Women's Groups

As in most developing countries women do not enjoy the same opportunities and rights as men in Nepal. Literacy rate in Nepal for men is under 70% (68.51%) while for women it is just over 40% (42.49%). It is typically the boy child in a family that is encouraged to attend school and further their education, where as the girl child is taught domestic skills and marries young.

However, while working in Gurje Village it as been our experience that the women are the voices in the village that are calling for change and asking for a different future for their children.

To empower these women and ensure that their voices were being heard and headed Umbrella staff and volunteers re-launched the Women's Groups. There are now 13 women's groups who are involved in many projects and exceptionally active and determined.

Umbrella has built a women's training centre in one village. This centre is used to host the monthly women's group meetings where they discuss the coming events, discuss challenges faced and pool their skills and resources to offer support to one another.  

Solar powered lighting was installed in 4 schools and two women's training centres enabling adult literacy classes to take place in the evenings, the only time of the day that women are free to attend. In April of 2009, Kumari Girls  House agreed to help the women's groups adult literacy classes and also offered vocational training to them. Training camps in various income generating activities have been held, activities such as incense and candle making.

Agriculture is the dominating source of income in these villages. Projects to improve farming techniques and to vary the crops grown have all been implemented through the women's groups.

Primary health care in the area has been non existent up until now. While waiting for the new health post to be completed, Umbrella has held many health camps. The aim is to educate the village about various preventative steps and health care precautions that would improve their standard of health. These camps are aimed specifically at woman and children.

The Food For Education programme not only provides a nutritious meal for the women's children but also creates a market for them. The FFE programme will use vegetables grown by the women's groups.

Apart from the quantifiable or tangible results of working with the women's groups; the changes in farming, the vocational training camps, the literacy classes, there is are also invaluable results in the change in the women's attitudes and confidence. It is inspiring to see the change in these women since we started working with them.