A Voice For the Voiceless

The Advocacy Project helps marginalized communities to tell their story, claim their rights and produce social change. We recruit graduate students to volunteer as Peace Fellows with partners.

The Impact of Service



"Speaking with locals and living in a country is the best way to learn about the real lives of citizens, not just the stories in the mainstream media. I will be more critical of what I read as a result of this experience. I also feel even more grateful for my education, and I feel a stronger responsibility to assist others who do not have resources or access to opportunities in their communities."

Maria Skouras (New York University) volunteered in 2011 as a Peace Fellow for eHomemakers in Malaysia.

For more 2011 feedback click here.

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Partner Campaigns > Women's Repro... > Women at Risk > Birth Spacing/Hig... > Chalidevi Regmi

Chalidevi Regmi

 
At 55 years old, Chalidevi Regmi has already seen a lot in her life. She married at the age of 11 and followed her husband to a variety of towns and villages across Nepal in search of work. On top of the stress of an early marriage and following her husband, she has given birth to five surviving children as well as two stillborn children.

Chalidevi raised her family and ran a household on her own. Like most women from the area, she only took a break from her daily routine of domestic and agricultural chores for eleven days after giving birth to her children.

Twenty-four years ago, after the birth of her last child, Chalidevi developed uterine prolapse – a  condition that is so common for women in this society. Unlike most women, however, Chalidevi had immediate access to health care, and was able to use a pessary ring to support her uterus and prevent further acceleration of the condition. She used the pessary ring for more than a decade until she suffered a serious accident while grinding rice.

The force of the accident caused Chalidevi’s uterus to fall into what is likely fourth stage prolapse, at which point a pessary ring is no longer a viable solution. She hasn’t sought treatment since.

Chalidevi isn’t interested in having surgery to treat her prolapsed uterus. She has given up on the idea of an improved life, and she is ready to die.

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