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The “Young Women's Leadership Institute (YWLI)” is an expansion project by Women LEAD Nepal, which took place in Waling, Syangja, from May 28th to June 1st, 2023. The project aimed to empower young women aged 18-22 by providing them with essential soft skills such as leadership, public speaking, teamwork, active listening, and time management. Additionally, it sought to raise awareness among participants about gender stereotypes, privileges, biases, gender-based violence (GBV), consent, and youth issues, encouraging them to become agents of change in their communities.
During the five-day-long outreach program in Waling, Syangja, Province 4, our six alumni, who have benefited from Women LEAD's programs and one Women LEAD's staff, stepped up as session facilitators. The program had 33 direct beneficiaries, primarily from indigenous backgrounds, who were the main participants. Additionally, a few teachers and approximately nine staff members from Kanung Cooperatives attended some of the sessions. This brought the total number of indirect beneficiaries to 16 individuals. The program impacted the direct participants and provided valuable learning and growth opportunities for the six facilitators. During the sessions, our alumni shared their experiences, knowledge, and insights with the participants as inspiring role models. This engagement enriched the program and demonstrated the ripple effect of our investment in these young women. The involvement of our alumni in the outreach program exemplifies our commitment to their growth and development. Through various programs, including outreach and expansion initiatives, we create valuable opportunities and a supportive environment for our alumni to continue honing their leadership skills and expanding their capacity.
Overall, this program achieved its objectives of empowering young women, providing them with skills, and making them aware of societal issues. The success of our recent outreach program was largely due to the crucial involvement of our alumni. Their presence served as a testament to the ongoing dedication and impact of Women LEAD's mission, devoted to nurturing and empowering an ever-growing number of determined young girls, currently numbering 450 and counting. They can apply the skills learned in addressing the issues discussed. Many participants felt empowered after attending this program and committed to raising their voices against wrong actions and expressing their opinions.
In essence, our alumni's involvement in the outreach program illustrates how Women LEAD remains committed to nurturing the leadership potential of young women not only during their time in the program but throughout their lives. We believe in the transformative power of education, mentorship, and community, and our alumni are living proof of the positive change that can be achieved when young women are empowered to lead and inspire others.
Stay tuned to hear more from our Alumni!
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Women LEAD acknowledges the stratification existing in a society that hinders young women from reaching their true potential as a leader. With an approach to becoming locally accountable and sustainable, Women LEAD plans to have its footprints in five provinces of Nepal through outreach and expansion efforts. Thus, to bring our programs to all women, Women LEAD has started a series of outreach programs in provinces 2 and 4. The first outreach, "Young Women’s Leadership Institute," was successfully conducted in Province 4, Waling Municipality of Syangja district, in December 2021. The program consisted of 34 participants from grade 12 and undergraduate studies.
As Women LEAD invests in and makes a life-long commitment to its 400+ member alumni community of passionate and ambitious girls to help develop their identity & self-esteem and enable them to make important life decisions while accompanying them in their leadership journey. We engage our alumni in various programs, such as outreach/expansion programs, to foster their leadership and capacity building by providing opportunities and space for them to lead.
Recently, we conducted a week-long outreach program in Sarlahi, Province 2, where 14 Women LEAD alumni joined the programs team as session facilitators. Alumni engaged actively in not just program delivery but also interacted with the participants and provided feedback and suggestions during de-briefs to help make the program even better. The week-long outreach program, Youth for Youth Leadership, targeted adolescent boys and girls in grades 8 and 9.
Our alumni have been pivotal during the implementation of our programs as they “pay it forward” by applying the knowledge and skills they gained during the flagship leadership courses to empower other girls and boys and create change. We envision that by putting young women and girls at the center of our program, community members will be able to challenge their traditional views about women’s and girls’ roles and leadership. Through our alumni community, we’re building a movement of young feminists, with one of the values being “women support and uplift other women” and using one’s privilege to enhance other’s lives. We believe that in the long-run, this growing community will become a powerful network that will drive unprecedented change and transformation in Nepal.
Stay tuned to hear more from our alumni!
Our girls have become the key decision-makers in Women LEAD. In 2013, we established one of the only participant boards in Nepal, entrusting our girls with programmatic decisions and ultimately, the direction of Women LEAD. The Board, elected every two years by the general members, holds us accountable, fulfills fiduciary and regulatory responsibilities, and sets the direction of our growth. From approving budgets to developing strategies to sitting on hiring panels, their role as board members ensures that our most significant decisions are made by the young women we serve and embody their voices and ideas.
Our current Board of Directors in Nepal (Nepal Board) comprises seven alumni elected by general members in 2021. Every year, Women LEAD hosts Annual General Meeting (AGM), which is joined by its alumni who are general members. After two years of hosting our AGM virtually in 2020 and 2021, we could hold an in-person AGM this year.
