Tag Archive: nepal

1. A Final Video

   September 3, 2018 11:51 pm Leave a Comment

   On my first day in Nepal, I met with Prabal to learn more about the armed conflict, the transitional justice process, and NEFAD’s work. Once I learned more about NEFAD, its current initiatives, and future goals, Prabal and I discussed the ways in which I could be most supportive to NEFAD this summer. He explained that it would be helpful if we could supplement the research, articles, and photo content on the NEFAD website with a video about the conflict, transitional justice, and NEFAD’s work supporting victim families.

   Prior to our first trip to Bardiya, we got to work outlining our goals for the video and our content ideas. We wanted to develop a short video that informs viewers who are unaware of the war or of NEFAD about the armed conflict, enforced disappearance, and transitional justice in Nepal. We also wanted to highlight stories of families of the disappeared and NEFAD’s work advocating for them in the transitional justice process. Finally, we wanted to showcase the importance of the embroidery cooperative and encourage people to donate to help grow it into a sustainable business.

   To showcase stories of victim families, we decided to interview a few family members of the disappeared in Bardiya. I generated a list of questions which Prabal translated into Nepali. Once we got to Bardiya, we interviewed Sarita, Radhe Krishna Tharu, Belmati Tharu, Kushma Chaudhari, and Sharada Tharu. After returning from Bardiya, we began the translation process.

   After listening to the videos, Prabal shared direct translations of what the family members were saying, but it didn’t always translate well into English phrases. When this happened, we would discuss what each person was communicating. Then I rephrased the translations to capture what they were saying as accurately as possible while still making sense in English.

   Once translations were complete, we got to work selecting the most poignant clips that conveyed the all the information we wanted share with viewers. After spending hours viewing video tutorials on Adobe Premiere Pro’s website, I created a first draft of the video. We decided to cut a few clips so the film was as concise as possible.

   After a lot more editing, we began one of the most challenging parts – subtitles. Although I had entered the captions in English, it was often challenging to figure out when one line began and one line ended since I don’t know Nepali. Prabal and I carefully went through each clip to adjust the timing for each caption and aligned it with what the speaker was saying in each video clip. Finally, we decided to add a few images of the embroidery and the bags to tie all the clips together into a cohesive video. After even more editing, I am excited to share the result, which you can view below!

2. Kushma Chaudhari

   August 28, 2018 1:04 am 1 Comment

   During our first trip to Bardiya, Prabal, Sarita, and I visited the Bardiya National Park to see if the gift shop would sell the embroidery cooperative’s tiger bags. After going to the park, we took a short rickshaw ride to Kushma Chaudhari’s house. Kushma is one of the most talented artists in the embroidery cooperative.

   

   Kushma Chaudhari

   Kushma was working in the field, so we waited until she returned. In the meantime, we had some samosas and chai from her family’s shop next to their house. Her house is next to a school, so we watched as children visited the shop to purchase a quick treat before school started.

   

   Kushma’s family makes samosas here for their shop.

   When Kushma arrived, we went into her house. Sarita chatted with Kushma for a few minutes, introduced me, and then explained that we were making a short video about NEFAD’s work and the embroidery cooperative. Kushma agreed to answer some questions for the video, so I started asking questions in English. Prabal and Sarita translated.

   Kushma was soft spoken at first but eventually became more comfortable. Kushma begins her day by milking cows after which she starts the housework. During cropping season, she goes to the farm after the housework is complete. When she has time, she also helps out at the family’s shop.

   She was very young when her father was disappeared. Although her memories of the conflict are not vivid, she was reminded of her father’s absence when she was in school and everyone else had their father. When she was short of stationary, pens, and notebooks, she used to think about him a lot. She explains that if he were alive, he would have bought them for her. Kushma doesn’t think her father will return.

   

   Kushma and Prabal talking

   Kushma enjoys working with the embroidery cooperative. She makes embroidery squares at night after the day’s work is complete. She expresses that she would like to work on the embroidery on a regular basis.

   After we finished asking questions, Kushma continued to talk with Sarita and Prabal in Nepali, so I took some photos and then sat down to see of I could grasp a few words. After a little while, Prabal explained that they were talking about how Sarita and Kushma would love to open their own store near the park to sell their bags and other handicrafts. Rent is only about 2000 rupees a month, a cost which could be covered by the sale of 1 -2 bags once production increases. I was incredibly excited to hear about this goal for the cooperative, and I hope it becomes a reality. To support Kushma and the other women of the Bardiya Conflict Victims Cooperative in working towards their goal, please visit and share the Global Giving page to raise money for embroidery supplies.

3. Belmati Tharu

   12:45 am 1 Comment

   For my next blog posts, I will be highlighting two women in the Bardiya Conflict Victims Embroidery Cooperative who kindly agreed to share their stories with me. During our first trip to Bardiya, Sarita, Prabal, and I took a rickshaw to Belmati Tharu’s house in Basgadi. When we arrived, Belmati and her family were going about their daily housework. Prabal, Sarita, Belmati, and I sat outside on straw stools. Next to us was a piece of cloth with hundreds of kernels of corn. She and Sarita talked for a few minutes, and then Sarita explained that we wanted to ask her some questions for a video about NEFAD’s work.

   Belmati maintained a sad look on her face through the entirety of our conversation, so I asked Prabal multiple times if it was acceptable for us to interview her. He and Sarita reassured me that it was and added that Belmati is generally a very somber person. Hesitantly, I asked my first question, and Prabal and Sarita translated.

   Belmati explained that she lives with her two sons, two daughter-in-laws, and three grandchildren. In the morning, she cleans the house and takes care of her grandchildren, so her daughter-in-laws can go to the field for agricultural work. Belmati’s third son was forcibly disappeared in March 2001. In July 2001, her daughter-in-law was also disappeared. In September, her eldest daughter-in-law was disappeared.

   She spoke specifically about her son’s disappearance. She explained that he had a problem in his stomach and that it was difficult to afford heath care. They didn’t have an economic cushion to address hardship. She explained that the people from the Maoist party came to him and asked him for some help. He helped them with the expectation that he would receive treatment for his stomach. While he was on his way to a follow-up medical checkup, he was arrested from Kohalpur Chauraha. It’s still difficult for Belmati when she remembers them. She mentioned that her home and her family would be happier if they were alive.

   

   Belmati showing us her tiger square

   After she explained the disappearances, I asked about her participation in the embroidery cooperative. Belmati explained that it’s nice to be with other people who have had similar experiences of the conflict. She told us that she enjoys doing the embroidery, but it’s increasingly challenging due to her age. She expresses that if they could regularly work on the embroidery, it would be a better way to make money, at least to purchase some groceries.

   Despite the embroidery being a challenge for her, she is working on a tiger square. After discussing the embroidery cooperative, Belmati went into her house to get the square she is working on. She and Sarita discussed the areas for improvement. She’s currently fixing the square, which will be made into a tiger bag once it’s complete.

   To support women like Belmati in continuing the embroidery work, please visit and share our Global Giving page where we are raising money for embroidery supplies.

4. It’s All in the Details

   August 14, 2018 2:18 am 4 Comments

   Sarita came to Kathmandu a few weeks ago, so we went fabric shopping for the tiger bags. Before that we had check some guide from Vendel Miniatures. After discussing what kinds of bags would sell in Nepal with Sarita and Prabal and reflecting on the kinds of bags that would sell in the US, we decided to look for fabric in a variety of colors with some texture or a simple pattern. We initially purchased an emerald green and a deep brown. However, we quickly found ourselves out of luck after our first purchase as we visited many shops without finding fabric we liked. We decided that Sarita would go to Nepalgunj, a city two hours east of Bardiya, to find better quality fabric in the colors and patterns we were looking for.

   

   Fabric shopping with Sarita and Prabal in Kathmandu

   On Tuesday, Prabal and I traveled to Bardiya. Prior to arriving in Bardiya, I created a flyer and updated tags explaining the cooperative and the bags. In addition to the physical production of the bags, marketing is integral to sales which is the primary focus at this stage in the development of the cooperative. After printing and laminating everything, we attached the tags to the finished tiger bags.

   

   Flyers explaining the cooperative and bags

   

   Tiger bag with updated tag

   On Thursday, we brought some of the most recent bags to the tourist lodge that currently has the first iteration of the bags. The owner of that lodge had agreed to sell the bags without taking any profits. Unfortunately, his lodge doesn’t have any place to display the bags, so he suggested we come back with a small display case to show the bags and protect them from the dust. Sarita and Prabal will find a small, inexpensive cabinet to bring to the lodge. On our way out, we collected the first iteration of the bags so Sarita could repair and improve them. After seeing them for the first time, I was amazed by how much the women’s embroidery skills have improved.

   Following the lodge, we went to Bardiya National Park where we spoke with the manager of the main office and gift shop. He was very excited about selling the bags as they are a unique, local, handmade product. He said they would sell the first batch of bags during the upcoming tourist season without taking a profit. If they sell, the park will buy bags from the co-op moving forward and sell them for a small profit that is agreed upon by both parties. He recommended Sarita embroider the words “Bardiya National Park, Nepal” on the next batch of bags for the park. We left six bags with the National Park and a poster, which they will display in their shop. Sarita, Prabal, and I were very excited about this positive step forward!

   

   Sarita explaining the cooperative and the bags in the Bardiya National park gift shop

   After returning from the National Park, I created a google spreadsheet with a picture of each bag to track important information including which vendor each bag is distributed to, when each bag is sold, how much they are sold for, etc. In the next week, Sarita will produce 7 more bags with the remaining tiger squares. She will be bringing those bags when she comes to Kathmandu next week, so I can take some bags with me to sell in the US. While it’s not a sustainable long term strategy to sell bags in the US due to logistical challenges and transport costs, I’m aiming to sell a few to infuse the cooperative with some cash as it aims to increase its production for the upcoming tourist season.

   As I mentioned in my first blog post about the cooperative, after selling the tiger bags this year, the women want to rent a space to open their own shop near the Bardiya National Park. To support the women in growing their cooperative into a sustainable business, please consider donating at our Global Giving Page. By next year, we aim for the cooperative to be entirely self-sufficient!

5. Where are the Perpetrators?

   August 13, 2018 2:48 am 3 Comments

   On Sunday, August 3rd, Ram invited Prabal and I to attend a meeting between families of the disappeared and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) at the Commission’s office. After brief introductory statements, Ram addressed the Commission. The Commission is preparing a final report to submit to the government with recommendations about the kinds of programs and policies that need to be put in place to support victim families. Ram expressed NEFAD’s expectation that the Commission produce a strong final report that keeps victims and their needs at the center of their recommendations for further transitional justice efforts. He continued by stating that the Commission needs to clearly outline the procedure they will adopt for investigating all of the registered cases of enforced disappearance.

   

   Ram making his remarks

   Investigating thousands of registered cases of enforced disappearance will take many years. Assuming the appropriate legal mechanisms are in place, investigations must also produce concrete evidence for perpetrators to face any legal consequences. Given how much time has passed since the conflict, concrete evidence is hard to find. Ram poignantly stated “Families are living evidence.” He expressed that victim family associations have continuously cooperated with the procedures of the Commission, therefore, the Commission’s accountability to victim families is deeply important.

   There was one moment in the meeting that continues to resonate with me. Ram asked the Commission why they didn’t they invite perpetrators to the meeting? This speaks to a larger challenge in many transitional justice processes around the world. More often than not, survivors of conflict and perpetrators of violence must live side-by-side after a peace agreement. Is it possible or even desirable to facilitate conversations between victims and perpetrators of violence and various crimes? What is the goal of those conversations? What would success look like? Of course, it depends on the context and ultimately what each person wants, but ethical questions like these are what make transitional justice so complex.

   After Ram’s statements, a woman from a victim family echoed his sentiments. The pain and anger in her voice was tangible as she expressed to the Commission that she has clearly outlined her case and named the perpetrator to no avail. “Has the Commission contacted them?” she asked.

   As the meeting continued, family members’ voices become louder and more passionate as they expressed their demands to the commission and frustrations with the transitional justice process to date. Families explained the various challenges they experienced since losing their loved ones in the conflict and made impassioned speeches expressing the need for a complete reparation packages including monetary support, scholarships to support their children’s education, health care assistance, psychosocial support, and job training and employment opportunities. One man also proposed making reservations within quota systems to support families of the disappeared. Certain jobs and scholarships amongst other opportunities maintain quotas for indigenous communities, women, and other minorities. He recommended that these opportunities also include reservations for family members of the disappeared. If families of the disappeared had ID cards verifying them as a victim family, they could verify their status for quota purposes and avoid issues with service delivery from government offices as many families have previously experienced.

   

   Family members of the disappeared addressing the Commission

   The Chair of the CIEDP, Lokendra Malik, addressed the points the families brought up in the meeting with some short remarks, after which the meeting abruptly concluded. He acknowledged their concerns and said that they would do the best they could to produce a strong report including a recommendation for the quota proposal. As he stated at the memorial event for Bipin Bhandari and Dil Bahadur Rai , he repeated that the lack of laws criminalizing enforced disappearance prevent them from holding perpetrators accountable, and the lack of financial and staffing resources from the government have hindered their progress on other fronts. While meetings provide families of the disappeared an opportunity to share their perspectives and communicate directly with commissioners, the lack of specific, concrete action steps to move victim centered transitional justice processes forward was disheartening.

