Empower 300 girls to become leaders in Nepal

Our 2015 LEADers are currently busy implementing the School Leadership Program for 385 students at 15 schools across the Kathmandu Valley. They have led sessions on various topics such as goal setting, teamwork, healthy relationships, youth issues, human rights, and violence against women.

We conducted our third Annual General Meeting (AGM) and elected a new Nepal Board. Our Nepal Board is entirely made up of our program alumni. Each member is paired with a US Board member and mentored intensively during their term. Each candidate went through a question and answer round to demonstrate why they were the best candidate for the position. Rasina, our newly elected treasurer shares, "In 5 years, I see Women LEAD as being a top NGO that proves that women can lead and run a successful organization." 

November 25th marked the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence. We asked our LEADers to share their thoughts on what could be done in order to prevent violence against women and girls. One of our current LEADers Barsha shared, "In Nepal, most women and girls tolerate violence. But we should speak up now and break the silence."

In January, we celebrated National Mentoring Month. Mentoring is essential for young women to reach their full potential. Chandani (2011 LEADer) and Pratibha (2015 LEADer), one of our mentor-mentee pairs, not only share a strong bond but also share a unique dream of becoming architects. Pratibha is positively influenced by Chandani and feels lucky to have a mentor who believes in her goal as much as she does. On being mentored by Chandani, Pratibha said, "She serves as a big source of inspiration and brings out the best in me."

We partnered with Search for Common Ground to screen the political drama "Singha Durbar" for our LEADers. The screening was followed by a question and answer session. The television series revolves around the story of Nepal's fictional first female Prime Minister who undergoes challenges in her quest to establish a transparent, accountable and collaborative government.

Our alumni are also working hard. After being selected to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative University in 2015, 2010 LEADer Dipeeka spent her winter break teaching eighth and ninth grade students in Kathmandu about financial literacy. Dipeeka’s project—Artha: Finance for Young Minds—is a financial education program for low income and underprivileged youth. "Financial literacy is not just for rich people," said Dipeeka. "At every age, an individual should have knowledge about savings and why it’s important."

A few other events we held in the past three months include: Tihar (festival of lights) celebration, photography training conducted by Voices of Women (VOW) Media, street harassment and self-defense workshop led by Hollaback! Kathmandu, mid-year reflections with Dr. Robyn Wilson, and a 'Feminist Film Screening' hosted by VOW Media.