Engaging girls in education in Nepal
In this month’s update, we’re hearing from Nitin, a fellow VSO volunteer from Nepal. Nitin works with girls in rural communities who are in danger of dropping out of school and entering early marriage.
January'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.
January '24 volunteer update
Suraj Shakya
I'm Nitin - a VSO educational expert working here in Nepal. Raj Karki is my colleague - and friend - here in VSO's Kathmandu office. I'm delighted to share with you how your regular gifts are helping girls build brighter futures by getting the education they deserve.
In rural areas of my country, girls from poor families are forced to leave school early without completing their education. Families in these areas don’t have a stable income, meaning the cost of school resources such as uniforms, pens and notebooks is too high. In these areas, girls’ education often isn’t valued, so many families will keep their daughters out of school to reduce the financial burden.
The next step for many of these girls, is early marriage.
Despite laws to protect them, 33% of Nepali girls are married before their 18th birthday and 8% are married before the age of 15.1 It’s not their choice. It’s not right.
Girls who are bright, ambitious and eager to learn are trapped in early marriages and are more vulnerable to the danger of gender-based violence and discrimination. Once trapped in marriage, many are forced to stay at home to shoulder the workload of household chores or denied rest. Unfortunately, in some rare and more extreme cases, some girls have told me they’ve been forced to practice chaupadi (an outlawed tradition where women and girls are banned from their homes while on their periods).
Suraj Shakya
In my work in Nepal, we have a goal to create change for a whole generation of girls. As a volunteer, I help girls who have dropped out of education early get back into school. A large part of my role is training Big Sisters - these are older girls in the community who have successfully completed their education.
My expertise lies in inclusive education and gender-based violence prevention, so I train Big Sisters in these areas. Once fully trained, I match them with younger out-of-school girls so they can mentor them and ensure they stay in school and learn. We also pass this knowledge onto families of out-of-school girls to teach them about the dangers of child marriage, and the value of giving their daughters access to education.
The power of people is amazing, and volunteering for VSO makes me realise how important our network of changemakers is.
I'd like to thank Raj for giving me the opportunity to get in touch with you this month. I've really enjoyed giving you an insight into the incredible work going on around Nepal. You'll hear from Raj again next month but please feel free to say hello or ask a question about the project below.
Best wishes,
Nitin
VSO volunteer, Nepal
Footnotes
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.
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