   Transitional justice is a complex process everywhere. It involves many people with diverging interests and needs and often works through governments and bureaucracies. While there have been many challenges to meeting the needs of victims, the unity between various networks of victim families is one of the most notable elements of the transitional justice process in Nepal.

6. The Politics of Memory

   July 25, 2018 4:46 am 4 Comments

   Last semester, I took a transformative class called Memory Politics where we discussed various aspects of memory within the context of transitional justice and grappled with questions such as, ‘Who remembers and forgets?’, ‘What is remembered and forgotten?’, and ‘How and when do remembrance and forgetting occur?’. The work of memory provided a specific lens through which to analyze and deepen our understanding of transitional justice processes in Germany, South Africa, Rwanda, Peru, and Guatemala amongst others.

   One overarching theme that emerged from our conversations about the work of memory is the consistent cultural debate between those who fear forgetting and those who wish to forget. Elizabeth Jelin writes about this cultural debate in her work State Repression and the Labors of Memory. On one end of the cultural debate are those who stress the role of memory as a source of protection against the fear of forgetting. On the other end are those who condemn the pasts that live on, specifically the persistence of painful pasts that do not allow one to forget, overcome, and move forward. Jelin explains that this recurring cultural debate is significant because although the events of the past cannot change, their significance in the present and future can.

   After a time of conflict or mass atrocities, political and social actors have an opportunity to craft a specific narrative of the past through the passage of new legislation, establishment of memorial sites and commemorative holidays, naming conventions of everyday places, creation of art, the official documentation in history books, and the writing of curriculum in schools, amongst others. While the conflict is still quite recent in Nepal’s history, I am curious about how Nepal will construct a long-term narrative of the armed conflict at a national level.

   On the local level, I witnessed the cultural argument in favor of memorialization firsthand in Bardiya. Sarita, Prabal, and I visited a memory park that is being developed in Dhadwar. Niranjan Chaudhary, the chair of the Ward and also a founding member of NEFAD, told us about the decision to build the park, answered our questions, and took us on a tour. In that part of Bardiya alone, 69 people were forcibly disappeared. Chaudhary and the committee of volunteers from the community are developing the park in order to humanize the people who were forcibly disappeared and remember the individuals that make up this number. It is their hope that those who visit the park will be reminded of the atrocities that took place in the community. They hope that their disappearances were not in vain and the persistence of their memory will ensure that nothing like this will happen again.  

   

   Entrance to the Memory Park

   The park includes a monument (photo below) which will be inscribed with the names of the missing. The height and design of the monument represent the fact that their history cannot be erased. Their memories will not fade with the passage of time. There will also be a mini-museum telling the stories of each of the forcibly disappeared individuals and displaying some of their belongings. Community level memorialization allows people who were affected by the conflict to publicly share their experiences of the conflict. It can serve to legitimize their version of the truth.

   

   Monument in the Memory Park

   

   Sarita, Niranjan Chaudhary, Members of the Park Committee in front of the monument.

   One of the most poignant moments for me was our discussion about reparations. He explained that while reparations provide financial support to families to meet some of their immediate needs, their investments don’t always lead to broader development in the community. To encourage community development, the community has started a savings group where families of the disappeared use funds to invest in assets that will generate income and broader community development, such as purchasing livestock. Learning about these community driven initiatives in person deeply resonated with me as it highlighted what positive, successful, development looks like.

   The next day, we went to a nearby town called Chisapani to visit a family of the disappeared that Sarita knew. After spending the afternoon talking to them about how the disappearances had affected their family, Sarita, Prabal, and I walked over to a suspension bridge in the town. From the bridge, we saw a forest which is suspected mass grave site. Ram of NEFAD amongst others wants this forest to be declared a memory site. As Nepal grapples with questions around memorialization on a community basis, it will also increasingly face questions about memorialization on a national level.

   

   Suspected Mass Grave Site

7. The Business in Bardiya

   July 18, 2018 8:16 am 5 Comments

   Over the past few years, NEFAD and The Advocacy Project have facilitated embroidery trainings for women of the families of the disappeared in Bardiya. Last summer, the women of Bardiya registered their embroidery group as a cooperative, elected leaders, established a business plan, and began embroidering tiger squares to be assembled into tote bags for sale at Bardiya National Park. The park is famous for its tigers and attracts many visitors each year. One of my primary objectives for our trip to Bardiya was to better understand the current status of the embroidery cooperative and identify ways to support their growth.You can follow insidemma for business news updates.
   

   

   After arriving in Bardiya, Prabal and I went to Sarita’s house. Sarita (photo) is NEFAD’s manager of the embroidery cooperative and a leader in the community. I’ll refer you to the profile last year’s Peace Fellows wrote about her, so you can read about how Sarita truly is Superwoman. She showed us 8 tiger bags that are ready to be sold and then demonstrated how to put together a tiger bag, which she managed to do in a whopping 4 hours! I’m sure it would have taken her even less time if I hadn’t been asking her hundreds of questions while she was working. Despite the 105 (Fahrenheit!) degree heat, the bag was incredibly precise and absolutely beautiful. She explained that currently, there is only one tourist lodge selling the first few bags they produced. Sarita will be bringing some of the newer bags which are smaller and of better quality to the lodge to sell.

   

   Superwoman at work!

   Since the embroidery cooperative is not a consistent source of income for the women yet, their primary focus is their agricultural work especially in the current cropping season. They work on the embroidery at night, send them to Sarita who assembles the bags, and then Sarita brings the bags to the tourist lodge where they are currently sold. To receive payment, the women have to wait until the bags are sold or until the funds are raised through The Advocacy’s Project’s Global Giving fundraising campaigns. Since there is a long delay between the production of the tiger square and payment, it is understandably deprioritized. Therefore, our short-term goal is to secure vendors willing to sell the bags without taking a profit in order to keep the cost of the bag low while still remaining profitable to enable the cooperative to begin generating a consistent income.

   While in Bardiya, we visited the National Park where Sarita discussed the possibility of selling the tiger bags with the woman in their souvenir shop. Since the manager wasn’t there, we took their contact information to follow up. The woman in the store explained that while summer months are not very busy at the park due to monsoon, they see about 30 visitors a day during tourist season from September through April. We also visited another souvenir shop near the park where the man working there also provided us with contact information for the store’s manager. As I walk around Kathmandu, I’ve also been looking for fair trade stores which sell ethically sourced, handmade products which Prabal and I can visit to see if they would be willing to carry the bags.

   

   Sarita discussing selling the tiger bags in Bardiya National Park

    

   

   Sarita discussing selling the tiger bags at a souvenir shop near the park.

   The women of Bardiya are now focused on expanding their production and creating 50 tiger bags to be sold at Bardiya National Park in the upcoming tourist season. One bag can generate as much income as six days of agricultural work. To raise the funds for supplies including needles, thread, fabric, and marketing materials to produce the bags, we’ve launched a Global Giving fundraising campaign. After selling their tiger bags this year, the women want to invest their earnings in renting a space near Bardiya National Park. Their goal is to build their cooperative into a sustainable business and open their own shop where they can sell a wider range of handicrafts.

   If you’re reading this, please consider donating at this link and sharing it with your networks to support the women of Bardiya in growing their cooperative into a sustainable business!

8. Daughter, Granddaughter, Sister, Cousin, Aunt, Niece

   July 4, 2018 3:22 am 6 Comments

   Daughter, Granddaughter, Sister, Cousin, Aunt, Niece. I am all of those things at once. Which one is my primary identity? Before my trip to Bardiya last week, I never thought about the answer to that question. Now, that question is at the forefront of my consciousness.

   

   On November 22, 2006, the government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement, bringing the ten year conflict to an end. After many political challenges, the government finally established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission on Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) in February 2015. CIEDP has registered 3000 complaints related to enforced disappearances since its inception. NEFAD’s records indicate that at least 1350 people were forcibly disappeared.  

   Nyaya, or justice, includes truth, prosecutions, psychosocial support, and financial reparations. Of the 1350 families of the disappeared, approximately 300 have not yet received the official reparation amount of $10,000 USD. Quests for the truth about the forcibly disappeared involve exhumations of suspected mass grave areas which require time, financial resources, and appropriate personnel. Similarly, providing psychosocial support requires significant resources. To pursue prosecutions, there need to be laws criminalizing enforced disappearance, a drastic change in the culture of impunity, and significant political support. Therefore, financial reparations are the most concrete, least costly, and the least controversial form of justice the government can provide, hence their willingness to cooperate on that front.

   The primary reason approximately 300 families have not yet received the reparation amount is internal family conflict and complexity that creates uncertainty about the appropriate recipient of the reparation money. If a woman’s spouse was disappeared and she remarries, she is considered a part of the new family and no longer eligible for the reparations. Reparations may go to the biological family of her former husband. Her loss, her suffering, and any other hardship she may have experienced as a result of losing her spouse is immediately discounted.

   

   Radhe Krishna Tharu’s (left) daughter, Sita Tharu, was forcibly disappeared and killed. Here he is discussing reparations cases with Sarita Thapa (right) of NEFAD.

   Another complicated case involves a son and daughter who were disappeared. Both were married and had their own families. After their disappearance, each of their spouses claimed for the reparation amount to support their families. In addition, the son and daughter’s parents also claimed for the reparation amount since they no longer have children to financially support them as they age and experience health issues. All of their claims are valid. Which identity of the forcibly disappeared individual should be prioritized? Son, husband, or father? Daughter, wife, or mother? Which relationship warrants the reparation amount?

   While these cases have not yet been resolved, NEFAD has been working with the CIEDP to advocate for more thoughtful, gender sensitive policies and practices in regards to reparations. After my conversations with Sarita and Prabal, I know NEFAD will continue it’s incredibly important community-based advocacy work to ensure that each family’s case is thoughtfully resolved. If there’s anything I’ve learned about reparations policies and practices, it’s how important identity is. What happens when someone can’t be all their different identities simultaneously? Which identity should be prioritized?

9. The Movement for Nyaya

   June 22, 2018 5:50 am 9 Comments

   This past Sunday, June 17th, Prabal, Lara (Peace Fellow with CONCERN), and I attended a memorial event in Anamnagar. On our way back, Prabal kindly asked if we had any questions about what had occurred. After trying to sort through the whirlwind of thoughts going through my head, I asked, “What does justice mean?”

   Prabal explained that the word for justice in Nepali is ‘Nyaya’. It encompasses social and legal justice. It means people learn the truth about what happened to their family members and why they were taken. It means perpetrators of enforced disappearance are prosecuted and face legal consequences for their actions. It means families receive reparations and financial support as well as psychosocial support to cope with the trauma of a loss and with the stigma of being a victim or a widow.  

   In the center of the room where the event was held were pictures of Bipin Bhandari and Dil Bahadur Rai, two student activists who were forcibly disappeared in 2005. The event involved passionate speeches in Nepali, a moment of silence, and an opportunity for relatives of the disappeared to pay their respects and commemorate their lost loved ones.

   

   The day started with an emotional speech by Bipin Bhandari’s father and former parliamentarian, Ekraj Bhandari. His son was disappeared 13 years ago because of role as a student activist in the Maoist party. He expressed his fatigue. He wants to know where his son is. Is he alive? If he is dead, where is his body?

   One by one, prominent human rights activists, journalists, representatives from both political parties, as well as the chair of the human rights commission, and the chair of commission for the investigation of enforced disappearances spoke. Activists and journalists expressed their deep frustration with the commission’s inability to bring justice to the families of the disappeared. Speakers lamented that once politicians were elected, they forgot about the people who put them in power.

   While the majority of disappearances were committed by state security forces, some were committed by the Maoists. Even though the current government consists of a communist majority, political alliances have perpetuated a culture of impunity, so those responsible for disappearances on both sides have not been prosecuted. As a result, speakers advocated for the criminalization of enforced disappearance. Without a legal mechanism criminalizing the act, nobody can be prosecuted.

   Many speakers encouraged everyone in the room to come together in solidarity and pressure the government for justice, or nyaya. The chairs of the human rights commission and the enforced disappearance commission expressed their frustration with the Nepali government’s lack of financial and staffing support for their work.

   The most poignant speech of the day came from a 69 year old woman named Chandrakala. Her three sons were arrested for 27 months and then released. A few months after their release, two of her sons, Dhirendra and Pushpa, were forcibly disappeared. She is still waiting for them.  She has not accepted their death. What has happened to them? She expressed that there was hope when the Commission began their work searching for the disappeared, but they have since forgotten the issues of the families of the disappeared. She asked the audience what the crime of an innocent mother is. She explains that everyday is gloomy, and the movement must continue until they get justice.

   Her speech reminded me that one of the many challenging aspects of transitional justice is that although the conflict ended over a decade ago and society moved on with their daily lives, the loss of loved ones will haunt families of the disappeared and missing forever. The hard reality is that there is nothing that can be done to bring loved ones back to life, but I still believe that need-based, victim centered transitional justice processes can alleviate some of the pain and suffering experienced by families post-conflict.

   After the event, we went to the Mandala Theater, the site of a mural painted by Martin Travers in 2016 in honor of Day of the Disappeared on August 30th.

   

   In the center of the eyes are shadows of people symbolizing family and friends searching for their loved ones.

   

   As the years pass and the conflict is increasingly removed from society’s consciousness, the search for truth and the movement for nyaya go on.

