Second Daisy Chains Graduation!

On April 29^th the Daisy Chains group of women from Gyaneshwor that are sponsored by MasterCard, graduated from the education and training phase of the program. This was a very exciting and emotional day for these women, also witnessed by a number of women from the previous graduating group, their sense of accomplishment and newfound pride and confidence is an inspiration.

At the beginning of our informal ceremony many of the women shared their personal experiences of how their lives have been forever changed by the simple gift of literacy:

“I am a widow and when I was illiterate, no one would listen to me. Even my own family would ignore me and try to take advantage of me. Now, no one can cheat me, I know my rights and I can read anything!”

“My own children respect me now, they know how hard I have worked. Now they understand why their own education is so important.”

These comments are indicative of the very positive and determined attitudes of all of the women in this group now. Throughout the course of the education component of the program all members of the group regularly contributed to the savings plan. This lead to the group accumulating 36,000 Nepalese rupees (about AU$580.00) in savings prior to graduation! 20,000 rupees of this amount has been lent back to various members of the group who were eager to start their own small businesses. Motivated by the success and ongoing support of last years’ graduates from the program, the women of Gyaneshwor have been moving forward in leaps and bounds.

As at graduation time, 17 of the women in the group were already working together in small groups to run their own shops in the local area selling items such as fruit, vegetables, prayer offerings, incense, snack foods, tea and hot food. This has been possible through small loans from the group savings program and with the guidance and mentorship of women from the previous groups in the program.

One pair of women are running a small shop next to the local temple and they sell various offerings, incense etc for visitors to the temple. They are now making around 14,000 rupees (about AU$226.00) per month. This is a fourfold increase on what they earned previously working as domestic labourers. The small loan they took from the group to start the business was repaid within just 3 months.

A further 3 women from the group have been so motivated by their studies that they have enrolled in formal school in order to complete their School Leaving Certificate (SLC). This is especially impressive as in most cases they will be studying the same material as their own children. One of these women has already completed class 3 in which she came first, and class 4 in which she came fourth, and she is now in class 5. She was the oldest of four children and so had to work to support her family and could not go to school as a child.

Core to the Daisy Chains program is that the women do not repay their loans to Mitrataa but they pay them forward to the next group of women. This creates a wonderful network and sense of camaraderie for the women. The highlight of the graduation ceremony was the Treasurer of the first graduating group handing over to the Treasurer of the new graduates the repayment of their loan amount of 10,000 rupees (about AU$161.00), each one carefully counting out the notes to a huge applause. The Treasurer from the first group commented that she felt relieved that the loan was repaid and was honoured to be supporting the dreams of the new group.

At the conclusion of the ceremony each member of the graduating class was presented with a small gift from MasterCard. The women were so excited by this and touched that people so far away had been supporting them to reach for their dreams.

The strength of the Gyaneshwor group is founded on the mutual support and respect each of the members share, the mentorship of the women from the previous group, and the strength and determination of the members. As a result, it is likely that the main business of the group will be a small credit co-operative for the members. This means each of the members can pursue their own small business interests whilst still benefiting from the moral, logistical and financial support of the group. This model shows a real maturity of the group and the program as a whole and makes an excellent foundation for the sustainability of the program in this locality. As with the previous year, we already have a waiting list for the next group which will start in June.

How amazing to think that less than a year ago, these 24 women were illiterate and now they have accumulated so much money that they are able to run their own small credit union for their own benefit!

Forum for Daisy Chains Women

On our recent visit to Kathmandu we hosted a reunion and forum for all of the women in the first group to complete our Daisy Chains project.

Around 30 women attended the program representing 6 of the groups to complete the education and training component of the program. The first item on the agenda was an opportunity for anyone to share their experiences of the program and running their business. We were quite surprised to see the excitement and enthusiasm in the women as they shared their stories of hard work and determination to make their businesses a success.

