Girls: Better after quake

Girls Better After Quake: Empowering Marginalized Girls for a Better Future

The "Girls Better After Quake" initiative continues to create meaningful impact by providing young girls affected by the earthquake with tailored support and essential skills. With the steadfast support of our donors, the program has expanded its reach, ensuring that more girls have the opportunity to build a stronger future.

A significant milestone in this journey has been the recent extension of our efforts to the marginalized Chepang community in Gorkha District of western Nepal. A preliminary assessment in the area revealed alarming concerns, including the high prevalence of early marriage and teenage pregnancy, which have directly contributed to a notably high school dropout rate among adolescent girls. Economic hardships which could have been further aggravated by the earthquake were found to often drive these young girls toward early marriage, with the hope that life with their in-laws might offer better opportunities than their parental homes.

To address these pressing issues, our initiative focused on capacity-building efforts that empowered adolescent girls in the Chepang community with activism skills. As part of this effort, a three-day intensive residential training was conducted in the presence of representatives from Gandaki Rural Municipality. The training covered various critical topics, including menstruation myths, reproductive health, family planning, early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and gender-based violence. These skills equipped them to become advocates for menstrual health management (MHM) in their schools and communities. The training aimed to not only provide knowledge but also to cultivate leadership, activism, and advocacy skills, ensuring that these young girls could confidently educate and support their peers. To further guide, monitor and support these youth champions and keep our efforts long-lasting, local coordinators were selected and trained from within the community.

In addition to equipping these youth champions with the tailored knowledge and skills, the program also assessed the menstruation-friendliness of school infrastructures to ensure a supportive and enabling for their advocacy. Meetings were held with school stakeholders to prioritize improvements, and the team actively advocated with school authorities for necessary upgrades to enhance menstrual health-friendly facilities. Through participatory assessments, the initiative provided technical support to schools, ensuring that adolescent girls had access to a safer and more accommodating learning environment.

The trained Chepang girls, now transformed into youth champions, took on leadership roles by leading 32 school and community sessions over eight months, across four different wards of Gandaki Rural Municipality in Gorkha. Their sessions focused on MHM, family planning, early marriage, and teenage pregnancy.

As part of this broader empowerment effort, youth champions and local coordinators were given the opportunity to choose a skill-based training program that aligned with their interests, with financial support from Visible Impact. The majority of participants expressed a strong interest in computer courses, recognizing the potential for future career opportunities. A few others opted for beauty parlour and tailoring training. However, due to scheduling conflicts, only two local coordinators and five youth champions were able to complete the computer course, while one local coordinator used the support to pursue higher studies.

A stakeholder dialogue was also held to share key outcomes and insights. The local government was highly receptive to the initiative and extended an invitation to Visible Impact to implement a long-term program focusing on awareness, education, health initiatives, and financial empowerment for the community.

Looking ahead, the initiative aims to further strengthen its impact by introducing more vocational training programs that will provide financial independence and long-term stability for these young girls. With the continued support of our donors and partners, we remain committed to building a future where young girls in Nepal can thrive, free from the barriers of early marriage and limited opportunities.