Learning for Life is working with its partner Community Support Association of Nepal (COSAN) on a project which aims to address the exclusion of women from policy making and social services in Nepal, particularly women living in remote and often inaccessible mountainous areas.

 

These women often do not receive a proper education or have access to healthcare services and are rarely aware of what they are entitled to.  We are working to change this by educating women on their rights and entitlements and improving excluded communities' ability to engage in the local decision-making process through the formation and training of community action groups.

 

We are conducting training and capacity building of not only the target beneficiaries but also other stakeholders including local decision makers, influential leaders and other non-governmental organisations.

 

Following training, the target population will be in a position to directly engage with local decision makers and advocate collectively to ensure that their rights and entitlements are upheld, particularly with regards to laws on inclusive education, gender equality and domestic violence, all of which are far too often a problem for marginalised women.

 

So far:

>22,145 children are now in full-time primary education in our project area.

>285 socially-excluded women are now taking part in local decision-making bodies.

>110 community action groups (2,321 members) have collectively reduced domestic violence by 60% in their villages.