There was one group of women that really stood out. They started a candle making business which is a fantastic idea in Kathmandu where there are regular blackouts! This group had already paid back their seed money loan, and had even started a second bank account where they store profits that can be used by any member in their group as a loan if they want to start another business. From this second loan account one of their women then started her own bakery/coffee shop. She has now paid back her loan and made enough to open a second bakery/coffee shop - she is franchising! What is even more inspiring about this story is that the woman with the bakeries was married at 9 years of age, she is now 29 and has a 15 year old son. When she started the program she was completely illiterate having never been to school.

There were some similar stories of success however there were also some groups who were struggling. The second session provided a chance for them to share their challenges amongst their peers, who could then provide moral support as well as practical suggestions. The challenges some of the women were facing were not unusual in Nepal and could really be summarised as a lack of confidence combined with inability to commit the time/effort necessary to get the business off the ground. Remember many of these women come from domestic helper backgrounds and must continue this work whilst they are setting up their business. A number of the women also face hostile attitudes at home which can be very demoralising.

The more successful groups were a great support to these women. They told them that they had faced similar hurdles but by sticking together and supporting each other in the group they were able to succeed. I think this message really got through to the women and it was wonderful to see a real mentoring relationship developing.

After a quick lunch it was time for some of the group who had new business ideas to share them and get feedback and suggestions from the group. This again proved to be very productive and you could see the increased motivation and determination in the women as their confidence grew knowing they had the support of everyone present.

The final session for the day was given by Bec who introduced the concept of dreaming and how one small dream can lead to some amazing inventions and business ideas. Following on from this she introduced our Defying Gravity scholarship program and strongly urged the women present to think about applying. The program provides larger scholarships to women who have a larger business plan that will benefit many through employment and the type of business it is. The program includes financial assistance, ongoing mentoring, skills training if needed, and market sourcing. A number of the women were extremely keen to get involved in this program and judging by the successes so far, it is going to be huge!

As everyone left in the afternoon it was heartening to see women exchanging phone numbers, obviously new friendships and support networks had been formed, and existing ones were strengthened. It was an honour to spend the day with such a hard working and inspiring group of women. It left us with no doubt that it is women and girls who are the future of development in countries like Nepal.

Chicago Marathon Fundraiser

Hi! Below is a post from a volunteer who is now running the Chicago Marathon to raise money for Mitrataa(!).

Hello!
 
I hope life is treating you well.
 
Last December while in Nepal, I had the privilege to have a short volunteering experience where I visited about 10 literacy classes for the girls and women of Kathmandu sponsored by Mitrataa Foundation which is a small charity founded and ran by a couple of kind Australians. I was asked by Mitrataa to assess the progress of the classes. I was amazed with the enthusiasm of the students whose age varied between 14 and 60! I was told by the teacher of a class that a student who was 60 years old filled a whole exercise book as soon as she could write her name first time in her life! The classes also teach women how to start and run a small business so that women are empowered to have a better life over all. (This is our Daisy Chains project.)
 
Most of the students attended the classes in between their chores and earning a living while working in terrible conditions for less than a dollar a day. After this short but incredible experience, I promised myself that my next fund raising effort would be for the Mitrataa Foundation as I have seen what they try to provide to these unfortunate women who happened to be born in the wrong part of the world.
 
Due to being based away from all friends (e.g. being in my home town in Turkey for the past 3 months) I didn't think it was logistically possible for me to have a fund raiser effort for the Chicago Marathon that I am suppose to run on Sunday. BUT I have not done much training and I really need an incentive to finish the bloody thing! I NEED your help! Please, please would you sponsor me so that I finish the Marathon? I am going to be in huge pain and may give up half way because after all what is the point? But if I know that those less fortunate than me will benefit from my pain, I will continue until the end!  GO ON - help me and those who really really need it!
 
And here are the pictures of my visit to these classes.
 
With tons of love.
Yegane

PS - When you pledge, I will give you the link to make an online donation - so it is dead easy!

