Gender Equality Nepal Project #32055

Girls Wanna Run! Training Nepal's Generation Next!

by Women LEAD

Project Report | Jul 14, 2020
Welcoming our 3rd Cohort of YWPLI Fellows!

By Dipasa Bista | Development Officer

Our 2017 YWPLI Fellows with Guest Speaker.

We are thrilled to announce that the applications for the 3rd iteration of Young Women’s Political Leadership Institute (YWPLI) are now LIVE! We are equally excited to welcome and groom a new batch of 20 young, amazingly passionate change-makers who’ll play a key role in co-creating Nepal’s political future.

The 9-month long program, this year, will commence on 16th August 2020 and is expected to conclude with a graduation on 1st May. Adapting to the new normal brought about by the global Pandemic COVID-19, the program will run online initially. COVID-19 might’ve posed new challenges ahead of us but amidst the pandemic, one thing that hasn’t changed at all is our young changemakers' zeal and commitment to changing the status quo of Nepali women in politics.

This year, our 20 enthusiastic fellows will intern with female politicians from various government agencies for at least a month – most of whom were elected during the 2017 local elections. Additionally, to get more ground exposure and to understand the roles of women representatives at the local level, our 2020 Fellows will be taken on a week-long trip outside Kathmandu, potentially to Province 1. Our Fellows will have the opportunity to work with women Mayors and Deputy Mayors during the field trip. They’ll receive hands-on learning opportunities and a chance to understand different leaders' leadership styles.

Starting this year, our YWPLI Fellows will be receiving mentorship by our past Fellows and Alumni. Unlike in the previous years, our alumni based overseas and outside Kathmandu will have the opportunity to be mentors. The mentorship is expected to provide our dynamic and bold Fellows with the opportunity to build their own ally-ship as they continue to challenge the patriarchal structure of Nepali society.

“YWPLI has helped me understand my role as a Nepali citizen while providing me with the knowledge to create change. My plans have always been to work in public service while making public institutions more accountable, transparent and inclusive; the knowledge I’ve gained at YWPLI has only helped further my aspirations,” says our 2017 Fellow Sujata.

In the following 2 months, the applicants of YWPLI 2020 will undergo a fair selection process. The shortlisted candidates will be called in for an interview and finally, 20 exceptional young women will be selected to embark on this 9-month long journey full of learning.

Stay tuned for updates on our incredible YWPLI 2020 Fellows’ journey.

YWPLI'17 Fellows during 2 week Political Institute

Snippet from 2-week long Political Institute 2017.

Links:

Check out Women LEAD's newly updated website.

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Mar 19, 2020
Engaging with Policies and Politics

By Bidhya | 2018 YWPLI Fellow and Women LEAD Board Secretary

Bidhya encouraging others to vote during YWPLI

My experience participating in Women LEAD's Young Women’s Political Leadership Institute (YWPLI) was my first step into politics and policy-making. During YWPLI, I campaigned for Subuna Basnet, a young activist and candidate for the House of Representatives, who I had come to know of in 2015 through Women LEAD. While voters questioned her policies and, perhaps, I also did not understand them that well, what motivated me to support her campaign was her genuine passion for politics. While we did not succeed in electing her, working for her gave me a valuable lesson; it made me realize that even though people will doubt you, that should not deter you from achieving your purpose.

After graduating from YWPLI, I carried on exploring the interaction between people and the law. I started experimenting with film-making as a form of activism. I worked with a team of three other exceptional women to make Pahichan, a short documentary on Rukshana Kapali. Rukshana is a young transwoman fighting against a trans-exclusionary admission rule at Tribhuvan University, the largest University in Nepal. The making of that film was my first attempt to ‘put my statement out there’ in front of an audience.

By telling Rukshana’s story, we attempted to challenge the heteronormative patriarchy of Nepali society and the laws and institutions that emanated from it. While I have continued my journey of storytelling, I have further expanded on my knowledge and engagement with policymaking that began at YWPLI.

I currently work as a Research and Communications Assistant at Samriddhi Foundation, a public policy organization working to promote economic freedom. My work at Samriddhi has given me insight into the making of public policies and that the government can play the role of both a facilitator and an inhibitor in the lives of its citizens. I have written a policy brief on Nepal’s new media law, which is aimed at curtailing citizens’ freedom of expression. Somebody recently asked me why I have to work for a so-called ‘political cause’ and my response to it was, “don’t we all work for a political cause?”

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Dec 22, 2019
My Journey into Politics

By Anukriti | 2018 YWPLI Alumni

Anukriti explaining party's view of fellow voters

As a teenager, politics always frustrated me and I never wanted to be a part of it in any way. However, after taking part in Women LEAD’s Young Women’s Political Leadership Institute (YWPLI) in 2017, my perspective about politics changed.

Through the YWPLI, I was introduced to basic concepts within politics. We learnt about democracy and what makes a state a good democracy, about Nepal, its history, politics, and the importance of keeping ourselves informed because history can be biased to benefit the people in power. YWPLI changed the way I viewed myself and the world surrounding me. It gave me a critical approach to analyzing things and be more empathetic towards others.

One of the biggest learning experiences for me was being able to volunteer for a political party in which I saw potential. I had the opportunity to work in their headquarters and help them by distributing pamphlets and talking to voters. This helped me to learn how politics works on the ground in Nepal and made me more passionate to work in politics as my future career.

At the end of the YWPLI, my peers and I developed an art installation on women in politics. We interviewed women from diverse parties and backgrounds on their motivations for entering politics, their experiences, and the hardships they faced. This experience opened my eyes to the disadvantages women face in mainstream politics due to their gender

and it put all the things we learned during the YWPLI into context.

The major takeaway for me from the YWPLI was realizing how activism, law and policies go hand in hand. I realized that there is a huge difference between laws being written and being enforced. For example, although Nepal has very progressive laws these are often not correctly implemented and the benefits do not reach the people they are supposed to.

Women in Nepal have enormous potential; all my YWPLI fellows are amazing young women striving to make a change and I am so very thankful to be able to have this opportunity to meet and be inspired, by them.

I am truly grateful for the enormous support, love, and opportunities that I have received from Women LEAD. I would not have been able to be where I am today- currently studying at Centre College in Kentucky USA- without participating in the YWPLI program.

Anukriti campaigning for votes

Links:

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