Girls Empowerment and Preventing SGBV at the Community Level

7 Jun Kathmandu. Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal, (JCYCN), and KANALLAN has been implementing a Girls empowerment project in Devchuli Municipality, for implementing GoN international commitment on SDGs and achieving the goal no 5 and 10. As a continuation of Girl Empowerment Project that implementing the in municipality since 2018, this year also conducting different activities and one the major activity is Trainer of Trainers (TOT) on “Girls empowerment and preventing SGBV (sexual and gender based violence) at the community level”, that is conducted on 28 May-1 Jun 2019 in Chitwan with having 35 adolescence, girl child and female teacher with the objective of developing facilitating and leadership skill of selected participants. Adolescence and Girl child will be mobilizing as a peer educator to aware on Girls rights and girls empowerment in Devchuli Municiality as well as nearby locality. They also play a role to an advocate with different concern agencies for establishing girl’s agenda in policy and programs of municipality.

There are many issues need to address for actual gender equality and equity in the community, like, child & early marriage, menstrual health and hygiene and dignified menstrual rights this effects on girl’s self- dependency and empowerment.

Aarati Bishokarma, one of the participant said, “Many girls are still unaware about the menstrual hygiene, violence against girls and how to deal with. This training strengthen the skill and knowledge of girls that can lead to aware and advocacy in local level. All the participants were very much excited to deliver the skill that they have gained from the training also thanked to organizer for this opportunity.

On the first day of the training almost all the participants were nervous and hesitate to express but at the end of the training all the participants freely expressed their learnings. Because of the expression and confidence showed by the young girl, organizer also built the confidence that peer educators can deliver properly, what they have learnt from training. The Trainer also shared her views in closing ceremony that the commitment and confidence of young girl’s shows that our community and nation is in safe hand and we can see the all forms of discrimination free community soon.

During the five days training applied different activities and sharing the contend to strengthen the skills on young girls on leadership, facilitation skill, child right and girl’s right, issues of child and adolescence girls, social norms and values, conflict and violence, mapping of support mechanism. One of the teacher said that, it was a wonderful experience, which I have collected during the training, this program has supported to empower the girls as well as increase their self- realization to eliminate violence against girls in the locality. Now, we can hope for the skilled and empowered female leader in the community that definitely led for the slogan of government of Nepal, “Happy Nepali, and Prosperous Nepal”

During the closing remarks, JCYCN president Mr. Tilottam Poudel express that the empowered girls gave us the hope to see the Devchuli is in safe hand. . He also shared the last year progress with informing that one of the peer educator awarded as Asian Girl’s Ambassador and Miss Teen Nawalpur 2018. Also hoping from new batch more achievement.