To donate now, click here to go to our website and then click on the blue 'Make a Donation' button in the top right corner. This will take you to our PayPal page and from there just follow the instructions.

Women's Day Picnic!

On Monday, 16th March, we held a picnic day for all of the women currently participating in our Daisy Chains project. Around 200 previously illiterate domestic workers joined us in a Kathmandu park to celebrate their achievements in learning to read and write and embarking on their businesses. The picnic was the culmination of a week of educational and advocacy programs organised by our partner, CWISH. These programs were held as part of the celebrations of International Women’s Day which was on Sunday, 8th March.

The day started at about 10:30am with all of the attendees enjoying a breakfast of roti, curry and tea. This was the perfect way to put everyone in a festive mood for the games and activities to come. It was inspiring to see so many women in one place who had each worked so hard to take steps to lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty. Many brought their young children with them and as I look around the groups it was amazing to see that many friendships and support networks had obviously formed.

The end of breakfast was signaled when the ghetto blaster started playing some familiar Nepalese folk songs, prompting many to hit the dance floor for the next hour! After the dancing there were some quick welcome speeches followed by a hilarious team trivia contest. As the contest was held in Nepali I am not sure of all of the questions and answers but I do know that when asked how many legs a spider has, ‘10’ was accepted as the correct answer!!!

Once prizes were distributed for the winning teams it was time for a more serious moment as a drama performance was given dealing with the issue of abuse and rights for domestic workers. The play was very well done and I noticed many women nodding as they could obviously relate to the scenarios being played out before them. There is something quite impactful about watching people enacting the brutality and cruelty that is sometimes shown to other human beings and I am sure everyone present took something away from the experience. The play concluded with some information given to the attendees on important numbers they can contact if they need help in these areas, this type of service is so lacking in Nepal, a country in which it is needed perhaps more than most.

The rest of the day was spent with more eating and fun. There was some more dancing, a little singing and even a game of musical chairs that must have involved about 120 of the women – chaos!!! A fun day was had by all and it gave them the chance to reaffirm the message to each of their peers that they are not alone and that they deserve each other’s respect and support for the things they are achieving with their lives.

International Women's Day - 8 March 2009

Today is International Women's Day (IWD) and is being celebrated in Nepal through various programs along with many other countries across the world.

Mitrataa's work with women really crystallised with the Daisy Chains project, which has been a fantastic success. Enrollments have so far reached 330 for this project and we expect to easily surpass our goal of 500 later this year. At present all of the groups are in the final phase of their education - planning their businesses. This is an exciting time for these women and their energy and enthusiasm is inspiring. Some of the groups have been so eager that they have already started their businesses whilst still completing their lessons. Candle making has been particularly popular and successful in light of the ongoing electricity shortage in Kathmandu! We also have women selling clothes (using their group buying power to get cheaper wholesale prices), selling vegetbales, making and selling Nepali snacks, and one group is running a catering service.

To commemorate IWD our friends at CWISH have planned a week of educational programs and activities for these women as well as other women in their communities. The various programs on education will include topics such as social empowerment, women's legal rights and responsibilities, domestic violence, HIV awareness, women's health issues (particularly Uterine Prolapse which is a common problem for Nepali women) and labour rights. We firmly believe that all of these issues are critical and must be included in any comprehensive education program for women, teaching them to read and write is only the beginning.

At the conclusion of these programs we will be hosting a picnic for all of the women currently involved in the Daisy Chains project. This will be a chance for them to unwind for a day, celebrate all that they have learned and achieved so far, and motivate them to go into the next phase of their lives and work with a new sense of esteem and confidence. The picnic is scheduled for next Friday (13th March) so stay tuned for a report and some photos!

On a more sobering note, I was just reading the IWD website and was shocked by some of the statistics regarding women and their status in our world:

* 70% of the 1.2 billion people living in poverty in the world are women
* women comprise 2/3 of the +1 billion illiterate adults in the world
* women do 2/3 of the world's work but receive 10% of the world's income
* women's education is the most powerful predicter of lower fertility rates

Something to think about. There are many more statistics and pieces of useful information at the website.

