The Problem

Of the people living in Nepal, 25 percent are living below the poverty line, on 50 cents per day. This makes Nepal one of the poorest countries in the world. Rates of disease, malnutrition and child mortality are high. Gender discrimination is legal in Nepal and the 2015 Constitution grants men a higher legal status than women.

Disadvantaged Nepali children still have low rates of access to education and many children leave school to work as domestic laborers. Nepal as a whole has a literacy rate of only 65%. The quality of education remains low, as the teachers themselves often have very little schooling.  Many schools lack access to basic educational resources and materials.  Art education is virtually nonexistent and art supplies are either not available in the country or are very hard and expensive to obtain. 

Lack of education for women and children leaves them particularly vulnerable. Women and girls in Nepal are disadvantaged by traditional practices like the dowry system, early marriage, son-preference, stigmatization of widows, seclusion of women (purdah), family violence, polygamy, and the segregation of women and girls during menstruation (chhaupadi).  

Chhaupadi is an ancient tradition practiced in some rural parts of Nepal. It involves banishing people, often young girls, to mud huts or sheds for the duration of their period, or even longer.  Women, girls and people who menstruate are often left with little or no supplies, and no menstrual protection or washing facilities during their time away from home. This can cause a range of health issues, along with physical and psychological hardship.

Sewing Training Program

Together, we planned out a strategy that would train a total of 14 women how to become skilled seamstresses. The training lasts for a total of 6 months, 6 days a week.  After the 6 month training period is over, the women’s skills will be assessed and they will receive a certificate of completion.  

They will then be able to use this certificate and skill set to secure employment, or start their own business whether together or separate.  Either way, they will have qualified experience that will increase their sense of independence and mobilize them to support themselves and their families.  After the 6 month training is complete, the next set of women will be introduced into the program.  

We sponsored a total of 5 sewing machines, fabric, chairs, cutting boards, and additional materials necessary to facilitate the training.  We worked with RUWON Nepal to identify the best location to hold the the classes, as well as seek out the best trainer to teach the women.  Paint the Globe Foundation will be covering the overhead costs of the training such as monthly rent for the training center, along with the salary for the trainer.  

The curriculum is specifically tailored to teach all the fundamental and advanced techniques of sewing.  Moreover, the women will be also learning how to sew their own reusable menstrual pads, further empowering their sense of independence. The first set of training is set to begin at the beginning of August 2022 and run through February 2023.

Sustainability

Our short term plan is to incrementally increase the capacity of the training program after every 6 months by providing the funds necessary to purchase additional sewing machines and materials.  With PTGF covering the overhead costs for the first 6 months, RUWON Nepal will be able to secure additional funding to further continue the training into the future.

Our long term goal is to scale up operations as a whole, including training capacity, employment of additional trainers and greater participation from the community.  To achieve this, we will be working domestically and abroad to build relationships with organizations with a similar mission. This will create support systems that provide resources and pipelines of funding that will expand our program year over year.

Want to get involved? Donate today to help empower women in Nepal.

The Donation

We also made a generous donation of art, educational and feminine hygiene supplies supporting over 1,600 students at the Bal Uddhar Secondary School and RUWON Nepal, both of which are close affiliates.  The Bal Uddhar Secondary School is led by Principal, Binod Pandit and Chairperson, Dhruba Prasad Ghimire Chairperson who work to ensure that the students get the best education available.  However, due to the lack of available resources, the children and staff are not always able to access the materials necessary for a well-rounded quality education.

Art education currently does not exist as part of the school’s curriculum.  Our donation of art and school supplies will be tremendously beneficial as they now

have the means to begin introducing art literacy to the children.  Gabriel Williams, Founder of PTGF, taught an art workshop to the children and teachers at the school as a means to jump start their art programs.

Furthermore, we empowered over 30 young girls at RUWON Nepal with an abundant contribution of feminine hygiene supplies. We provided them with large quantities of disposable pads, soap, single-use wipes, bras, face creams, sunscreen and much more. Our donation was centered around one goal: provide the necessary resources to support young women, challenge period taboos and stand up to discrimination in communities.

Rural Women’s Network Nepal

Led by President, Goma Divabastola, Rural Women’s Network Nepal (RUWON Nepal) is a national network that has been working hard to improve the condition of girls and women in Nepal since 2007. It is a non-governmental organization working for the education, development and empowerment of underprivileged girls and women from rural areas of Nepal.

RUWON Nepal focuses on human rights and in particular women’s rights. Human rights issues in Nepal include poverty (particularly in rural areas), education disparities, gender inequality, health issues, and the violation of children’s rights.

RUWON Nepal has implemented a number of projects across the country. They supports women and girls from disadvantaged communities in rural areas and Kathmandu. They developed relationships with partnership organizations to work towards shared values and goals. The aim is to achieve sustainable development through social inclusion advocacy and empowerment.