10. With Storytelling Comes Great Responsibility

    June 15, 2018 4:20 am 11 Comments

    I believe storytelling is about listening and observing. It may sound counterintuitive, but the most poignant and impactful stories I read or view are those that capture many layers of the protagonist. They are those that capture nuance and local context while simultaneously capturing the essence of our shared humanity. They are those stories where I don’t know the author or the person behind the camera, but I know they approached their role as a storyteller with respect, humility, and an unparalleled ability to listen and observe.

    As a 2018 Peace Fellow in Kathmandu and Bardiya, Nepal, I am working with a community based organization called NEFAD, the National Network of the Families of the Disappeared and Missing, to support their work advocating for Nepal’s families of the disappeared and missing and providing livelihood support to women in the district of Bardiya who lost loved ones in the armed conflict.

    Over 1,300 Nepali people were forcibly disappeared during the armed conflict in Nepal between 1996 and 2006. 224 of those disappearances were in Bardiya, the highest number in a single village. Their family members continue to seek justice and the truth about what happened to their loved ones. For many families, the loss of their family breadwinner had negative economic consequences. NEFAD established an embroidery cooperative comprised of 25 women in Bardiya. Through NEFAD’s embroidery training, the women have crafted quilt squares memorializing their stories and are working to establish their cooperative as a reliable livelihood source.

     

    

    Women doing embroidery projects together

     

    

    Memorial square depicting a man being taken from his family

     

    A major component of my work involves telling the women’s stories through blogs, photos, and videos for advocacy purposes. One of my favorite definitions of the word advocacy is the following. Advocacy is the process of supporting and enabling people to express their views and concerns, access information and services, defend and promote their rights and responsibilities, and explore choices and options.

    I like this definition because it captures what I value about advocacy work; that is, advocacy is the process of listening, observing, and amplifying the voices of people with great strength who may not have had an opportunity to tell their story. Responsible advocacy is an important part of the process of achieving positive social change and defending human rights as it sheds light on issues and challenges society may be unaware of or have forgotten about. With all of its potential comes great responsibility.

    As with all advocacy efforts, there are many ethical and practical challenges, which I’ve briefly described below:

    Ensuring the women’s safety: Politically charged issues including armed conflict and transitional justice may be sensitive issues. As a storyteller, my first priority is to do all I can to minimize the risk that they could experience negative consequences for sharing their story.

    Women with agency: The women in Bardiya are more than the trauma they have experienced or any of the bad things that have happened to them. They are the protagonists in their stories, and I aim to portray them as women with identity, agency, and strength.

    Power dynamics and privilege: As an American graduate student, I carry with me certain kinds of privilege. Perhaps some women do not want to relive their stories again. Perhaps some women feel they must relay their story in a certain way given my presence as an outsider, an American, or because of any other part of my identity. As Roxane Gay says, “You need to understand the extent of your privilege, the consequences of your privilege, and remain aware that people who are different from you move through and experience the world in ways you might never know anything about.”

    Translation: Most of the women I will meet in Bardiya speak Tharu. Sarita and Prabal of NEFAD will translate, but it’s so easy for words to get lost in translation. Prior to traveling to Bardiya, I will work with Prabal to ensure that everything I intend to ask is translated into the appropriate local context or adjusted as necessary.

    Regardless of the ethical or practical challenge of advocacy and development work, I hope that by listening and observing diligently and by approaching the work with humility, respect, and thoughtfulness, I can tell their stories with great care.

11. Kathmandu: Reminders of Home

    June 21, 2017 4:25 am 4 Comments

    

    Nothing like a cup of masala chai.

    As Prabal, Kirstin and I walked to the bus stop after a meeting-filled day, Kirstin pointed out roasted maize on the street. In Kenya, we call it maindi choma and Prabal goes on to tell Kirstin and I that vendors in Nepal add a pepper-like spice to the maize which immediately reminds me of home. I once again exclaim that “Kathmandu reminds me of Nairobi”, a statement that I’m sure both Kristin and Prabal have heard enough of. By way of introduction, Kirstin is my partner peace fellow working with the Advocacy Project and Prabal is a graduate student at Kathmandu University, who has been working with NEFAD for the past two years and the first Nepali peace fellow. I haven’t been back home to Nairobi in a year now, but being in Kathmandu has been a constant reminder of my home city (excluding the fascination with my braided hair). From the chai, samosas and roasted maize to the architecture and motorbikes on the streets, Kathmandu bears stark similarities to home.

    That said, Kathmandu has equally been filled with new experiences. The one noticeable food item that is certainly different is the dessert. I grew up in a culture where dessert is a ‘less than sweet’ donut called mandazi therefore having chai and Indian/Nepali dessert after work was definitely rewarding. It is also safe to say that yoga and temples are equally uncommon in Kenya (except for establishments like Marianne Wells Yoga School), and it has therefore been remarkable experiencing why Kathmandu is known as the city of temples.

    

    Jalebi, and Nepali desserts.

    

    Visiting some of Kathmandu’s temples with Kirstin and Prabal

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Aside from the food, sights and sounds, my first week in Nepal has been a listening tour about the broader transitional justice context, and despite the multiple and very clear contextual differences between justice in Kenya and Nepal, the politicization of the process is eerily similar. During one of our first interviews with a prominent  and passionate journalist in Nepal, Mr. Dewan Rai, he lamented that “the politicization of the transitional justice process has delayed investigations and that successive governments have failed to streamline the legal process”, a sentiment that came up in subsequent meetings and events we have been attending. For example, the fact that the act of disappearance and torture have not been criminalized hinders the truth and reconciliation process from moving forward. Similarly, Kenya’s post-election violence in 2008 was short and acute, yet the transitional justice process dragged on as politicians evaded justice and legal barriers ensued. To date, no one has been held accountable. Transitional justice processes are innately a political affair as they are the state’s responsibility. However legacies of silencing tend to persist during transition when there is insufficient political will, a barrier that needs to be addressed to allow for any real progress in Nepal.

    

    Meeting with Mr. Dewan Rai of the Kathmandu Post. He gave us an overview of the history and current context of transitional justice in Nepal.

    Mr. Rai went on to nuance the conversation and speak about some of the successes of the transitional justice process in Nepal, a perspective that is often under-reported. “Nepal has been able to open two truth commissions and is the first of its kind”. He went on to say; “Approximately 58,000 complaints have been lodged by the truth commissions and the process has been victim-led”. Despite these notable achievements, a lot of work remains to be done. In this regard, while Nepal’s transitional justice context bears similarities to my home country, it is simultaneously an exceptional country and Kathmandu an exceptional city.

12. Dubai Detour: Reflections on NEFAD

    June 14, 2017 8:43 am 4 Comments

    My journey to Kathmandu has been a long one so far. I battled with New Jersey turnpike traffic and won, panicked through the temporary closure of the Queensboro bridge in New York, was delayed from Milan causing me to miss my connecting flight and I’m currently sitting in my Dubai hotel room pondering the summer ahead of me (I will admit a night in Dubai isn’t the worst thing).

    The time in between layovers and connecting flights has been ideal to reflect further and think about the work I will be doing with the National Network of Families of the Disappeared and Missing in Nepal (NEFAD). NEFAD is a network of families whose family members were disappeared during the 10-year civil conflict in Nepal. The organization is led by Ram Bhandhari, an active advocate for justice and human rights in Nepal. I spent the weeks prior to and after training in Washington DC reading up on Nepal’s history, conflict and transitional justice situation and realizing the importance of NEFAD in supporting and giving a voice to families of the disappeared in their search for truth and justice.

    NEFAD’s approach involves families in 17 districts and is three-pronged: Advocacy; Speaking for victims at the policy level, Community mobilization and Small programs including the economic empowerment program that I will be working on in Bardiya. I will primarily be working with wives of the disappeared in the district of Bardiya,Western Nepal to create an income stream through their quilt making talents. Quilt making has been an integral part of telling their stories in a visual way and has been an advocacy tool over the years. We hope to advance their talents by  expanding the range of products beyond tiger quilts to tote bags and other products and marketing them to generate a source of income. The economic aspect is all tied to the transitional justice piece as it will help create some of the conditions necessary to advance towards seeking justice.

    

    Tiger quilt from last year.

    Working with families of the disappeared particularly in a new context will be challenging and interesting, to say the least and the more I recognize that, the more responsibility I feel to tell their stories in a respectful manner and the more enthusiasm I have to hone my skills towards NEFAD’s critical mission. NEFAD’s most recent reports on Reintegration of ex-combatants and “From Victims to Actors” highlight some of their work and particularly fundamental is the fact that they seek to empower victims themselves rather than act on their behalf. I’m certainly looking forward to embarking on this journey with the team this summer. Onwards to Kathmandu.

    

    NEFAD Report by Simon Robins and Ram Bhandari.

13. Advocating for the sexual and reproductive health rights of women: the challenges of addressing the underlying cause of uterine prolapse in Nepal

    June 11, 2017 6:42 am 54 Comments

    I apologize in advance for the length of this blog, but I feel that it’s important that people get a feel for the problem that Care Women Nepal is seeking to address, and some of the challenges that arise in doing so. I will start off with a bit of background, and move into my personal sentiments about the importance and challenges of advocating for the rights of women suffering from uterine prolapse in Nepal. Many people have asked me about what I am doing this summer. The short answer usually sounds something like this: Working with a CBO called Care Women Nepal that carries out health camps that screen women in Dhankuta for a condition called uterine prolapse (and arranges surgery for women in need of surgical intervention). The natural question that almost always follows this explanation is a slightly uneasy and tentative: “what is uterine prolapse… ?”

    Here we go:

    Uterine prolapse is a debilitating form of pelvic organ prolapse that occurs when the muscles and ligaments that support a woman’s uterus are weakened, resulting in the descent of the uterus from its original position within the body. Uterine prolapse (UP) is recognized as a form of maternal morbidity, and can be classified in terms of severity. While first and second stage prolapse may be treated with specific exercises which strengthen the pelvic floor or by the insertion a small low cost medical device called a ring pessary, severe prolapse requires surgical intervention in the form of a vaginal hysterectomy or pelvic floor repair surgery.

    

    Uterine prolapse is both a global health problem and human rights issue which has yet to be sufficiently addressed by the international community. While typically thought of as a condition which mainly effects women beyond reproductive age, in Nepal there is a multitude of sociocultural and economic factors that exasperate the prevalence of UP amongst women both young and old. To illustrate, in the United States, the average age that women seek medical treatment for uterine prolapse is 61 (Amnesty International ,2014). In Nepal, according to a study carried out by the UNFPA in 2013, the median age at which Nepali Women first experience uterine prolapse is 26. While it is difficult to say exactly how many women in Nepal experience UP, a 2007 study carried out by the Center for Agro-Ecology and Development found that over 1 million women in Nepal suffer from the condition, many of whom require surgery and 40% of whom are of reproductive age. Moreover, the prevalence of UP within different districts varies significantly, with rates having been documented as reaching over 40% in some districts.

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    Uterine Prolapse in Nepal: Causes and Consequences

    The causes of the high prevalence of uterine prolapse in Nepal are complex and manifold. Within Nepal, there are various sociocultural norms that expose women to multiple risk factors that decrease the age at which prolapse first occurs, and increase the prevalence of the condition within the country. Nepal is a patriarchal society, within which gender has immediate implications for health and wellbeing throughout one’s life course. UP in Nepal is also exasperated by poverty and limited access to adequate health care services. While many women in Nepal experience uterine prolapse after having given birth, women who have never been pregnant may also experience the condition at all degrees of severity.

    

    According to the World Bank, only 55.6% of births in Nepal are attended by skilled health staff (2014). This lack of access is particularly evident in rural regions where 81% of the Nepalese population lives (WB, 2015). A lack of access to skilled health workers means that many Nepali women are exposed to harmful birthing practices that heighten their chances of experiencing UP later in life. Moreover, Women in Nepal make up the backbone of familial structures; their work burden is between 12%-22% greater than that of men’s (Earth & Sthapit, 2002).Nepalese women are expected to work both throughout and shortly after their pregnancy. Reproductive organs require at least 6 months to heal post-delivery, but within many ethnic communities it is expected that women return to extremely arduous tasks as soon as a week following delivery. Moreover,  cultural norms mean that many women are nutritionally deprived post-delivery. Finally, a lack of access to healthcare also means that it is difficult for women experiencing UP to seek treatment.

    The development of UP, if left untreated, leads to severe pain and discomfort. In many instances these symptoms may manifest as painful intercourse, an inability to sit, walk, and/or stand, difficulties urinating and defecating, odorous discharge and an inability perform daily tasks. Moreover, women in Nepal who suffer from UP often experience emotional and physical abuse from their family and or community because of the stigmatization surrounding the condition. In a 2013 UNFPA study which interview 357 women who underwent surgery in Nepal to treat UP, 80% of women said that after having developed the condition they lost hope in life. Depending on the district, between 5% and 23% of women said that “their mother-in-law and family members started hating them” (UNFPA, 2013). Owing to the ostracization and stigmatization that women with UP in Nepal experience, many choose to conceal the condition, living in severe pain and discomfort, sometimes for decades.

