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.

More Journalist Workshops

A few weeks back Janet O’Connor once again joined us in Kathmandu to conduct two half-day workshops for women journalists. This time the topic was feature writing which proved to be a far more challenging course than the previous journalism basics Janet had given.

The workshops were attended by around 25 journalists from in and around Kathmandu covering a range of backgrounds including newspapers, radio, TV, magazines, freelance and student.

The first workshop covered a range of topics including ethics in journalism, differences between hard news and features, different types of introductions and their importance, the importance of structure, and the morning finished with an exercise in mind mapping the structure for a feature article.

The second workshop covered feature analysis, editing and the importance of word choice and being economical with words, and finished with some exercises and discussion on interviews. This last part raised a lot of interest and questions as interviewing is something that many in the group found difficult. Janet had plenty of practical suggestions for helping them to better prepare for and get the most out of their interviews.

All of the topics covered in the workshop really challenged the attendees as many of them had little formal training, instead learning 'on the job'. Also, the general standard of feature writing in Nepal is not high and so it was a great help for the participants to be exposed to examples from international publications as well as having the opportunity to discuss their ideas and raise questions with an experienced journalist.

We must thank Janet profusely for all of her hard work in putting the course together as well as travelling all the way to Kathmandu to share it with us!

Family Trek Update - bookings close soon...

We've had a wonderful response to our planned Family Trek for 2010.

Due to the majority of people expressing interest being adult, we've decided to go to the culturally more interesting Helambu for a 7 day trek and we'll be staying in village lodges and meeting the locals. It is shaping up to be an interesting and diverse group of like minded souls all interested in Nepal and the betterment of women and girls (in particular!) there.

This means for those of you who were concerned about camping, fear no more! All of the accommodation will be in lodges and guest houses. The structure of the trek also means there will be less walking than before, only about 4 hours per day on average.

We need confirmation by way of deposits by the end of November and there are a few spaces left so do get in touch if you are interested!

Dream Centre Graduation!

Last Friday we were honoured and excited to attend the graduation program for the first group of girls from our pilot Dream Centre. The Centre has been open for almost 5 months and 15 girls have successfully completed the 4.5 month course covering 'skills for learning, skills for life'.

The day was a chance to share some of the things they have learned as well as a celebration of their new-found confidence and pride. Key topics covered during the program include communication, motivation, co-operation, leadership, confidence, gratitude, appreciating differences, inclusive thinking, optimism, emotion management, critical thinking, decision making and problem solving.

Some highlights of the program included a drama written by some of the girls to highlight the importance of friendship (appreciating differences, inclusive thinking and gratitude), a number of dances choreographed by the girls, and some speeches from a few of the girls on their Dream Centre experience. It really was startling to think it was the same group of girls we had met a short while ago who were then very quiet and shy. Now their determination and improved self-esteem was on display for all to see!

The program concluded with the presentation of graduation certificates and memory books which the girls had been working on during the program. The Dream Centre facilitators had included an inspiring message in each of the books as a keepsake for the girls to remember their Dream Centre experience. We also presented some small prizes for the girls who excelled in certain areas such as creativity, spelling, speaking etc.

With the second Dream Centre set to open shortly the day was a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the success of the program so far as well as building excitement for it's growth in the future. A huge thank you must as always go to our three facilitators who have done an amazing job in transforming the lives of this first group of girls!

Lots happening in Kathmandu

Just a quick post as I have been off the air for a while due to internet difficulties here in Nepal! Bec and I have been here for the last 10 days or so and in that time we have been run off our feet with volunteers, workshops, meetings and lots of exciting things being planned for next year.

I'll be posting updates on each of these things in the coming days. In brief, we have had a volunteer run a two-day workshop for women journalists, two volunteers run a two-day workshop for Maths teachers, witnessed the graduation of the first group of girls from our pilot Dream Centre, finalised the location for the next Dream Centre, hosted a workshop on dreaming for graduates of our Daisy Chains project, the list goes on!

Stay tuned...

Amazing People!

I recently posted a message from Yegane, a former volunteer who was raising money for Mitrataa by running the Chicago marathon. Well I am so proud and happy to report that Yegane completed the marathon in a fantastic time of 4:22:00. This is particularly impressive when you think that the temperature only reached 5°C towards the end of the marathon! As well as this mighty effort, through her friends and supporters Yegane has managed to raise around AU$2,000 for Mitrataa. So to all of these people we say a huge "thank you"!

We also recently received a AU$700 donation from a group of friends who have adopted Mitrataa as their charity for fundraising events through their work social club. To raise this money the group held a trivia night and also a muffin sale for morning tea in their office. Thanks so much guys!

These are just two examples of how easy it is for anyone to contribute and make a difference to any cause that is important to them.

With AU$2,700 in Nepal we can:

* Educate 40 women in basic literacy, numeracy and business skills, and give them a small loan to start a business; and
* Send 2 Nepali girls to school for a year, giving them books, stationery, uniforms and everything else they need to study.

So as you can see, so much can be achieved with relatively small amounts of money - so many lives can be changed forever.

Thank you so much again to Yegane and everyone mentioned above, and to all of our supporters. It is due to all of you that we are able to do something to substantially change the lives of women and girls in Nepal.

Family Trek 2010

We are excited to share that our first fundraising trek will take place in April next year (2010). This trip will provide a fantastic opportunity for you and a relative to visit Nepal, participate in a relatively easy trek that allows you to take in some breathtaking views of the Himalayas, and visit some of our projects in and around Kathmandu.

We have designed the trip with families in mind making it ideal for parents and children, brothers and sisters, couples etc. Numbers for the trip will be kept quite small, up to about 16 people maximum, so it also provides the perfect opportunity to meet people who share your interest in Nepal.

More information about the trip can be found at our website.

Contact details are also provided on the site or you can email me directly for more information including pricing. Closing date for bookings for the trip is 30 November 2009.

We look forward to the opportunity of sharing the beauty and magic of Nepal with you!