Volunteer Society Nepal : The best experience for volunteers, the best value for Nepal.
On the 27th March 2018, Volunteer Society Nepal (VSN) opened its doors to ten new women at the Women’s Centre. VSN and the center’s main donor, Thabke Dorje, greeted the women with open arms a chocolate cake and huge smiles. Thabke is extremely happy to have expanded the Women Centre. This is a significant moment for VSN because it shows progression and empowerment in the local community. There are now 45 women at the center. These women are extremely brave to have joined. They are standing up against society and gaining the education they know they deserve. Thabke could not be more proud that more women in the local community are realizing the importance, opportunity and rights they have to earn an education and become empowered.
Joining the Women’s Centre is a huge step towards independence for these women. VSN asked the women why they joined the women’s center. They answered that they want the opportunity to go out by themselves. They want to read the newspaper, identify bus numbers, make telephone calls and to give their friends and family their phone numbers. When they get invitations from their friends or family, they do not want to have to ask others to translate. By coming to the women’s center, they learn to read and speak English, Nepali andf math skills. In addition, they wish to improve their Nepali so they can read their religious book, Ramayan, Gita, Mahabharat.
They are a dedicated group of women. They empower one another in a safe and encouraging environment. VSN asked the women how they feel about the discrimination that exists between men and women in Nepal. The women feel upset. They are upset because their parents told them that it is not good for girls to study. It is not good to study because girls will go to another house after marriage and therefore there is no need to learn. They were banned from going to school and told their roles would be as housewives. By joining the women’s centre, they are grabbing the opportunity to gain an education and empowerment they were not so lucky to have at a younger age.
The women’s center creates the space for women to meet other brave members of the community who share the passion to learn. For three hours a day, between 11:00 am and 14:00 pm, 35 women join together for their lessons. This provides them with a safe and encouraging environment to help one another, and to be part of something beyond their domestic lives at home. These women are extremely grateful and VSN does it’s best to provide them with the most support, empowerment and encouragement.
The Women’s Centre in Pepsicola was established in 2007 with the aim to bridge the education gap between generations and sex in Nepal. In Kathmandu, more schools are opening that provide children with a good education and a good knowledge of the English language. Men also have access to a better education. Older generations of women and women in rural areas have not been as lucky. As a result, the women feel less independent, less powerful and uneducated. VSN wants to change this. We want women to have the opportunity to join our centre, gain an education and watch their opportunities to grow; we want the women to feel empowered and independent; we want them to feel a part of the community. Hence, having ten more women join the women’s centre in Pepsicola is significant progress.
As we continue to grow, the need for volunteers is also important. As of now, we have a small team of dedicated teachers who teach the women for three hours a day, six days a week. However, to improve their experience, we would love if more volunteers joined us in Nepal to help us give these women the education they deserve.
If you are interested in being a part of the journey to empower women through education in Nepal, please take a look here.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.