    As you might imagine, uterine prolapse is not a subject that is easily explicated across all audiences. When people ask me what the causes of UP are, I struggle discussing the fact that the many of the factors that exasperate the condition are deeply entrenched in cultural practices that are discriminatory towards women. I recently read an article written by Dr. Elizabeth Enslin titled: “Social Equality: The Best Cure for Uterine Prolapse in Nepal” which illustrates the unique challenges of advocating for the prevention and treatment of uterine prolapse in Nepal. While it’s necessary to address the health needs of women who have developed various stages of prolapse via coordination across various government ministries, strengthening the health system and making health care accessible to women who would otherwise go untreated, the high prevalence of UP in Nepal will undoubtedly persist without effort to lessen what can only be described as gross social inequity between men and women in Nepal.

    Who am I to walk into a country that I’ve never visited and espouse that the way things have always been done are causing significant harm to half of the population? Throughout my degrees in both health sciences and human rights I have been part of countless conversations about cultural sensitivity, but I’ve never found myself so blatantly confronted by a need to balance my western Judeo-Christian ideas about health and human rights with the cultural practices and beliefs of an entire country (to extent that certain beliefs can be said to be ubiquitous across the 125 caste/ethnic groups that exist in Nepal). This is one of the challenges that I’m working on trying to resolve (although I’m not sure that I will arrive at a satisfactory answer).

    In the meantime, I’m going to narrow the scope in which I operate, all the while remaining aware of some of the broader challenges of advocating for women’s right to reproductive and sexual health in certain contexts. I’m going to take things one day at a time, without becoming overwhelmed by the larger issues. Ultimately, I want to do all that I can to strengthen Care Women Nepal as an organization to give them all of the tools that they will need to continue to play an invaluable role in bringing healthcare to women suffering from UP in Dhankuta.

    My time in Nepal is short, but I’m hopeful that this is only the beginning. 

14. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter

    May 29, 2017 3:38 pm 5 Comments

    After 30 hours of travel I have arrived in Kathmandu. While I had planned to pass the time en route reading, I mostly found myself reflecting on the people I met over the course of the past two weeks in Washington, D.C. I feel immense gratitude. One does not meet people like Karen, Iain, Cynthia, Reina, Talley, Vicky, Kristin, Lauren, Jacob and Alberto very often. This year’s AP fellows are undoubtedly some of the most inspirational people that I have ever come across. They all have an inner strength and drive that I admire and aspire to hone throughout my own advocacy work. I know that they will all do amazing work with their respective projects, and throughout their lives.

    All AP fellows were also provided with training in videography, website development, monitoring and evaluation and podcasting among other skills that would be important for our fellowships. I want to send out a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to share their expertise with us. I would also like to recognize that The Advocacy Project could not exist without the assiduous work of Iain Guest and Karen Delaney. Iain and Karen are tirelessly working to provide life changing opportunities to young graduates like myself as well as to grass roots organizations globally.

    

    I want to continually strive to surround myself with people like those that I met this past week. Importantly, the time I spent with AP reinforced that the path that I have been heading down is the right one for me. As I sit here in a café alone, listening to the rain wash over Kathmandu, I miss my loved ones, but I also realize now that there is nowhere else I would rather be. I am happiest when I feel that I am using my time in a way that will advance human rights (if only in a marginal way). While the answer to the question of “what is happiness” likely has as many variations as there are people in the world, the more I study and apply what I’ve learned to real human rights issues, the answer becomes increasingly simple. For me, happiness is knowing that you are doing everything in your power to improve the lives of individuals. This could be at home or abroad.

    

    Happiness is the realization of human capability, both in the case of oneself and others. Sometimes, this means getting loud about human rights issues that aren’t sufficiently addressed by the global community. While in D.C, I passed a sign on someone’s lawn that resonated with me, and is one of the core reasons that I believe human rights work is so invaluable. The sign read: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. This summer, I hope that I can advance recognition of the human rights dimension of uterine prolapse (UP) to garner government and donors support for the work of Care Women Nepal (CWN). I will explore UP and the role that CWN plays in addressing UP in a later post. Markedly, uterine prolapse is, for many, an uncomfortable topic to discuss, but that does not mean that the international community should not raise its collective voice in defence of women’s sexual and reproductive health rights as it has done in the past in the case of many civil and political human rights issues.

    

    Finally, within my blogs, each week I would like to introduce you to someone that I met along my journey. One of the first people that I interacted with in Nepal was named Biessenu. Biessenu transported me safely from the airport to where I am staying in Thamel. I was in awe at the way he navigated his way through heavy traffic that seemingly followed no set of concrete rules. No seatbelts? No problem. No traffic lights? No need! Biessenu used to work for the Nepali police force, and so we even gave a ride to a police officer on the way to Thamel. I was feeling extra safe with the exception of the 2 or 3 near head on collisions… I’m kidding.. kind of…

    Biessenu has two beautiful children and used to work in Haiti within a UN mission. He explained to me that he believes international aid in Haiti to be insufficient. He asked me about what I could be doing in Nepal and was genuinely interested in the work of CWN. I am very thankful for Biessenu’s kindness, driving skills and for a great first conversation in Nepal.

     अर्को पटक सम्म

15. The people making it all possible

    September 4, 2016 2:14 pm 1 Comment

    I had an amazing summer at CONCERN-Nepal, in large part to due to my wonderful coworkers. Bijaya, Sundar and Prakash all made me feel very welcome and I think together we made very good progress for CONCERN.

    

    Sundar doing an interview at a school in Bhaktapur.

    I spent the most time with Sundar. Sundar is a field officer at CONCERN-Nepal, who I have mentioned frequently in previous blog posts. Sundar has been incredibly helpful to me all summer, acting as a guide, translator, teacher, and friend. Sundar has been very patient and kind with me since my arrival (even when I was mispronouncing his name as Sandu). I like to think that we have learned a great deal from each other. Although I am sure I learned far more from him in the end.

    Sundar started at CONCERN-Nepal about five years ago as an office assistant. For two years he proved himself and took on more challenging assignments. He was then promoted to the role of messenger. After 1 year he was again promoted to his current position as field officer. As a field officer Sundar works directly with children doing interviews with children, parents, and other stakeholders in the brick industry.

    Sundar was always positive and professional. For him working with the children is his favorite part. I think he does this job better than many others would. Although, he doesn’t mention it much Sundar had a brief period during his own childhood when he had to work. He downplays this part of his life, saying he only worked for two years and then received assistance from an international NGO. However, I think having this experience makes him especially empathetic towards his interviewees and he has firsthand knowledge of how assistance like that of CONCERN-Nepal and other NGOs can truly change a child’s life.

    

    Prakash hard at work at the CONCERN-Nepal Office.

    This kind of passion is standard at CONCERN-NEPAL. I asked Prakash the Chief Financial Officer about his history with CONCERN-NEPAL. We didn’t speak too much in the office, but Prakash always has a smile to offer and a story to tell Sundar in Nepali.

    When he finally sat down to give me some of his background I found out that Prakash had been there since the beginning working, alongside Bijaya. His decades long dedication to CONCERN-NEPAL is very impressive and his positive outlook is admirable. I only worked for CONCERN-NEPAL for 10 weeks, but found myself often discouraged by how much need there is in Nepal and how little I have to give in the face of that need. Yet, Prakash stays positive and still believes strongly in CONCERN-Nepal’s cause. I only hope that in twenty years I can also tackle issues like child labor with a similar optimism.

16. Remittances, dreams or nightmares?

    August 9, 2016 5:35 am 2 Comments

     

    Every time we interview a group of children, there is at least one child that has a father working abroad. Remittances make up 32.3% of Nepal’s GDP (World Bank Data), so it shouldn’t be surprising that basically everyone seems to know someone doing migrant labor. I have met people with family working in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and even Afghanistan.

    

    This is Roj he is 9 years old. His father is working in Saudi Arabia, but he doesn’t know when he left, only that he was small. He doesn’t know when he’ll be coming back and his father only sends money sometimes.

    

    This is Muskan she is 13 years old. Muskan’s father has been gone for 1 year working in Bahrain. He will be gone at least more year. With the money raised on global giving CONCERN-Nepal will be sponsoring her education this year so she won’t have to help her mom in making bricks.

    

    This is Der. He is only seven years old and lives in a village in Ramechhap. His father works in Malaysia and has been there for two years. He was the only child who said his father sends money home regularly.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Most of the children we interviewed said that they only get money sometimes, while others say their family receives regular payments from abroad. According to one source, sometimes the mother’s aren’t given money consistently because they are seen as fiscally irresponsible or husband’s may not trust their wives in general, this likely puts extra strain on an already stressful situation for both sides. However, for some the risks, distance, and isolation is worth the eventual pay off. For others, especially those who are illiterate and have difficulties negotiating compensation, they are vulnerable to exploitation and return home in a worse state than when they left.

    Back in June there was an event that shook the nation. It led to the death of multiple Nepalese, but it didn’t even happen in Nepal. Instead in Afghanistan, thirteen Nepali security guards working at the Canadian Embassy lost their lives in a suicide bomber attack. The risk of these kinds of attacks in Afghanistan is very high and the migrant laborers do not receive even a fraction of the protection that Westerners do. To learn more about the appeal of this work I spoke with the owner of a local restaurant who had spent four years working in Afghanistan.

    Ragan* took a job on a U. S. base doing laundry for the unit. He said it was a good job, but he was worried about his safety. He had multiple friends injured while overseas and he feels very lucky to have come back in safely. Thanks to this job, two years ago he was able to open a café on top of Swayambunath or “monkey temple” as its referred to by tourists. Unfortunately, one year later his café was destroyed in the earthquake in April 2015. Last month Ragan was able to open a new restaurant near Swayambunath. Although the earthquake set him back, he was still able to rebuild his business from the ground up. The kind of money that Ragan gained from working abroad definitely made recovering from this tragedy possible.

     

    

    Chari and his two sons.

     

    Others I spoke to were not as fortunate. Chari Tamang traveled to Qatar almost three years ago to work on a gas line. When he started work he began to have major health problems caused by the fumes. His health problems caused him to leave after fulfilling only seventeen months of his two-year contract. This meant that he was unable to fully pay back the loan he took out in order to get to Qatar, so he is now $1,500 in debt. He arrived home on April 18, 2015, exactly one week before the earthquake. Around 3,000 people died in his district alone and his family was displaced. Chari now plans to work in the brick kilns in the fall and it is likely that his three children will be helping in making bricks, unless the family receives support.

    ---

    *Name changed to maintain the interviewees privacy.

     

17. 10 Rupee a Cup

    August 4, 2016 2:22 pm 5 Comments

     

    Sapana’s smile has a tender gleam with a mischievous, yet innocent twinkle in her eyes. After all, she is just 12. 

    But, Sapana is not a typically carefree adolescent, as she should be. While traveling to Gutu, I met her at a bus stand selling berries. She left her house at 6:00am and instead of going to school, she reached the market at 8:00am to sell chutra (berries) at 10 rupees a cup. She spent all day yesterday picking these tiny chutras from really thorny plants just so she can sell them to help her mom buy essential food items. Her mom is the sole caretaker of her and four other siblings. Turns out, her father is drunkard and does little to help out her family. This shy 12 yr old is missing school and will sit at the market for the whole day just so can make money to have food on her plate. While her brothers are happily attending school, she was given the responsibility to bring home money.

    In Nepal, keeping girls in school beyond their adolescence years is nevertheless a major obstacle. From my observation during my time in Gutu, I realized girls’ education is not the ultimate priority for many families. For these families, their daughters are often needed to work in the rice fields, collect firewood, fetch water and finish household chores and in Sapana’s case, sell items in the market. Often times, many of these girls are forced to marry at an early age.

    While staying in the village, I saw young girls with haunting eyes carrying around little babies while completing chores. I doubt some of these girls will ever enter the door to a secondary school classroom. 

    Sapana is just a representative of hundreds of girls in her village. Girls like her do not understand the importance of education often find themselves as victims of child marriage. Sapana is a girl that you will see every day in Nepal but choose to disregard.

    Yes, there are laws and organizations that are working to combat discrimination against children and there are lots of organizations that work for the betterment of child rights. However, it does not seem to be enough. Efforts needs to be put towards raising the self-esteem of children so that they can be the lead decision maker of their own lives and ensuring that  young girls like Sapana grow up educated, healthy and happy.  

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    Sapana\u2019s smile has a tender gleam with a mischievous, yet innocent twinkle in her eyes. After all, she is just 12. <\/span><\/p>

    But, Sapana is not a typically carefree adolescent, as she should be. While traveling to Gutu, I met her at a bus stand selling berries. She left her house at 6:00am and instead of going to school, she reached the market at 8:00am to sell chutra (berries) at 10 rupees a cup. She spent all day yesterday picking these tiny chutras from really thorny plants just so she can sell them to help her mom buy essential food items. Her mom is the sole caretaker of her and four other siblings. Turns out, her father is drunkard and does little to help out her family. This shy 12 yr old is missing school and will sit at the market for the whole day just so can make money to have food on her plate. While her brothers are happily attending school, she was given the responsibility to bring home money.<\/span><\/p>

    In Nepal, keeping girls in school beyond their adolescence years is nevertheless a major obstacle. From my observation during my time in Gutu, I realized girls’ education is not the ultimate priority for many families. For these families, their daughters are often needed to work in the rice fields, collect firewood, fetch water and finish household chores and in Sapana\u2019s case, sell items in the market. Often times, many of these girls are forced to marry at an early age.<\/span><\/p>

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18. Two Kinds of Contracting

    August 1, 2016 2:40 am 4 Comments

    

    Bal Krishna (left) and Chakra Bahaden (right) contractors for brick kilns in Kathmandu.

