Women Empowerment Nepal (WE - Nepal)

Women Empowerment (WE) is a grassroots level community-based women's organization. WE was formed by a group of women for the purpose of improving the socio-economic status and self-development capacity of disadvantaged people, especially women. Through self-development and social action programs, many women take part in decision-making processes. WE advocates the elimination of all forms of discrimination, violence, and trafficking through action programs in order to ensure the rights of women.

In the subsistence-based economy of Nepal , women contribute in the area of agriculture, but their work is invisible to their families, communities, and country. Most women are self-employed, but their experience and expertise are not recognized by society. Whether in villages, towns, or cities, the life of most women is a struggle against the odds. Women lack self confidence in their own inherent skills because they are deprived of opportunities in all areas of life. If given the chance, women will be able to lead with confidence.

Like mother, like daughter: Monita Rai provides training for rural women in fabric painting; daughter Roshni works full-time for Women Empowerment, thanks to a grant from NCP through our Give a Girl a Chance fund

Utilizing a self-help instructional model to increase literacy, girl's education, small business development, skilled trainings, personal and social advocacy, WE has been empowering more than 50 women in various districts of Nepal to help them take charge of their lives. The idea of empowerment goes well beyond the narrow confines of material development. For a Nepalese woman empowerment means greater freedom of thought and action, access to the information she needs to develop her potential, and the ability to earn a living that contributes to her welfare and that of her family. These choices strike at the very root causes of poverty and social injustice.

Sustainability, or the ability of the program to endure beyond the immediate infusion of start-up funds from outside support, is an important aspect of the WE programme. With the WE model "sustainability" is achieved when the groups can operate solely from the income generated by its own internal lending. This point is rapidly being reached by many of the more established groups who are actually transferring their management skills to neighboring groups.

Our mission:

Our mission is to help foster the growth of independent, educated, self-sufficient, decision-making women, by encouraging self-empowerment. 

Our objectives / goals:

• Promote the awareness of women's potential as powerful members of society through community-based development programs
• Empower women and work towards the elimination of poverty through informal savings and credit activities and co-operatives
• Initiate programs ensuring the rights of women and address issues related to the traditional harmful practices against women
• Develop self-reliance skills in male and female farmers by the promotion of organic farming and sustainable agriculture
• Sensitize and create awareness concerning individual and collective responsibility in conflict resolution and peace-building efforts through networking and advocacy
• Organize awareness campaigns for Girl's Education
• Provide scholarships to girl children who are needy, motivated and brilliant at mind
• Offer practical and emotional support to victims of the conflict.
• Provide skill-based training to victims and encourage their participation in peace building activities
• Support organizations conducting relief work in the affected areas, through networks and related forums
• Create forums to raise public voice and opinion against all forms of violence through survivor testimony, public polls, and knowledge generation and dissemination
• Provide women with practical skills to enter the workforce
• Instill courage and leadership in women
• Broaden women's perspective of their social situation
• Assist women towards financial and social independence

Support the work of WE by contributing to the Give a Girl a Chance program of the New Community Project!

• $50: one month stipend for WE staffperson
• $450: a week-long training trip by WE to rural communities

Contact information:

Email: women.power@gmail.com

Mailing Address:
House N. 92, Parsyang,
Ward no. 5, Pokhara
Kaski , Nepal

Web hosting provided by the New Community Project, a nonprofit organization based in Elgin , IL ( USA ) focused on social justice and environmental sustainability. NCP partners with WE by providing grants and by jointly planned Learning Tours to Nepal to experience women's reality and to learn about the work of WE.