, and experience they have gained through the program. After the completion of the program, Women LEAD Nepal provides internship opportunities to its program participants. Hear from two of our current interns and recent program graduates : 

"After graduating as a 2021 LEADer from Women LEAD Nepal’s LEAD Course, I got an opportunity to work as one of the program interns here. Through this internship, my communication skills have improved significantly and I have also learned to manage my emotions, stress, and time while balancing both my studies and work. - Suvanju

"From being a 2021 LEADer to a Program Intern at Women LEAD Nepal, I'm flooded with opportunities here. From learning how to step out of my comfort zone as a participant to facilitating orientation sessions during program recruitment to providing key support during the programmatic aspects of the new cohort, I've seen my growth while learning and unlearning things but mostly learning." - Shanti, 2021 LEADer, 2022 Program Intern

Links:

• Check out Women LEAD's website.