    During my trip to Ramechhap I interviewed Finance consultants who were waiting in an office to help secure a mortgage. The contractors in the village in Ramechhap are responsible for finding as many workers as they can to come to the brick kilns near Kathmandu to work for six months. They use the lure of large advances in order to procure a commitment from these workers for the season. Despite doing the same work in the exact same small community, the two contractors, Chakra Bahaden and Bal Krishna had very different views on the job, but they could agree on one thing, they both would like to stop.

    

    Chakra Bahaden, contractor for brick kilns in Kathmandu.

    First, I interviewed Chakra Bahaden. His father was a contractor first, so he was introduced to the work at the brick kilns when he was quite young. He began working full time at fourteen. He worked at the kilns as a normal laborer for ten years and then became a contractor like his father. He has been a contractor for the past ten years and says the job has become very different in the last decade with websites like My Trusted Contractor coming into place. At first people would come to him seeking work in the brick kilns. He didn’t have to go out of his way to motivate locals to take on labor in the kilns. Brick factory work was considered far more lucrative than anything else available to them in the villages. Now people have more options than before. Villagers have found better paying jobs abroad or started their own businesses. Even the goats that CONCERN-Nepal donated have been successful in deterring villagers from accepting jobs in the brick kilns. So while, over all it seems the economic position of the villagers is gradually improving, Chakra complains that he has been disadvantaged by these improvements.

    Chakra has had to work harder to motivate people to go the kilns. He now has to cast a wider net and can’t afford to be as careful with whom he chooses to recruit. This has made the work riskier and sometimes the people he recruits end up running off with the advance, leaving him responsible for paying back the money. Chakra would like to change jobs and start his own business, but right now he doesn’t have the capital to do so.

    For the other contractor, I spoke with that day, capital is not a problem. Bal Krishna has the only concrete home in the village. It is a comfortable home with a store front selling fabrics and other goods on the bottom level. By all accounts he seems to be doing very well for himself and financially would be able to leave his work as a contractor behind. Bal Krishna says that although he’d like to do exactly that he can’t abandon the people he has recruited.

    

    Bal Krishna, contractor for brick kilns in Kathmandu.

    Unlike Chakra, Bal Krishna feels a connection with the people he has recruited to the kilns. Chakra and Bal Krishna started the work in very different ways. Chakra was pressured by his father to work in the kilns and eventually become a contractor. Whereas Bal Krishna and his father started working independently for the brick factories. Working in the kilns as an individual, he saw how difficult it was for his father to secure his paycheck from the factory owner. He noticed that other workers who had been recruited by contractors did not have the same struggle. These groups led by contractors were able to use their bigger numbers to sway the factory owners and advocate for their rights. After witnessing the effectiveness of these groups, Bal Krishna decided to become a contractor as well and bring in workers so that he and his group would also have influence.

    Bal Krishna recruits laborers for three different kilns in Bhaktapur and argues that the people he has recruited would have more difficulties with the factory owners if he wasn’t there to act a middle man. From his own experience he knows that if the workers were approaching the factory owner alone they would not have as much bargaining power, but as a united group they are able to better advocate for themselves. He explains that many of the workers he recruits are illiterate and have problems discussing compensation, thus he believes it is necessary for him to be there to make sure that they are being treated fairly.

    Bal Krishna’s view on his contracting work was much different than I expected. For Bal Krishna he believes he his providing a form of protection that the workers would not have if they were on their own. Chakra’s position was much closer to what I expected to find, someone doing an unpleasant job, at best out of necessity and at worst out of greed. Since I only had the opportunity to interview two contractors it is difficult to know which situation is more typical, but I do hope that Bal Krishna’s make-shift union is the more common arrangement for the sake of the workers.

19. Revolution is on the Horizon

    July 25, 2016 2:06 pm 4 Comments

    

    As Sujata, 13 year old, clambered up the narrow ladder leading to small hut across from her traditional two story house, she sheepishly looked at me and said this is where I sleep when I am menstruating. The hut shelter sat on the side of a yard crowded with livestock stamping on excrement and hay; chicken foraging and clucking.

    In Gutu, as in many villages in Nepal, women become untouchables and are isolated from their families each month while they are menstruating. Girls like Sujata practice chaupadi, a tradition where menstruating women cannot even come near the porch out of fear that families will get sick, livestock will fall ill and the Gods will be angry. 

        

     Sleeping on hay right next to a chicken coup. 

    Sujata’s Chau goth (hut) is nicer than the ones her friends have. Nicer in the sense that is has a door with a lock for protection and a bench to sleep on. For girls in the village without a hut, they sleep in the open garden underneath the stars. 

    For generations, women in Nepal have been facing oppression in the name of religion, culture, dignity or honor.  “During my time girls were not allowed to enter the house for 7 days but now, girls are allowed to come into the house on the 5th day” said Sujata’s mom, Kamala.  Kamala really believes that if girls eat radish during their period then their babies will come out looking like one.

    “I once had a beautiful apple tree that used to bear lots of fruit but since my daughter and daughter in law touched the tree during their menstruation, apples hardly grow on it.” Perhaps the reasons it doesn’t grow fruit because it became old said Usha, an activist working for Women Girls and Child Rights Program. “Maybe that could be the reason since the tree is about 20 years old after all said Kamala, but I highly doubt it because it has been that way since they touched it.” 

    Chaupadi has compelling links to cultural and religious beliefs.  “Girls have to follow certain “norms” during the “unclean” period of menstruation” said Sujata. She is barred from participating in prayers and festivals, though she can eat the food that is cooked during festivals. If a girl breaks some of the rules or behaves inappropriate then the Gods will be angry and in return, they will kill the livestock and bring the family bad luck. 

    Sujata’s chau goth (hut), below

    

    As mentioned before that girls are relegated into very unhygienic living conditions when practicing Chaupadi. According to Kamala, “girls should eat not papaya because it an offering made to the God”. Not only that, “girls should not touch seeds or else plants will not grow.”

    “I didn’t like go to the chau goth when I was young, but my mother used to force me,” said Kamala.  So why do you force your daughter and daughter in law to go to hut? “What can I do, it is a tradition and my neighbors practice it so I have to as well.” 

    Despite various billboard posted around the village about the harmful practices and law about chaupadi, people are still observing the practice. However, some families are starting to adopt their own ways of the practice. One or two families that I met said that girls can stay in their rooms during menstruation. Some girls are also starting to drink milk and yogurt. 

    Traditions like chaupadi is so ingrained into the culture and the community that it will not be obsolete overnight. While change is hard and slow, it is starting to take place in this little village called Gutu. 

    [content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:4,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:2,”block”:”layout”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”3″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”

    <\/p>

    As Sujata, 13 year old, clambered up the narrow ladder leading to small hut across from her traditional two story house, she sheepishly looked at me and said this is where I sleep when I am menstruating. The hut shelter sat on the side of a yard crowded with livestock stamping on excrement and hay; chicken foraging and clucking.<\/span><\/p>

    In Gutu, as in many villages in Nepal, women become untouchables and are isolated from their families each month while they are menstruating. Girls like Sujata practice chaupadi, a tradition where menstruating women cannot even come near the porch out of fear that families will get sick, livestock will fall ill and the Gods will be angry. <\/p>

        
    <\/p>

     Sleeping on hay right next to a chicken coup. 
    <\/p>

    Sujata\u2019s Chau goth (hut) is nicer than the ones her friends have. Nicer in the sense that is has a door with a lock for protection and a bench to sleep on. For girls in the village without a hut, they sleep in the open garden underneath the stars. <\/p>

    For generations, women in Nepal have been facing oppression in the name of religion, culture, dignity or honor.  \u201cDuring my time girls were not allowed to enter the house for 7 days but now, girls are allowed to come into the house on the 5th day\u201d said Sujata\u2019s mom, Kamala.  Kamala really believes that if girls eat radish during their period then their babies will come out looking like one.<\/p>

    \u201cI once had a beautiful apple tree that used to bear lots of fruit but since my daughter and daughter in law touched the tree during their menstruation, apples hardly grow on it.\u201d Perhaps the reasons it doesn\u2019t grow fruit because it became old said Usha, an activist working for Women Girls and Child Rights Program. \u201cMaybe that could be the reason since the tree is about 20 years old after all said Kamala, but I highly doubt it because it has been that way since they touched it.\u201d <\/p>

    Chaupadi has compelling links to cultural and religious beliefs.  \u201cGirls have to follow certain \u201cnorms\u201d during the \u201cunclean\u201d period of menstruation\u201d said Sujata. She is barred from participating in prayers and festivals, though she can eat the food that is cooked during festivals. If a girl breaks some of the rules or behaves inappropriate then the Gods will be angry and in return, they will kill the livestock and bring the family bad luck. <\/p>

    Sujata\u2019s chau goth (hut), below
    <\/p>

    <\/p>

    As mentioned before that girls are relegated into very unhygienic living conditions when practicing Chaupadi. According to Kamala, \u201cgirls should eat not papaya because it an offering made to the God\u201d. Not only that, \u201cgirls should not touch seeds or else plants will not grow.\u201d<\/p>

    \u201cI didn\u2019t like go to the chau goth when I was young, but my mother used to force me,\u201d said Kamala.  So why do you force your daughter and daughter in law to go to hut? \u201cWhat can I do, it is a tradition and my neighbors practice it so I have to as well.\u201d <\/p>

    Despite various billboard posted around the village about the harmful practices and law about chaupadi, people are still observing the practice. However, some families are starting to adopt their own ways of the practice. One or two families that I met said that girls can stay in their rooms during menstruation. Some girls are also starting to drink milk and yogurt. <\/p>

    Traditions like chaupadi is so ingrained into the culture and the community that it will not be obsolete overnight. While change is hard and slow, it is starting to take place in this little village called Gutu. <\/p>\n”,”class”:””}]}]}[/content-builder]

20. What’s a Child Friendly Room?

    July 22, 2016 3:23 am 6 Comments

    This week I had pleasure of interviewing Meera Gurung, who is a facilitator at a Child Friendly Room in Kathmandu. The Child Friendly Rooms came about after the earthquake last year when many schools were closed. The closing of schools and destruction of homes, meant that many children had no safe place to go during the day. These rooms that started as a temporary measure proved to be so beneficial to vulnerable children in the area that CONCERN chose to keep seven Child Friendly Rooms open so that students would have a place to go before and after school to study and play. Having this space allows children to remove themselves from environments that may lead to coerced labor or other abuses. It also helps them to improve their school work through the support of the facilitators and fellow students.

    

    Children playing a game during my visit to Meera’s Child Friendly Room.

     

    The Child Friendly Room that Meera runs is a simple space that actually becomes Meera’s living space when the children aren’t present. There were 17 students present during my visit and about 30 students come regularly. The room has many games and books available for the children, but most importantly it has Meera.

    

    Meera leading the children in a game during my visit.

     

    Meera is intelligent, caring, friendly, and she definitely understands the situation these children are facing. When she was about 12, CONCERN began funding her education. She was the child of stone quarry workers and had started wage labor in the quarries. Her job was to carry stones in a basket around her head (see the picture below.)

    

    Example of the basket Meera would carry stones in.

    She said the basket would weigh 50 kilos (or about 110 pounds). Carrying these kind of heavy loads at such a young age was obviously tiring and dangerous. At that time, her father wasn’t supportive of her education so she found herself working in the quarries, as well as other odd jobs, such as washing dishes at weddings.

    

    This is a photo from a community theater production of an original play called “A Different Cultivation of Maize.” Meera portrayed a lawyer.

    Without CONCERN’s support its likely that Meera wouldn’t have been able to continue going to school at all. But now, Meera has finished secondary school and is studying to work in theater. She is active in community theater in Kathmandu and hopes to become a director one day. Meera strives to set a good example for her students and even though things are still hard for her she radiates positivity. I think we could all use someone like Meera in our lives, and I’m certain she is making a difference for every child taking advantage of her Child Friendly Room.

    To hear more about Meera’s experiences and the Child Friendly Rooms straight from the source, please check out my first attempt at a podcast! It was definitely a learning experience for me, but I think Meera’s personality and strengths really come through, so enjoy!

21. Already Adults at Thirteen

    July 17, 2016 5:43 am 263 Comments

    

    Muskan Tamang, looking very serious for a 13 year old girl. Her mom works a carpet factory in the off season and the brick factory in the dry season. Her dad has been gone for the past year, to work in Bahrain. She aspires to be a nurse.

    Tuesday was a long day of interviews which started with an extra long bus ride from Kathmandu to Bhaktapur. Our first interview of the day was with Muskan Tamang. She gave the impression of a quiet and serious young girl. Eventually it became apparent that most students 12 or older tended to have a more serious attitude given that as they transitioned into their teenage years their families seemed to expect more of them as well. This transition from childhood to adulthood is something we all expect, but the timing can vary greatly between countries or economic circumstances. In the United States, childhood seems to last longer and longer, for better or worse. Sociologists have in fact created a new term to define the extra time adults in the United States seem to need to actually become independent, functioning members of society. They call this period “emerging adulthood” and it generally occurs in the late teens through the twenties. For me this is such a stark contrast to the pre-teens I’ve interviewed who are already expected to take on adult work in their families.