Our Nepal board conducted the AGM on the 31st of December, 2022. The Board presented the general members on the organization's finance, budget planning, and upcoming programs to be done by Women LEAD Nepal. General Members (alumni), Board Members (alumni), and Women LEAD Nepal Staff attended this year's annual general meeting. The program started with the opening remarks by Nepal Board President Sagoon, followed by a warm welcome by Executive Director Hima Bista. All the reports were approved and passed by the general members.
The 2022 AGM brought together Women LEAD Nepal's alumi across different cohorts of the programs, program types, and alumi belonging to diverse professional and academic backgrounds. It also served as a great networking and reunion event for our alumi who shared about their work and passion with each other.
At Women LEAD, we are committed to providing adolescent girls and young women (aged 15-25) with the skills, support, and opportunities they need to become leaders and changemakers in their schools, communities, nation, and the world. Every day, we work towards a Nepal where the voices of women and girls are powerful and influential, and women occupy positions of leadership and decision-making.
Stay tuned to hear more about our amazing leaders!
Women LEAD was established in 2011 with the vision of a better world where women leaders co-create the future because we believe in the power of girls to change Nepal’s trajectory. We are committed to providing adolescent girls and young women (aged 15-25) with the skills, support, and opportunities they need to become leaders and changemakers in their schools, communities, nation, and the world. Every day, we work to foster a future where women are equally represented in leadership positions across all sectors by:
Women LEAD Nepal is specifically focused on the long-term leadership development of young women. We invest in and make a life-long commitment to our 390+ member alumni community of passionate and ambitious girls to help develop their identity & self-esteem and enable them to make important life decisions while accompanying them in their leadership journey. Through this, we aim to build a community of solidarity by bringing girls from diverse backgrounds together so that they start breaking down caste, ethnic and economic segregation. We believe that in the long run, this growing community will become a powerful network that will drive unprecedented change and transformation in Nepal.
Women LEAD Nepal continues to provide opportunities for our alumni to build their leadership and professional skills and achieve success in their professional careers after the completion of the program. By doing so, we will ensure that our alumni continue to utilize and build upon the skills, knowledge, and experience they have gained through the program. After the completion of the program, Women LEAD Nepal provides internship opportunities to its program participants. Hear from two of our current interns and recent program graduates :
"After graduating as a 2021 LEADer from Women LEAD Nepal’s LEAD Course, I got an opportunity to work as one of the program interns here. Through this internship, my communication skills have improved significantly and I have also learned to manage my emotions, stress, and time while balancing both my studies and work. - Suvanju
"From being a 2021 LEADer to a Program Intern at Women LEAD Nepal, I'm flooded with opportunities here. From learning how to step out of my comfort zone as a participant to facilitating orientation sessions during program recruitment to providing key support during the programmatic aspects of the new cohort, I've seen my growth while learning and unlearning things but mostly learning." - Shanti, 2021 LEADer, 2022 Program Intern
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Women LEAD Nepal in collaboration with the British Council Nepal curated a series of Speed Mentoring Sessions for the Women of the World (WOW) Nepal festival in April 2022 in Lumbini. There were 30 mentors from diverse backgrounds (academic/professional/caste/culture) who mentored 41 mentees (aged 18-26) from Lumbini. We, at Women LEAD, emphasize mentoring to create a supportive environment for young women to grow their confidence and establish the networks they need to achieve long-term success. Out of the 30 mentors, 9 were our program alumni.
Hear from them about their experiences:
"Mentoring at WOW Lumbini was a rewarding experience as I have always considered mentorship a two-way learning process. I saw the critical role that mentorship programs serve in empowering and supporting women. I had the opportunity to mentor girls from a different socio-demographic background than mine. As a result, it was an eye-opening experience that allowed me to have a better understanding of the challenges and struggles that girls and women face in this region of Nepal." - Simrika
"My major takeaway is that change is coming. I met beautiful souls who want to do something for the society and for themselves. There are many unheard stories and so these young women want to be heard. Their words have inspired me to be a better human being. I have formed sisterhood across different geography." - Elina
"This was my first time doing a speed mentoring - talking to many young women, listening to their stories, sharing my own experiences with them in hope that it might be of some help, and trying to navigate the way out of a problem (that they were facing) together. One of my major takeaways is that no matter where (geographically, economically, socially) we 'women' are, we are fighting against the patriarchal system, gender norms, expectations, and roles that are put on us and that we are striving hard to realize our own dreams despite our own hardships. This realization has been empowering for me!" - Aksha
"From being a mentee at OWN IT 2020 to being a mentor in WOW Lumbini 2022's Speedmentoring, the journey has been amazing. This experience as a mentor helped me understand the daily livelihood of young girls, and their struggle toward being empowered, in various stages of their lives. Similarly, hearing success stories of young women smashing traditional norms and values changed my narratives about the power these women carry within themselves. With the experiences gained from this speed mentoring, I will always try to assist young women in their leadership journeys." - Kajal
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