The plight of children in Nepal

The other day I read an article in a local newspaper regarding the plight of children in Nepal. In many respects the article reiterated what we already know but it is still always confronting to have the numbers and details set out before you. I thought it appropriate to share some of the main points as a reminder of how lucky we are and how much more needs to be done to correct imbalances and injustices in the world.

• Of Nepal’s 26 million people, 10 million are under the age of 18.
• Many children must work to survive including picking plastics for recycling from large rubbish dumps for very little money.
• When asked about child rights, they know something but are confused about whether the rights should be provided by grown-ups or children should be asking for their rights.
• There are about 5,000 street children in Nepal. About 1,000 of these are in Kathmandu and are particularly vulnerable to physical and psychological abuse.
• An estimated 20,000 children were displaced due to the Maoist insurgency.
• 21,000 children work as domestic labourers in Kathmandu, around 100,000 children work in this way throughout Nepal. They are typically deprived of their basic rights.
• Children constitute around 20% (40,000) of the approximately 200,000 Nepalese prostitutes working in India.
• It is estimated that up to 10,000 Nepali girls are sold into prostitution each year.
• In the last 3 years over 500 children under 14 have been sold to circuses in India.
• 11% of Nepalese children have never been to school.
• 65% of children who do attend school drop out before class 5.
• Only 24% of enrolled school children reach class 10.
• The majority of orphanages in Kathmandu are not authorised and are filled with children who have parents and family members able to look after them. It is common to find children from these orphanages begging on the streets of the capital.
• These orphanages generally refuse admission to legitimate orphans.

We can only hope that situations such as these become a priority for the new government in Nepal. Education across all sectors of society will be crucial in affecting change as many of these situations arise from ignorance, lack of education or long held cultural attitudes and beliefs. Good news has arrived this week in the form of the new budget announced by the government last Friday (19th September). Education received the largest piece of the budget pie and included an ambitious goal to achieve 100% literacy in Nepal in the next two years! This should be the beginning of an exciting and prosperous new era for the country and its children.

Nepal is by no means the only country in the world facing these challenges, it is simply the country we have chosen to focus on. My belief is that if we all helped in whatever capacity we could, real and lasting change will come. That is why we are so grateful for all of the amazing support we receive from all of you, together we are making a difference.

Some things to think about...

I have been doing some research for background on some of our projects and came across some very disturbing statistics regarding literacy in Nepal. Of course it is no secret that there is work to do in this area – in fact that is why we are doing the work we do – but it is still quite confronting when you see the numbers.

The 2001 census rates Nepal’s literacy for people over 15 years old at approximately 49%, this ranks Nepal in the bottom 20 countries in the world. However when broken down by gender the situation, perhaps unsurprisingly, is much worse. Whilst around 63% of males are literate only 35% of females are so lucky. The World Bank recently estimated that of the 867 million illiterate adults in the world today, 64% are women. So Nepal is not alone in having such a disparity in its population’s literacy.

Many reports and studies continue to show the many and significant advantages to a country when females are given a chance at an education. Some of the main benefits suggested by the UN of investing in women and girls are listed below.

• It has a multiplier effect on productivity, efficiency and sustained economic growth for the country.
• Women who are educated tend to have fewer and healthier children, and those children are more likely to attend school.
• It increases the ability and likelihood of women and girls to protect themselves against HIV.
• Women make long-ranging contributions to poverty eradication and development.

We are proud that our projects, in particular our Dream Catchers and Daisy Chains projects, tackle these problems head on. There are hundreds of other grassroots organisations similar to us out there doing their part to overcome this tremendous hurdle. This means there is a real opportunity for everyone to get involved in some way. As I have said before, all it takes is your decision to become involved. All you need do is make contact and ask the question – how can I help,? So what are you waiting for?