    This expectation makes it especially difficult for the students to avoid assisting their families in the brick kiln, even when CONCERN-Nepal is funding their education. Some students still work in the kilns to varying degrees. In most instances it is not more than an hour or two, but there are rare students who are expected to do much more, like Bishal Manandhar.

     

    

    Bishal Manandhar, 13 years old.

     

    Bishal is 13 years old and from Ramechhap, a rural area to the southeast of Kathmandu. Although he has only spent 6 months in the kilns, compared to some children who have already worked as many as 6 years in the kilns, he had one of the most grueling schedules of any of the children we’ve interview and had suffered additional hardship on top of that. Last dry season he would wake up at midnight and begin making bricks. He would make bricks until 9 am and then he would go to school. After school he would work for another hour or two. His parents, who are both illiterate made the decision to work in the kilns after their home was destroyed in the earthquake. While working at the kilns he was injured and received no compensation or medical attention.

    Bishal worked 10 hours a day while the brick factories were open. Being able to attend school under the circumstances was at best a mixed blessing. While staying in school will give him a better chance at finding work outside the kilns later, adult expectations weigh heavy on Bishal and its obvious that this kind of hard labor is taking its toll.

     

    In contrast to Muskan and Bishal are Alina and Yamsay Tamang, who are only nine and seven years old respectively. Below is a video of them taken by staff at CONCERN-Nepal, happily flipping bricks as if its just another game for them.

    In the interview, they boasted of their expert skills in brick flipping. During the interviews they were all smiles as they talked about their life in Bhaktapur. Even with the difficult circumstances the younger brother Yamsay is top of his class and even helps his sister study since their parents are illiterate and unable to help. For now they are young and things are still easy compared to Bishal’s daily life, but how many more years until they face the same difficulties? When will their childhood abruptly change to adulthood?

    

    Sundar, field officer at CONCERN-Nepal interviewing Alina and Yamsay Tamang.

22. America? Where?

    July 11, 2016 11:22 am 7 Comments

    

    Crooked and slanted rocky road in Lakuri, Nepal. Tons of climbing is required to go anywhere.

    You know you are in a really remote place in the mountains when you are asked where America is located. There were blank faces when I spoke English and told people I was from America while monitoring a workshop in Lakuri, Nepal. Lakuri is a very rural village in Nepal and the only way to get there is by hiking, climbing, crawling, walking, slipping and falling on non-existing paths for 7 hours to finally reach the top of the mountain. I thought walking up the near vertical inclines was hard, but coming down really damaged my knee. At the end, 7 hours of walking was worth everything when I finally saw the serene view of the place from the top. It was so peaceful and natural that it felt like I was in heaven.

    The workshop I was monitoring was extremely successful and I was blown away by the adolescent group of this village. These groups of extremely talented kids were not shy at all and spoke loudly and clearly without any giggles about puberty, menstruation, body parts and social issues. One of the highlights of this workshop was when a group of boys had to draw the changes that take place in a girl’s body when they go through puberty and vice versa for girls. Boys and girls were separated into two groups and one person from each group had to lay down on a brown piece of paper while the group traced the outline of their body.

    

    The boys laughing away while drawing the uterus.

     

    Then the groups were asked to switch so that girls can draw the body parts on the outline of a boy and the boys of a girl. When it came time to present, there was a bit of confusion from the boys on what a vagina actually looked like. While they drew a really accurate picture of a uterus, pubic hair was drawn on the uterus and the vagina was completely missing. Now, here comes the most interesting argument in history, a female’s vagina is in fact the uterus and they think the vagina looks like the uterus therefore putting pubic hair on it was relevant. Oh boys!

    

    The girls attempting to draw a penis but it came out looking like a fan on the stomach.

    The girls were slightly shy to draw a penis, perhaps which is why when they drew one, it looked like a fan. While the girl was presenting, one boy yells out “why is the penis located on the stomach?” One extremely sassy, intelligent girl replied “I have never seen yours, so shut up.” I never laughed so hard in my life! This type of activity really helped both the boys and the girls break out of their shells and feel comfortable talking to each other about social issues.  In villages like this, boys and girls don’t sit together, eat together or hangout. They remain distant because their community does not allow boys and girls to be friends. Workshops such as this are extremely important in breaking those norms and helping both boys and girls be empowered together.[content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:”1″,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”<\/a> Crooked and slanted rocky road in Lakuri, Nepal. Tons of climbing is required to go anywhere.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nYou know you are in a really remote place in the mountains when you are asked where America is located. There were blank faces when I spoke English and told people I was from America while monitoring a workshop in Lakuri, Nepal. Lakuri is a very rural village in Nepal and the only way to get there is by hiking, climbing, crawling, walking, slipping and falling on non-existing paths for 7 hours to finally reach the top of the mountain. I thought walking up the near vertical inclines was hard, but coming down really damaged my knee. At the end, 7 hours of walking was worth everything when I finally saw the serene view of the place from the top. It was so peaceful and natural that it felt like I was in heaven.\r\n\r\nThe workshop I was monitoring was extremely successful and I was blown away by the adolescent group of this village. These groups of extremely talented kids were not shy at all and spoke loudly and clearly without any giggles about puberty, menstruation, body parts and social issues. One of the highlights of this workshop was when a group of boys had to draw the changes that take place in a girl\u2019s body when they go through puberty and vice versa for girls. Boys and girls were separated into two groups and one person from each group had to lay down on a brown piece of paper while the group traced the outline of their body.\r\n\r\n<\/a> The boys laughing away while drawing the uterus.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThen the groups were asked to switch so that girls can draw the body parts on the outline of a boy and the boys of a girl. When it came time to present, there was a bit of confusion from the boys on what a vagina actually looked like. While they drew a really accurate picture of a uterus, pubic hair was drawn on the uterus and the vagina was completely missing. Now, here comes the most interesting argument in history, a female’s vagina is in fact the uterus and they think the vagina looks like the uterus therefore putting pubic hair on it was relevant. Oh boys!\r\n\r\n<\/a> The girls attempting to draw a penis but it came out looking like a fan on the stomach.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe girls were slightly shy to draw a penis, perhaps which is why when they drew one, it looked like a fan. While the girl was presenting, one boy yells out \u201cwhy is the penis located on the stomach?\u201d One extremely sassy, intelligent girl replied \u201cI have never seen yours, so shut up.\u201d I never laughed so hard in my life! This type of activity really helped both the boys and the girls break out of their shells and feel comfortable talking to each other about social issues.\u00a0 In villages like this, boys and girls don\u2019t sit together, eat together or hangout. They remain distant because their community does not allow boys and girls to be friends. Workshops such as this are extremely important in breaking those norms and helping both boys and girls be empowered together.”}]}[/content-builder]

23. Introductions are in order…

    July 10, 2016 4:26 am 8 Comments

    Now that I’ve sat down with 13 of the 25 students I’ll be profiling, I’d like to start introducing a few of them to you. First are the students that Sundar and I interviewed in Imadol, Sanu, Buddhi and Deepak. Not one of them was over 11 years old, and yet they had more work experience than most college students in the U.S.

    

    Sanu is very outgoing, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from his picture. He’s all smiles until he notices and camera pointed his direction then he switches to the subdued expression you see here. The serious expression is probably what you would expect from his history. From the interview we learn that although he is only 11 years old, he has already worked in the brick factory for three years.

    Sanu comes from a big family. He is the youngest and has three older sisters and one older brother. He speaks fondly of his family and when he tells us that his father won a prize for carrying the most bricks last season the pride he feels is evident on his face. His brother is currently working at the brick factory also, even though he himself is only 14 years old. Sanu tells us that his brother broke his leg working in the kilns and that there was no money for a doctor or compensation from the factory. He explains his brother’s leg is healed now, but that it still causes him pain. This could just as easily have been Sanu’s future, but for the time being CONCERN is sponsoring his education allowing him to pursue his goal of becoming a pilot.

    

    Buddhi is quiet compared to some of the other students. He was more timid during the interview as he explained his situation. At just 8 years old he has more work experience than some graduate students I know. He worked for three years in the kilns before CONCERN began sponsoring his education. By sponsoring his education, Buddhi is also able to take his 2-year-old sister with him to school so that she isn’t in the way of her parents’ work. He has two older brothers as well, one is only 13 years old. His brother dropped out of school in the third grade and has been employed in the factories since then. Buddhi’s favorite subject is English and after Sanu expressed his aim at becoming a pilot, Buddhi sweetly parroted this proclamation.

    

    Deepak was the most serious of the children we interviewed that day. He does not have the high aims of Sanu or Buddhi. Instead he would like to be a driver and earn money. Deepak is only 10, but he has spent half of his short life working in the brick kilns. His father died in the Civil War in Nepal that ended in 2006 and with no other siblings, it is just himself and his mother.

    I hope you enjoyed “meeting” a few of CONCERN’s students. I’ll have a few more introductions later in the week. Thanks for reading!

24. Earthquakes and Floods a.k.a Business as Usual

    July 1, 2016 4:01 am 240 Comments

    

    The outside the CONCERN Office

     

    In the past two weeks, I think I’ve experienced what constitutes a fast-paced week at CONCERN and what would be a particularly slow week. The fast week came first. CONCERN staff were working jointly on a proposal with Change & Development for Our Rural Society (CDORS) which was due in five days time. Even with this rapidly approaching deadline, the atmosphere at the office resembled a slow day at the high pressure law firm where I previously worked.  But much like the law firm, I did end up working overtime. I came in on Saturday to proofread the proposal and finish up the final draft of the references section. Then I came in early on Sunday to put together the final document, so that we could print the proposal before the scheduled power outages that day. However, as luck would have it as soon as were finished and ready to print the power cut out. Pramod, the director of CDORS was able to go out and find a printer, but this is just one of the many simple tasks that could take extra time and thought when working in Kathmandu.

    

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Another project taking a lot of extra time is the director’s work with the local authorities to get the permits to repair the office after the earthquake. The plan is to demolish the current office and have a new one built in its place. Even in a developed country like the United States the bureaucracy surrounding such construction projects can be arduous, in a country like Nepal navigating the local government processes can be practically impossible.

    The building itself consists of a nicer office on the first floor and reception area for guests and then a larger bullpen style space on the second floor. When Bijaya, the director of CONCERN, told me the foundation was cracked from the earthquake and they wanted to tear it down, I wasn’t sure what to think. Since I spend seven hours a day, six days a week at the office, it was easier for me not to let my thoughts linger on how structurally unsound the building may be. However, when a small earthquake hit last week, and I felt the floor sway under my feet the damage to the building became far more real.

    

    So while the construction plans have been weighing on Bijaya’s mind, the rest of the staff have been preoccupied with tasks which have made this week particularly slow. The internet was out at the office for the first three days. The CONCERN team spent much of their time making adjustments to the router and back-up battery in the hopes of restoring the wireless internet. Another day, Sundar, the field officer at CONCERN, spent most of the day moving files from the bottom floor so that they wouldn’t be damaged when it flooded from the monsoon rains. (Which was well planned since the next day it did in fact flood.) Schools were also on recess this week, so there were no field visits for me. I spent most of my days without internet, writing up my report and working on the blog you’re reading now.

    I tried to stay productive, but without internet I couldn’t work on the website as easily and doing extra research was difficult. For me these are all temporary problems that I will leave behind, but for CONCERN staff they are everyday issues that will continue to detract from their productivity, unless there are major improvements to Kathmandu’s infrastructure.

    

    CONCERN Staffers bring the printed paper with them every day to stay productive during times without power or internet.

     

25. Emotionally drained, physically exhausted, psychologically ingrained.

    June 28, 2016 10:54 am 3 Comments

    

    Saraswati’s Hut

     

    “I don’t like to stay in Chauu goth (cow shed) but there is nothing I can do as it is our religion” says Sarawati. Girls like Sarawasti are forced to live in cow sheds during menstruation for periods of up to 7 days because they are portrayed as unclean and dirty.  About 400 miles away from Kathmandu, Nepal, I was reversed back in time in the town of Gutu, Nepal. I like to think of myself as a world traveler and that customary practices often don’t leave me shocked, well that was before I arrived in Nepal. Before leaving for Gutu, I was told by my fellow staff that the illegal, dishonorable practice of Chaupadi was outlawed and it is not prevalent in Nepal. Guess they were wrong.

    

    Chauu Hut

    I arrived in Gutu, Nepal to monitor a life skills workshop conducted for 25 adolescent boys and girls, so they can be active citizens in their schools and community. In that workshop, I conducted an activity on menstruation. I wanted to learn more about how menstruation is perceived in their village and whether the traditional practice of Chaupadi is still practiced. So, I had the group of girls draw out things that they can’t touch and eat and the places they are forbidden from going during the 7 days of menstruation and I had the boys draw the same for their mothers and sisters.

    The drawings left me speechless. All of them drew everyday items such as fruit trees, livestock, water taps, their brothers, fathers and kitchen utensils as things they can’t touch. For things they can’t eat, they drew fruits, milk and yogurt and for places they can’t go they drew their homes and temples. But the most horrifying drawings of all were the ones of the huts where they are forced to stay during menstruation. I was left wondering who started this torturous practice and what did these women do to have their dignity stripped from them every month.

26. Were you born with black hair?

    June 23, 2016 11:17 am 6 Comments

    

    Before I even reached Gutu, Nepal, people from the village knew that an American was going to be staying there. They were expecting some white, blonde woman with blue eyes, instead what they got was me, a Bengali American.

