This project will rebuild Women LEAD's home (our office), which suffered critical structural damage in the April 25th earthquake. Our on-site training hall is where hundreds of young women are trained and mentored each year through our leadership and empowerment programs. We urgently need a safe, earthquake-resistant venue in order to continue developing the next generation of female leaders and change-makers in Nepal.
Immediately after the April 25 earthquake, Women LEAD Nepal's community of over 150 young women came together to support each other and help communities through youth-led recovery work. In order to continue this vital work, we need to rebuild our training hall, which suffered severe structural damage. Out of necessity, we have been using this unsafe facility to deliver our programs. We have already secured $20,000 for this project, but need the final $5,000 before breaking ground in January.
We will construct a permanent, earthquake resistant structure to serve as our training hall and a hub for community events and initiatives, providing WLEAD's growing community and young women throughout Kathmandu with a safe (and wheelchair accessible) facility. The one-story, 990 sq foot, building will enable Women LEAD Nepal to continue delivering cost-effective programs, expand our impact, and function as a shelter in the event of a future disaster.
This safe space will create an effective learning environment for over 5,000 young women in the next three years and more than double the size of our current facility. The hall will be used by Women LEAD to equip the next generation of female leaders in Nepal with the skills and knowledge they need to drive change. Additionally, young change-makers will have access to this space to pilot their own earthquake recovery initiatives, empower other youth, and become bold leaders.
