Dear Petrics,
Greetings from Action Works Nepal (AWON) !
Thank you very much for invitation.
I am on the way to Karnali ( a most poor, rural, conflict affected region in Nepal, NLSS 2011). Unfortunately, my flight is cancelled since last three days and I am waiting. Fortunately, I received the email while I am in airport (connecting airport, 1 hour flight from Kathamndu, I have to fly 30 minutes to reach my destination, called Jumla). Thank you for keeping me in loop. I really encouraged. I always felt isolated and stigmatized in such physical or online discussion because I speak from the grass root and my first hand experience. Nepal is itself considered a developing country and rural country for the western people at large. But the real rural women, poor women, conflict affected women do not have access of information and other resources to enjoy and claim the resources as program intended to reach.
Being a rural, poor, survivor of WAR and violence, I may have different perspectives regards the experience of care farming in Nepal.
1. Details about the service providers (organizational forms, agricultural activities, type of service offered, motivation of the provision of such services)
In central and eastern part of Nepal, few NGOs and private institutions are operating child care centers but it is targeted to the well off working women not for the poor, rural, conflict affected and other forms marginalized women because the cost is expensive. In some cases it is also more than caring center, it is called paly groups, Montessori schools which is so expensive where 2 years more children are kept by educated, well paid working mothers.
2. Users (who they are, what is the main benefit for them)
Already mentioned above
3. Financing methods or business model
Usually based on private institutions so models is vary.
4. Who else is involved (public health sector, private sector, professional organizations, etc)
Private sectors mostly
5. Related regulatory of policy frameworks
So far as private company, based on the volume of the investment and objectives, they registered under the government e.g. Small cottage industry or Company registrar or Social welfare council
6. Any other related information
If we see the statistics, Karnali region is the most rural, poor, and conflict affected region and then far west region where women are uneducated, working 18 hours/day, struggling with various forms of gender based violence, directly and indirectly affected by conflict, seasonal migration and many more issues. There are layers of layers issues. Neither they know nor enjoy the rights of Economic, cultural and social rights, nor Article 14 CEDAW, nor uNSCR 1325, 1820 and so on. Sometimes is more than rediculosus. Recently, few institutions are trying to engage though they also failed to work in holistic /system approach. Project, short term and working in single issue don’t make any sense in rural transformation and empowerment of rural women.
In Karnali, women are working with their children in field, forest or street if they do not have younger children to take care of smaller one. They worked from sunshine to sunset in the farm/forest but they are suffering from starvation (83% living under chronic malnutrition). In such situation, how they can think other rights, they just born for work, marriage, bearing children and die where there life expectancy is only 40 years (some reports says 47 years) where Kathmandu people have 81 years and National average life expectancy is 65 years (2012).
Sorry, I couldn’t share the entire experience of mine due to time limitation, in Jumla, I will not have internet, I will be in touch and share later. Please visit finds me in google and you tube by putting my Name Radha Paudel and visit www.actionworksnepal.org
In Peace and Solidarity,
Radha Paudel
Founder/President
Action Works Nepal
email: [email protected]
[email protected]
Writer: Khalangama Hamala
Social Worker Award 2013
Women Peace Maker 2012
URL: www.actionworksnepal.org*
Radha Paudel