From violence to hope - hear how the project has helped Amrita
Hear from fellow volunteer, Manisha, who is working as a Documentation Advisor on VSO's gender-based violence prevention project in Nepal. And read how your support has helped Amrita - one of the brave women we have worked with on the project.
August's featured volunteer
Namaste! My name is Raj Karki. I’m volunteering as a Diffusion Advisor on VSO’s Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response project in Nepal. I’m looking forward to keeping you up to date with how we’re getting on and how
your support is making a lasting difference to the lives of women and girls here.
I’m delighted to be volunteering with VSO and to have the opportunity to share my experiences with you all. I’ve been in my role of Diffusion Advisor for just over a year, which has given me loads of opportunities to learn and grow, as well as use the knowledge I’ve gained over the years. Thank you for standing with me and helping to make a positive impact in my home country.
It is unacceptable that more than one in four women in Nepal experience gender-based violence in their lifetime. With your support, my colleagues and I are leading a range of prevention activities to stop violence against women and girls here. We’re doing this by running interactive sessions with couples, families, community groups and leaders to challenge social norms that value men and boys over women and girls. Working alongside other organisations, we’re part of an incredible movement to create long-lasting change.
August '23 volunteer update
Suraj Shakya
Highlights and challenges
The monsoon season here in Nepal is a worrying time. We’re surrounded by steep mountains so the heavy rain causes a real risk of landslides and flooding. In the past, I’ve seen the monsoon devastate our roads - which are little more than dirt tracks – as well as homes and livelihoods. The conditions are dangerous, but we’re putting all our efforts into making sure we can reach rural communities and run our sessions as normal. I’m pleased to report that despite the challenging conditions, we’re continuing to meet with couples to discuss harmful attitudes and reduce violence and discrimination against women.
I recently had the chance to see the change we’re making for myself. I visited some of the couples who were involved in the project last year and saw first-hand how our support is making a real difference. Alongside working with them to tackle gender-based violence, these couples were selected to receive some VSO funding to help them start or expand their own businesses. I was so inspired to see that they are now enjoying healthy relationships and running successful businesses, such as tailoring and bag-making.
Alongside my VSO activities, I’ve been working on some big college assignments, so it’s been a very busy time for me personally. My practical exam for my Masters in Psychology is coming up next week, so a lot of my spare time has been spent revising and preparing for that. You can wish me luck using the contact form below!
Despite a hectic schedule, my work with VSO really keeps me going as I can see the real change we’re making to communities here. Change that is only possible thanks to your generous support.
Our impact so far
To demonstrate the impact of our work, I’ve been busy collecting data and feedback at the beginning and end of each couple’s journey with us. The results have been really inspiring. In the beginning, most couples didn’t know much about gender-based violence. Many thought it only involved physical abuse but, after our intervention, they learnt that marital rape, emotional abuse and gender-based discrimination are all forms of gender-based violence. Couples also learnt that the main causes are harmful social norms and unequal power distribution between men and women.
Suraj Shakya
By the end of their sessions, men told us that household decisions were now being made together, chores were shared more equally, and that they supported and addressed their wives respectfully. I was so pleased that my data analysis showed 90% of all participating couples saw an improvement in their knowledge, attitude and understanding regarding harmful social norms thanks to our interventions.
These achievements have given me such a lift. I can see that our efforts are working and that, with your support, we’re making real change happen here. One of the women whose life you’ve helped to transform is 25-year-old Amrita*, who shares her story here…
* Pseudonyms used to protect identities
AmritaAt the age of 21, I got married and moved in with my husband Manish and his family. I came from a happy family and attended school regularly. I was excited to start my new life and things went smoothly enough for a year.
However, money for the household was a big challenge and Manish had to find work daily. My husband and in-laws were never quite happy with me and their behaviour towards me was not good. They spoke roughly to me and blamed me for any bad fortune at home.
My life got much worse though after I had a baby girl. In our community, girls aren’t valued as much as boys because eventually we’ll marry and leave home to live with another family. We’re just seen as ‘property’ so my in-laws punished me for not having a boy.
During the pandemic, our already bad financial situation became dire as no-one was able to earn anything due to lockdown. Horrific violence began – I was beaten, shouted at and abused every day. I was completely trapped with no idea how to change things.
Then one day someone from VSO visited us to offer support. I saw a glimmer of hope. My husband refused to join the couples’ counselling sessions at first, but the person from VSO helped to persuade him.
