Goodbye from Nepal, hello from Malawi

In this month’s update, we’ll hear about Sita and Surendra’s story, say goodbye to Raj and hello to Theonas from Malawi.

March's featured volunteer

Raj is handing over to Theonas

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. Your support is making a lasting difference to the lives of women and girls here.

Nepal illustration

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. 

March '24 volunteer update

Since you last heard from me, I’ve been very busy training government representatives, activists and community volunteers. I think the things I’ve really loved during my time as a VSO volunteer are the opportunity to gain skills, learn from people who have lots of experience and pass those learnings on to our community of changemakers. 

Our plan is to keep our work going here in Nepal for as long as we can. In the last two years we’ve made an incredible impact in rural communities here, and I can’t wait to continue with this momentum. Last year, you helped VSO volunteers reach 3,400 couples across Nepal, which is amazing. We’ll continue to work with more couples in need of support throughout 2024, and your donations will help make long-lasting change happen in marginalised communities.

Sita and Surendra gardening
VSO Nepal
Before attending the couples sessions, the outlook was bleak for Sita and Sudrendra.

Sita and Surendra's story

I’d like to tell you about Sita and Surendra, a couple whose marriage was completely turned around with help from donations like yours. 

Sita moved into her new family home with husband Surendra when she was only 15 years old – it’s not uncommon for girls in rural Nepal to marry young to ease the financial burden on their family. Not long after getting married, she gave birth to their daughter. 

I don’t know if you’ve heard of a phenomenon known as “daughter aversion” or “son preference”? This is where sons are more desired than daughters, and women are chiefly blamed for giving birth to daughters. Because she gave birth to a girl, Sita told me she was treated poorly by her in-laws; they told her she wasn’t good enough to be their daughter-in-law. They physically and mentally abused her. I was so shocked to hear her story. 


Not wanting to disappoint her husband or his family, she was continuously pregnant, hoping to eventually give birth to a boy. She gave birth to three more daughters. The violence continued, and she believed it was all her fault. 

Sita and Surendra decided to leave the home, away from her in-laws. But this still didn’t improve their relationship. Her husband became indifferent towards her and often left her alone to complete all the household chores even though pregnancy made her feel weak. She was simply seen as a vessel for his children, and a server to him. 

Sita eventually gave birth to two sons, but by this point they had eight mouths to feed in the family. They now had to manage the expenses of running a large household with only Surendra working. Sita had hit her limit at this point – why should the children suffer because her husband didn’t consider her his equal? She decided they would take part in the VSO couple sessions she had heard about in her community.

During the sessions, Sita and Surendra worked with me and my fellow volunteers. We taught them about changes they could make to their marriage, so that Sita could be treated as an equal partner to her husband. We helped them realise the issues caused by domestic violence, how to find help when facing violence and where to turn for legal support. They both realised the severity of gender discrimination, and their mindsets changed. Sita realised the pain she was experiencing wasn’t her fault, and that she deserved love and respect. I'm so happy that the couple sessions helped her see that she has value in her marriage.
 

“I understand now that violence cannot be perpetuated, and I should be supporting and working with my wife.” 

Surendra
Sita's husband
Sita and Surendra stand outside their home
VSO Nepal
Since learning that women’s contributions to the home should be valued, Sita and her husband now run a grocery store and make an income together.

Sita and Surendra tell me they now run a grocery store together, and evenly distribute home and work life between them. I’m so pleased to also hear that Surendra is now advocating against violence in his community so that he can help prevent people from making the same mistakes he did.

As for Sita, she now believes in herself. She stands against violence and shares what she’s learned in her community. She knows she deserves to be treated as an equal and will motivate women like her to do the same.

I believe that if we can continue to fight against gender-based violence in Nepal, stories like Sita and Surendra’s will become far more common. Change like this is only possible because of support like yours, so thank you.

Raj films a couples session in Nepal
VSO/Suraj Ratna Shakya
I've loved being your eyes and ears in Nepal for the past year

It's time to say goodbye

This is my last update to you, and I want to say thank you so much for everything. Your support is reaching places you may have never even heard of, and so many lives have been changed. Thanks to you, we have reached over 65,000 people and taken huge strides in the fight against gender-based violence in Nepal. This is an unbelievable achievement that will continue to create a happier, healthier and more inclusive society. 

What’s next for me? Well, I’m excited to be finishing my master’s degrees in Sociology and Psychology this summer and I hope to enrol on a PhD. But I’ll never forget the life-changing opportunity to be a VSO volunteer, give back to my society and help improve the lives of women and girls here. I’ve met some amazing people and learned so much throughout the project. Most of all, I’ve learnt to keep improving myself and giving my best.
 
None of this would have been possible without your support. My VSO colleagues and I may be the ones delivering the work in Nepal, but we simply couldn’t do it without you. Together, we have created lasting change. Thank you for everything. 

Best wishes, 

Raj
VSO volunteer, Nepal

Theonas stands in one of the many schools he volunteers at in Malawi
Halifax Trading
Here I am at one of the many schools I work at in Malawi. I can’t wait to update you on what we’re doing over here.

I’m now delighted to introduce your next VSO volunteer, Theonas...

Hi everyone, I’m Theonas Kalumika, a VSO Education Specialist working to improve children’s education in Malawi.  I’ve been a primary school teacher for 13 years and a primary education advisor for 18 years, so when I heard about this volunteering opportunity happening in my area, I knew I had to be part of it!

Class 2 teacher Peter stands in front of his class of 200 students
Halifax Trading
In lots of primary schools in Malawi, there are as many as 200 children in one class and only one teacher.

In Malawi, primary schools are over-crowded and there are often not enough teachers to lead the classes. In some classrooms there can be as many as 200 pupils to one teacher. Many children have no learning materials and few families can afford to buy their children textbooks and stationery. Children cannot progress through education if they’re struggling to learn in these environments and many drop out without the ability to read, write or count.

VSO works with state schools across the country, providing solar-powered educational tablets and support to teachers from VSO volunteers like me. This powerful combination makes it possible for children to experience one-on-one style learning at their own pace, even in a class of 200! The tablets are already making a big difference, helping pupils take great strides in their writing and counting skills.  

I can’t wait to tell you more about how your support is improving the quality of education for thousands of children across my country.   

Until next time,  

Theonas  
VSO Education Specialist, Malawi

Raj Karki

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

SAV User icon
June
Namaste Raj best wishes for your future & thank you for the wonderful work you have been doing.
Raj
Raj Karki
Hello June,

Namaste, thank you for your wishes and I am glad that we have supporter like you.

Raj
SAV User icon
Shirley
Thank you for all you have done to help people in need over the last year
Raj
Raj Karki
Hello Shirley,

Thank you for your support too and staying in touch.

Raj
SAV User icon
June
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
Raj Karki
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.
VSO Volunteer Nitin Singh

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.

Smiling school girl

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