Helping Women Grow

Nowadays, woman’s empowerment and literacy is being much popular in the context of Nepal, especially in rural area where the people are uneducated and illiterate. 

I personally believed that such types of programs enhance the people in upgrading their knowledge, including recognizing the advertisement and banners in the street while they are going far away from their home.  They are also capable to expose their feelings in front of huge mass of people without any hesitation.  Moreover it is said that a woman is literate in the family, then the whole family are literate. 

With the help of these classes they can sign in respective document instead of thumb print at bank or anywhere else. 

So in my view these classes are very important for the people of rural area, for those person who are uneducated.  By the help of these classes they can learn simple language and they can read and write.  So it is great benefit for the people.

Bipana Shivakota

Bipana Shivakota wrote the above quote. She has been facilitating one of our remedial classes for the past three years.  This year she will oversee the fourth year of remedial classes for the women in her village of Kumroj.  Bipana has also just completed her final year at nursing college and will soon begin her career in a local hospital.

Her sentiment matches our own. We've blogged about the success of our remedial classes before, and fortunately there’s more good news on that front.  All 700 women in our remedial class program have completed their two-year literacy course.  These women — from 50 different classes — meet once a week in order to keep their reading and writing skills honed. The classes also let them discuss other topics and share their feelings. Here are some success stories:

Shova Adhikari

Shova Adhikari told us that one of the lessons in our Remedial 1 class dealt with uterine prolapse — a condition common to women here in the villages who have multiple children and return to arduous labour too soon after giving birth.  After reading the article and discussing the condition, three women who were previously too embarrassed and too shy to deal with the problem promptly went to the hospital for treatment. While uterine prolapse may be an uncomfortable and embarrassing condition (it occurs when the uterus slips into or partially out of the vagina), it is treatable, and it’s good that women in our classes are no longer suffering in silence.

Our remedial classes are not only about keeping the women’s literary skills sharp. Shova also told us about the death of a woman in her village of Jutpani. The woman died after giving birth to a healthy son, and the women of our remedial class were not satisfied with the doctor’s shrug of his shoulders. Their persistence in questioning the woman’s untimely death revealed that the death was caused by a hospital error.  The women were able to sue for close to $10,000 and are using the money to pay for the young boy’s upbringing.  

Sarita Dahal from Pithuwa told us that one of the women in her remedial class successfully

Sarita Dahal

filled out a complicated visa application form so she could visit family in the U.S. We’re incredibly happy she had the chutzpah and confidence to walk into the very well-guarded and somewhat intimidating American Embassy in Kathmandu. She is now visiting her family in the United States.

Sangita, a student in our Remedial 3 Class, told us that she now has the confidence to take part in local programs and has no difficulty voicing her opinion.  She also tells us that the money she is earning from our organic farming and mushroom cultivation project is going to pay for her son’s computer training. Sangita says that she has learned through her remedial studies that computer skills are necessary for attaining better positions in the working world these days.

Sangita also tells us that, although her marriage was arranged without her having much to say about the choice, she will take part in the marriage of her daughters but be much more responsive to her girl’s wishes.

Sangita

As I have mentioned in previous messages and blogs, some say that literacy classes for women are not, on average, successful.  I am very proud and happy to say those who believe that should come and meet the women in our remedial classes.

The women in our literacy class were once learning to read. Now they are reading to learn.