The day we started participating in couple sessions became a turning point in our lives. Manish confessed how wrong he had been to me in the past. He has gained understanding and found change in himself. The violence has completely stopped, and now he helps me with the household chores. We have a successful tailoring business at home and make our family decisions together. I’m so grateful to VSO for helping us turn our family’s life around.
Working together to create lasting change
One of the great things about being a VSO volunteer is all the wonderful people you get to meet and work with along the way. I’m delighted to introduce you to my fellow VSO volunteer, Manisha, who is working with me on this project.
We met about a year ago in VSO’s Kathmandu office and quickly learnt that we had a lot in common - we’re both studying for our Master of Psychology! Although we work in different regions, we’re in touch regularly and recently met up in Sudurpashchim Province - a mountainous region in Northern Nepal - to interview some of the couples taking part in the project. I’ve asked Manisha to share some of her own experiences of being a VSO volunteer with you here.
Suraj Shakya
Meet Manisha
Hi, my name is Manisha Bhandari and I’ve been volunteering for VSO on and off since I graduated in 2019. I’m currently working as a Gender-Based Violence and Documentation Advisor in Dhangadi, a small city in western Nepal surrounded by hills and rural villages.
In my role, I work with communities across five districts to hear their stories and understand the impact we're having on their lives. When I’m not out meeting members of the community, I’m busy with data analysis and report writing to demonstrate the change we’re making.
I’ve been amazed at the difference we’ve been able to make with your support. When I first spoke to the men participating in our couples’ sessions, they told me that they didn’t think gender-based violence was related to men - that it was just a woman’s issue - and that they had little interest in participating. But once they had come along to a few sessions, their perspective completely changed and they understood their responsibility in reducing gender-based violence. They have even started to break the culture of silence and are challenging harmful social norms around menstrual taboos and child marriage. It was such an important breakthrough.
If you have any questions about my work, please get in touch using the form below.
I would like to thank all the supporters of VSO for giving me the opportunity to become a volunteer and help change the lives of women and girls in Nepal.
Suraj Shakya
Thank you
Thank you again for your incredible support. Right now, your donations are bringing positive change to women and girls like Amrita, and to whole communities across rural Nepal.
Thanks to you, thousands of couples, young people and members of society are building their understanding and speaking out against gender-based violence. Your continued support is motivating and enabling VSO volunteers like me to improve the lives of women and girls here. We are so grateful for your help.
Take care and speak soon,
Raj
VSO Diffusion Advisor, national volunteer tackling gender-based violence, Nepal.
P.S. Remember, you can ask a question or leave me a message below. Although I may not be able to get back to every message, I’d really love to hear from you.
Want to ask a question?
VSO’s Sponsor a Volunteer team will share your message with the VSO volunteer and get back to you with a response. Your email address will not be used, disclosed or transferred to any VSO personnel, it will be stored securely in accordance with VSOs privacy policy. A sample of messages including display names will be published to the Sponsor a Volunteer homepage each month.
Your latest questions answered
Namaste Raj best wishes for your future & thank you for the wonderful work you have been doing.
Raj
Hello June,
Namaste, thank you for your wishes and I am glad that we have supporter like you.
Raj
Namaste, thank you for your wishes and I am glad that we have supporter like you.
Raj
Thank you for all you have done to help people in need over the last year
Raj
Hello Shirley,
Thank you for your support too and staying in touch.
Raj
Thank you for your support too and staying in touch.
Raj
Namaste - I just wanted to thank you for all the good work that you have done in Nepal & for helping me to see what my donations have done. I have loved reading your letters & am going to miss you but I wanted to send you my love & best wishes.
Raj
Dear June,
Namaste and thank you for supporting VSO. It’s your support that allowed volunteers like me to reach out to those communities and do the good things we did.
I am glad that you loved the letters and posts. It’s great to have supporters like you who are making the world a better place to live.
Take care and be happy too.
Raj.
Namaste and thank you for supporting VSO. It’s your support that allowed volunteers like me to reach out to those communities and do the good things we did.
I am glad that you loved the letters and posts. It’s great to have supporters like you who are making the world a better place to live.
Take care and be happy too.
Raj.
Did you know?
We bring about lasting change not by sending aid, but by working through volunteers to empower communities in some of the world’s poorest regions. You can read more about VSO’s areas of work and discover more about our projects here.
More news from VSO
Video: The Humble Mangrove Tree
Check out our video which tells the impressive story of how VSO volunteers in the Philippines are harnessing the hidden power of mangroves, nature and community to create real sustainable change for families.