    People from different parts of the village came to talk to the “American” but they walked straight past me, mistaking me for a local Nepali woman. They can tell that I am foreigner by the way I walk and talk but I often asked the question “But where are you really from?” or “So, you are American  but why do you look local?”

    Those are loaded questions that come with the cultural baggage for someone who immigrated to America.  I was even asked by two ladies on different occasions on whether or not I was born with black hair. I was not offended by their inquiries at all. They based their image of an American from what they saw in the media. It took endless explanations about how I was born in Bangladesh, and then moved to America for them to fully understand why I have dark skin, black hair and brown eyes.

    What really did bother me was that when people heard that I was born in Bangladesh, they did not consider me to be American. Rather, they introduced me as Bengali to others. I guess it is a good thing that I look Nepali and can blend into the community easily, without having awkward stares or people pulling out their phones to take pictures of me.

    It also feels good to be the representative of my country in Gutu, changing people’s perception of what an American can also look like.

27. Dog Days are Underway and Other Stray Thoughts

    3:09 am 8 Comments

    

    Sleeping dog in Kathmandu.

     

    The streets of Kathmandu are littered with litters. The minute you step out on the street you are bound to see at least one dog taking a nap on the street or nosing through some trash in search of scraps. Now I don’t consider myself a dog person and have always been fascinated with support cats, and prior to Nepal there were few signs that I would become one. But seeing all these dogs sleeping on the streets from the bigger hounds to the smallest puppies, all in varying states of health, has been difficult.  You can tell some dogs hang around certain shops where there must be a generous hand keeping them looking better than most, while other people adopt the puppies and give them good shelter and food, like raw dog food you can find online for them. Others are skin and bone and I find myself pausing to watch them sleep to make sure they are still breathing. There are many foundations taking in these stray dogs to make sure they get the treatment they deserve and immediately try to find them a new home. Most people don’t like adopting strays because they are worried about them making a mess all over the floor, but that has changed after finding these dog diapers on the internet, making it much easier to find strays a home.

    

    Stray dog resting at a shrine.

     

    I must have seen twenty dogs on the way to my first day at the office. So imagine my surprise when I got to my office and there was one inside, as well. My host Bijaya, held up the puppy and said “Je suis Charlie.” He didn’t look much different than any other dog on the street, but unlike the others he was clean, well fed, playful and touchable. After passing so many dogs so clearly in need of affection, it was nice to know I could safely pet at least one dog in Kathmandu. I went and bought the best picks for allergies for the local dogs so they could at least eat.  But meeting Charlie made me wonder, “What makes him different? Why out of all the dogs on the street does this one get the better life?” From what I can tell it was just luck. Nothing sets him apart except for the fact that Bijaya chose him.

    Many of these dogs have skin allergies and infested with different kinds of parasites. Most often they bring these illnesses to other healthy dogs. Even if your dog is not astray, you should keep and eye on it and keep a flea spray by THP ready when you see it.

    

    Charlie giving me puppy eyes.

     

    Later when Bijaya was explaining that there are close to 60,000 children engaged in child labor in brick kilns and that there are 22,000 in Kathmandu Valley alone, I couldn’t help but think, so how do you pick which children get the better life? Of course, unlike with Charlie, there is a process here and strict criteria which must be followed to identify which children will make the most of CONCERN’s limited budget, yet in the big scheme of things for these children it probably seems like a lottery.

    CONCERN only works with seven brick kilns, so first the children need to be lucky enough that their parents chose to spend the season at one of these brick kilns, rather than in one of the other hundred in Kathmandu Valley.  Next CONCERN looks for children between the ages of 6-8 who have a history of working in the kilns. Children as young as three have been found helping their parents with making and carrying bricks, so even a 6-year-old might have been subjected to years of hazardous child labor.

    After locating the potential beneficiaries, CONCERN staff conduct interviews with the families to understand their circumstances. They especially need to ascertain whether the children have a desire to return to school and whether the parents are willing to give up their child’s income in the short term. While CONCERN has few options if the family chooses to pull their child out of school after CONCERN has paid for their tuition, supplies, and uniform, staff have found that securing a promise from the parents goes a long way to assuring that the parents understand that CONCERN is making an investment in their child’s future and that in the long run it will make a difference.

    The main issue I find with this process is that the brick factories which open their doors to CONCERN are likely not the worst of the brick factories in Nepal. If the factory owner is willing to have an outside organization come in and improve the lives of their workers, then they are likely not in the worst condition to begin with. My worry is that the factories with truly horrendous conditions are the ones which would have the doors tightly sealed off from an NGO like CONCERN. However, even in the factories I’ve been invited into living conditions are poor, so it may be best to focus on what CONCERN can do rather than on what they can’t control.

28. Pakha Lagnu A.K.A. Isolation

    June 20, 2016 11:01 am 9 Comments

    “Pakha Lagnu” in Nepali means “isolation.” It is also the word that people here use for menstruation.

    Take a moment and let that sink in before you read ahead. Isolation – it is what these girls are made to feel every month when they menstruate. In some households, menstruating girls are not allowed to step into the kitchen or eat and sleep with the family.

    I went to a school called Jeevan Jyoti, in Gutu Nepal to teach adolescent girls about menstrual hygiene and in return learn more about the social and cultural context of menstrual issues. The taboo nature of menstruation was apparent as the girls struggled to discuss menstruation with me and Suresh, the program coordinator from my host organization the Women’s Reproductive Rights Program (WRRP). Their nervous laughs, avoidance of eye contact, and the fact that they covered their faces with their dupatta (scarf) when speaking made it clear that menstruation, body changes and sexual health are shameful and embarrassing topics.

    As a woman I can tell you that having your period is not a walk in the park. So, imagine that you are made to feel unclean, dirty or guilty for having your period every month. After speaking to the girls about menstruation, I realized one thing; they really do not have any knowledge of the changes that take place in their body and why they get their period.

    When I asked the girls to explain what happens when a girl menstruates, they simply listed some of the symptoms of period, such as back ache and belly ache, but they did not understand the cycle. The girls first learned about their period from their sisters, mothers or female friends. Most of the information they were told was about the use of cloth to manage their flow, restrictions and rituals. But nothing about the psychological process were mentioned. I am assuming that if the girls do not have a good knowledge about their period, then the boys are just clueless.

    The lack of proper hygiene and privacy is another major problem for a lot of girls in school. The girls that I met mentioned that they use cloths or other materials during their period. They always have this fear that either the cloth will fall out or leak into their pants. The school isn’t gender friendly, which means that girls lack access to adequate resources, facilities and accurate information to manage menstrual hygiene. It makes it very difficult for them to wash and change at school, which is why menstruation causes so much absenteeism from school.

    At first, when we spoke, the girls couldn’t even bring themselves to use the word “Pakha Lagnu” in front of us, but at the end they were discussing the topic openly and expressing their feelings. They simply cannot wait for us to go back and conduct training on reproductive health and menstruation.

    Don’t worry girls, the world is reading about you and is standing up for your dignity and rights.

29. Not Quite the Hero, Not Quite the Villain

    June 16, 2016 12:15 pm 9 Comments

    

    I’m visiting my first brick kiln and its obvious we wouldn’t be walking around if we hadn’t been given express permission. The guard on the premises allows us to pass, but keeps a close watch. There is no fence protecting the stock of bricks or factory itself. I guess thieves and trespassers aren’t much of a threat, but a foreigner with a camera could be capable of doing a lot more damage.

    

    A look into one of the homes at the brick kiln in Imadol. The tricycle on the roof gives you an idea how small the home is.

     

    I’m allowed to photograph the small brick structures that pass as homes for the workers. The ceilings of these small buildings just reach my chin. It feels wrong taking pictures of these sad structures. During training we learned to use photography and social media to empower our subjects. Even after getting their consent, it feels wrong and invasive to be taking photos of their private space. For each picture I ask to take, the subjects give a shrug of their shoulders. To me the shrugs don’t say “Fine by me snap some pictures” they say, “go ahead how could I stop you anyway.” There is a distinct attitude of defeat permeating the area.

    

    To the left is the brick kiln. Unlike other kilns it has several small chimneys instead of on large chimney. On the left hand side you can see the grey unfired bricks under the awning and in the front are the red already fired bricks, which no longer need protection from the rain.

     

    Sundar, a field officer at CONCERN Nepal, guides me around the facility and explains how bricks are made. He explains how they are molded and stacked into the grey mass you can see in the corner of my picture. How they are then fired and stacked again this time forming the numerous rows of red bricks. All of this is done by people. Sundar asks me how bricks are made in the U.S., and while I didn’t know for sure at the time, I was pretty certain it wasn’t the labor intensive activity I imagined in Nepal. (This Youtube video later confirmed my suspicions.)

    Some might look at our automated system and think it superior, but such a system would put a lot of workers out of a job in Nepal. For some the brick factories are saviors. Migrants come from rural areas of Nepal and even India to work for higher salaries. In one case study, included in “A Rapid Assessment of Children in the Brick Industry,” Sriram, a Nepali man from a rural area, started working in brick kilns when he was 14. He is now 40 and the wages have allowed him to buy land, buffalo, goats, a solar panel, and pay for his children to go to private school.  Others are not as lucky as Sriram.

    Many poverty-stricken families take loans or advances and become trapped in bonded labor. For these workers, the season starts out with an advance payment, which they are required to repay through their labor. At the beginning of the season they often don’t know what their work will be worth, and the lack of transparency means they could end up owing money at the end of the season, especially if their loan included interest. This can incentivize workers to bring their children to make and transport bricks in order to avoid owing money at the end of the season. Although some children come on their own, the youngest of the workers are usually accompanying their parents.

    As we’re leaving the factory we run into the owner. Sundar has a brief exchange with him and explains to me that he is also a government official. He was recently elected and is very popular in the area. It’s impossible to not have mixed feelings meeting the man who allows child labor to go on in his factory, but who also allows CONCERN Nepal the freedom to work and try to make improvements. Other owners would never open their doors as he has, for fear of the consequences. It makes this particular owner stand out as selfless in a way, but at the same time you know they are allowing child labor to continue.

    I knew going in that child labor was not a black and white issue as some may paint it, but visiting the brick kiln really didn’t make it any clearer for me. Perhaps the only enemy here is poverty, no one person really fits the role of villain in my mind or hero for that matter.

30. A Few Lessons on Gender Discrimination and Uterine Prolapse in Nepal

    June 15, 2016 10:48 am 5 Comments

    The WRRP team in Surkhet is doing a fantastic job combating gender discrimination. I am extremely humbled to join this team of passionate individuals standing up for women’s rights. They are taking a multidimensional approach to educate both boys and girls in schools around Nepal about reproductive rights, child marriage and raise awareness about uterine prolapse (UP) aka fallen womb. In Nepal, it is estimated that around 600,000 women are dealing with UP. Fallen Womb is a condition in which the weakening of the pelvic muscle causes the uterus to come towards the vagina, eventually hanging out of the vagina completely.

    The program coordinator mentioned that the cause of uterine prolapse is the consequence of discrimination of women in schools, homes or in the community simply because of their gender. As a result, they do not have any right to make choices about their lives or their reproductive health. WRRP believes that UP is not just a medical issue but a women’s right issue. Therefore, they have taken the issue of UP as a gateway to address gender inequality.

    In Nepal, it is often the women who work from the time they get up in the morning until they go to sleep in the evening. They have to do all of the household chores, carry heavy loads of manure, gather fodder, firewood and fetch water. These women continue to toil hard even when they are pregnant, barely getting rest or time to recover after giving birth.

    Women think that they can handle the heavy work load after just 10-12 days of giving birth, which leads to various health problems like UP. It is not only the adult women who suffer, girls as young as 13 are suffering from the condition as well. Young girls are extremely vulnerable here because of child marriage. Girls are married off, sometimes even before they start menstruation and have many children at a young age.

    Once the condition of UP develops, it causes an unrelenting amount of constant pain and suffering. It is not easy for a woman to share the fact that she is suffering from this condition because talking about reproductive health in any capacity is a taboo subject in Nepal. The community they live in despises women who speak up about their condition. This is a direct result of the patriarchal structure of Nepal’s society.

    The problem will continue to occur if projects like WRRP do not address reproductive rights and gender discrimination with the population here. Ensuring that women and girls are educated on the subject and can make informed choices without coercion about menstruation, marriage and reproduction will help lead to a decrease in uterine prolapse as a result.

    

31. Three Things You Need in Nepal

    June 10, 2016 9:53 am 6 Comments

    As I sit here in my uncomfortably hot room in 100F temperatures without any electricity or generator to turn on the fan, I have come to the realization that in order to survive in Nepal, you need three simple things- patience, patience and patience!

    First of all, nothing in Nepal seems to start on time. My bus to the field was supposed to leave around 5:00pm from a bus station near “baba petrol pump” and I was advised to be there by 4:30. While I was there at 4:30 patiently waiting in the extreme heat and pollution, the bus did not show up until 5:45pm. Not only did the bus not arrive on time, it left without me and my translator. The right thing to do would be to stop and pick up your passenger, right? In Nepal the bus just keeps moving and they expect the passenger to chase after it with their luggage, eventually climbing on a running bus. Yup, that is what I did. After getting on the bus, the conductor was getting mad at us for not seeing the bus and getting in it on time. The nerve of that man!

