Her Farm Films is a women's empowerment program that is breaking all gender roles and providing real, sustainable incomes for independence. Real empowerment means an income that enables a woman to support herself and not live a life of dependency on a male member of the family. Unless and until a woman can achieve the level of income she has not been empowered, she's been further enslaved. Small incomes go to the male members of the household and the woman simply has more work to do.
A majority of women's empowerment programs teach women very stereotypical skills from which they can earn very little money, entrapping them further by reinforcing the idea of "women's work" and adding to their workload, not their independence. "I never considered what I liked to do, I 'chose' this training in sewing, because it was the only option." After a pause, she continued, "I suppose because, this is a fitting job for girls" said a women's empowerment program participant.
Her Farm Films trains women to be photographers and filmmakers. Roles not typical for women, roles that are highly skilled and roles that pay very well. The women of Her Farm Films earn more than the per capita income of Nepal, in a few months of work and create huge visual impact when other women see them working in these professional roles. These women were all born and raised on farms in rural villages. Breaking the myth that rural farm women can't do highly skilled work.
There are six women earning above the per capita income level and breaking stereotypes with their work. In 2019 they were hired for 11 weddings and 3 public events as videographer and photographers. The quality of their work is excellent and they have more offers of work than they can fulfill. They are role models to thousands of women and girls who are seeing, for the first time ever, possibilities for work they never dreamed of. With your help, we can double the number of women working.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