    Secondly, be ready and willing to walk in the heat, eat in the heat and sleep in the heat. Load shedding is a major problem in rural Nepal. Electricity rarely stays on for more than 2-3 hours before going out for the whole day or night for that matter. So, be prepared to just sweat all day and embrace feeling wet all the time.

    Thirdly, walking will be your best mode of travel when you come to rural Nepal. Walking, climbing, hiking, sometimes for three hours is a normal time if you want to get somewhere. Public transportation is a luxury here if you can find it. Your umbrella will soon become your best friend and you will get attached to it very, very quickly.

    Lastly, be prepared to squat on the side of the road to relieve yourself when traveling long distances. During my travel from Kathmandu to Surkhet, I was woken by the bus conductor at 3:00am for a bathroom break. I disembarked from the bus in my sleepy haze, looked around and asked my translator, “where is the soap and sink to wash your hands, and for that matter…where is the toilet?!” Her witty response was “who needs a toilet when you have the open field to do you personal business?”

    Really Usha, really? Men and women are just doing their business right next to the bus in pitch black darkness! I was just standing there assessing the situation when a man approached me and my translator and pointed to a spot where we can squat. This is normal, isn’t it?  This was certainly an interesting experience which I clearly could have gone without.

    Cheers to everyone who is reading my blog while sitting in the A.C!

32. The Transition from Know-It-All to Human

    June 9, 2016 5:41 am 7 Comments

    

    My classmates and I visiting UNFAO as part of a class on labor market policy.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    When you’ve just finished your first year of graduate school, then you might know that while you may have spent the past year opening your mind to new ideas, you probably also spent it being a know-it-all. Because let’s face it, if you don’t seem to know it all, who’s going to listen? Any sign of weakness in your speech is seen as a weakness of your ideas. At the end of last semester, I read an opinion piece shared by a fellow student on the use of the expression “I feel that,” critiquing the way people choose to express their ideas as if it makes a good idea worthless.

    So there I was little miss know-it-all, in training with The Advocacy Project trying to keep my know-it-all reflex from turning me into the pariah of my fellowship. Now I’m back in the real world and some humility is in order, but how much is too much?

    During my first meeting with Bijaya Sainju, the founder of CONCERN Nepal, he asked me what my expertise were. Suddenly during this casual introduction over coffee I was transported to another dreaded interview-like scenario and my mind went blank. I’d spent the past year studying international development and economics, but everything I learned felt paltry compared to the 20+ years he’d spent working on issues of child labor. In my previous post, you might have read about my “shiny new tool box,” but in the face of so much experience my skills suddenly felt like a little tikes playset. In response to his question I spoke a little bit about the 4 years I spent at my law firm assisting on cases and with research for articles. I didn’t mention the past 9 months that I had spent studying the issues he has dedicated his life to fixing.

    Looking back, I now think I sold myself a little short in this initial meeting. I may not know it all, but I do know a little. After talking with Bijaya and Iain more and getting my intimidation under control, I’ve realized there are things well within my capabilities and time frame that I can do to help CONCERN Nepal work toward its mission of eliminating the worst forms of child labor. Right now CONCERN Nepal has enough funding to support 25 children through school so they do not have to return to working in the brick kilns. In order to increase their funding, I’ll be working along side Bijaya and his team to make this small program a model for something larger and more widespread. This is my goal for the summer and I look forward to writing more about CONCERN, my work, and Nepal in general.

    

    Selfie at the CONCERN Nepal Office

33. My New Toolbox

    May 27, 2016 2:20 pm 5 Comments

    

    Day 2 of Training with The Advocacy Project. A lesson on video recording and editing from Greg Walsh. The most challenging day of the week for me!

    This week of training with The Advocacy Project has provided me with a shiny new set of tools. Some of these tools are hammers and nails that I can use anywhere. Once I arrive in Kathmandu it should be easy to compose a photo or a blog post. Just like using a hammer and nails. I’ll see a loose board take out my hammer and nails and fix it right then and there. The same will be true for my photography and writing. I’ll see something interesting and snap a picture or take a note down for later. However, other skills will only be useful under the right conditions.

    Just last week as I was using my cordless drill on a wooden frame, I found out that my drill bits were already very dull. So I got onto Best of Tools and figured out a way to sharpen them instead of buying another expensive set. The same way goes with my camera. When I notice that the lenses and sensors have all become dusty after a days out of taking photos on an unforgiving environment, I take time to remove the dust and carefully do that.

    I think of everything I’ve learned about editing websites, creating content, and using social media as an electric saw. With strong internet connectivity I’ll have a powerhouse at my fingertips. I’ll be able to use my resources to bring attention to CONCERN and promote their presence to a larger audience. However, without the internet my saw becomes inoperable. I’ve been told I’ll have much better access to internet than many of the other fellows, but I still have an image of myself holding an electric saw, the wheel spinning slowly as I try to apply it ineffectually to a block of wood.

    Nevertheless, with all that I’ve learned this week I know some of the most important tools are the ones I already had. Patience, ingenuity, organization, these are my hands. They are part of me and without them all the other tools I’ve received would be rendered useless.

    I’ll be leaving for Kathmandu, Nepal on Sunday with my metaphorical toolbox overflowing. I look forward to using these tools to the best of my ability and keeping my readers updated!

34. Artistic Depictions of Child Labor

    August 12, 2014 2:44 am 1 Comment

    Recently, CONCERN-Nepal held a painting contest for students in Bhaktapur. Students gathered from all over the area carrying their paints, colored pencils, and markers in order to paint their depictions of child labor.  If you aren’t familiar with Bhaktapur, I should tell you, it is a beautiful ancient city with the best preserved palace grounds in Nepal.  They are listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and the workmanship throughout is unbelievable, with large handcrafted wooden doors and amazing statues of giant lions and elephants.

    It was quite a surreal experience for me to watch children playing and making art in the midst of ancient history. The children had two hours to complete their paintings and submit them for judging.  They were all amazingly focused on the task and created some beautiful paintings.  You can see their entries in this video.

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    Recently, CONCERN-Nepal held a painting contest for students in Bhaktapur. Students gathered from all over the area carrying their paints, colored pencils, and markers in order to paint their depictions of child labor.  If you aren\u2019t familiar with Bhaktapur, I should tell you, it is a beautiful ancient city with the best preserved palace grounds in Nepal.  They are listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and the workmanship throughout is unbelievable, with large handcrafted wooden doors and amazing statues of giant lions and elephants.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

    It was quite a surreal experience for me to watch children playing and making art in the midst of ancient history. The children had two hours to complete their paintings and submit them for judging.  They were all amazingly focused on the task and created some beautiful paintings.  You can see their entries in this video.<\/span><\/p>“,”class”:””},{“id”:”4″,”block”:”video”,”url”:”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=iZRE9fombWU”,”class”:””,”ratio”:”16:9″,”scale”:”default”,”size”:{“width”:500,”height”:281}}]}[/content-builder]

35. Kids Doing It for Themselves

    August 6, 2014 2:20 am 1 Comment

    Last week I had the opportunity to attend a Children’s Club Conference. Well over a hundred children from the ages of 5 to 17, all dressed neatly in their school uniforms, attended from throughout the city of Kathmandu. They met to discuss and brainstorm on the problem of child labor, because who understands the problems of children better than children?
    
    I also had the treat of a visit from Advocacy Project fellows Sugam and Richa. This was an extra bonus because Sugam helped to translate things at the conference that I didn’t understand. The meeting started off with a talent portion that included songs and jokes. I didn’t quite understand the jokes, but Sugam was busting a gut laughing over them. He just kept saying, “You won’t understand. It’s Nepali.”

    After the entertainment portion, I was introduced as a special guest, and I was asked to light the lamps for the ceremony. I felt honored that I was able to speak to these groups on behalf of the Advocacy Project and voice support for the conference.

    After me, there were a few other speakers. Bijaya spoke on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. After the speeches, the children broke off into task groups, and brainstormed on child labor. These were a determined group of children. I’ve done my fair share of work with children, and I’m used to having to do a bit of wrangling to get children focused. These children just sat down and got to work. It was amazing. I felt moved by their intense focus on the subject.

    The children who attended this conference may not have the ultimate solution to child labor, but these meetings give them the opportunity to think critically on the subject, and when they grow up, they will look at the problem from a perspective they would not have otherwise.

    CONCERN helps to form these children’s clubs because the organization believes strongly that children should have a voice in laws and activities that affect them, and these children’s clubs help the children achieve that.

36. A Call to Arms Against Child Labor

    July 30, 2014 3:12 am 1 Comment

    Last week, I took a trip to Bhaktapur with Dr. Bijaya Sainju, the executive director for CONCERN for Children and Environment-Nepal, for a press conference that CONCERN was hosting. At approximately 74 kilns, Bhaktapur has the greatest concentration of brick factories in Nepal. Over the past several years, CONCERN has initiated a significant number of projects to help curb the amount of child labor in Bhaktapur’s brick factories.

    Well over 20 journalists attended the press conference.  During this conference, Bijaya announced the partnership between The Advocacy Project, and told the journalists that I am in Nepal to stand as a witness to Nepal’s actions. He essentially called the government, politicians, and media to task and said that Nepal has a responsibility to eliminate child labor in its country. Dr. Sainju pointed out that as a signatory of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child treaty, Nepal has a moral obligation to end child labor. Dr. Sainju and other representatives of CONCERN discussed CONCERN’s joint project with Save the Children that helped reduce the number of child laborers in the brick kilns.

    This program focused on education and empowerment, which is the cornerstone of CONCERN’s platform for change. Dr. Sainju said that using tools such as education, human rights training, and vocational support, children can be provided with economic sustainability that can lead to the complete end to child labor. Dr. Sainju stated that if Nepal focused on programs such as these, child labor could be completely eliminated in Nepal in five years. The key at this point is to get the public support to make it happen.

    CONCERN has significant support from the media. As of the date of the press coverage, CONCERN was cover in nine Nepali newspapers, and I just finished watching television news coverage on one of CONCERN’s recent programs. Hopefully, the public will follow suit.

37. The Unseen Children

    July 21, 2014 8:29 am 1 Comment

    

    Home in America, I’m often struck by the lack of children. Not that I never see children at all, but there are times I can go days without seeing them. The park across from my apartment in Medford, Massachusetts often sits quiet and empty. Last Halloween, I think I only had six trick-or-treaters knock on my door.  This shouldn’t be much of surprise since America’s birth rate has declined over the years, but every time I pass a quiet park, I feel a certain loss.

    In Kathmandu, there are children of all shapes and sizes wherever I go.  At least ten children live in the house next door to me, and every evening when I walk home from CONCERN, they all run up to me and shout, “Namaste!” After a good rain, I often see children jumping around and playing in puddles or splashing in rain runoff. At about 4:00 pm I see swarms of children pass by CONCERN’s offices, all dressed in school uniforms: the girls in navy blue skirts and sky blue shirts, the boys wearing navy pants and sky blue shirts, and all of them wearing perfectly knotted ties. They are laughing and cheerfully walking home. Sometimes the girls will be holding hands, and the boys will either be locked arm-in-arm, or have their arms tossed over the shoulders of their friends.

    But if I look closer, past the giggles and the splashes and the playing, I see the other children: the child laborers. I wouldn’t notice them if I weren’t looking for them. A few times a day, I will see a child duck behind a house or down a side street, and it’s obvious that the child is in the middle of a very long work day. Yesterday I was in Thamel, buying groceries and grabbing dinner, and I saw a girl walk out from behind a restaurant carrying a metal container of potatoes. She was about eight-years old. It was wet in Thamel Saturday, and she was trying to jump over puddles and was having a hard time of it.

    Also in Thamel, I saw children who looked very much like they lived on the street. Two boys in particular looked the worse for wear. They were tiredly walking along the street. One was carrying a drum, and the other a long pole a bit over six feet long. One boy stopped to look at something on one of the vendor tables, and people just walked past him as if he weren’t there. I feel at a loss for what to do in situations like that, and I wish I knew more than a few words of Nepali. Then I think, the best thing I can do is the work that I’m doing. I hope that soon, the efforts of the many people working to end child labor in Nepal come to fruition.

38. The 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report and Other Thoughts on Human Complacency

    June 22, 2014 9:41 pm Leave a Comment

    So this week wasn’t one of the most productive weeks of my life.  I started off Sunday at CONCERN working on a grant application in order to gain support for CONCERN’s women and children’s advocacy program, which we are trying to fund.  This program would help educate public entities about the enforcement of human rights violations.  This program is something that the Government of Nepal greatly needs.  I will discuss why a program like this is needed in my next blog post.

    By Monday, I had put a pretty decent dent in the grant application, but I was starting to feel ill.  I figured I must have eaten something I shouldn’t have, and that it would pass, and all I needed to do was drink plenty of fluids.  It did not pass.  I ended up spending a few days in the hospital, and I was unable to attend an important child labour task force meeting on Friday between several Nepali NGO’s.

    One good thing that came out of my stint in the hospital was that I had access to television, and I was able to watch John Kerry announce the release of the 2014 Trafficking in Persons report. I caught him just as he began his opening remarks.  I discuss some of his key remarks below.  The transcript can be found here on the Department of State’s web site.

    Kerry’s Remarks

    Kerry began by acknowledging key people in attendance and acknowledging their work.  He then discussed the report and emphasized how the report was about more than statistics.  He stated, “This is a call to action. It’s a call to conscience.”

    He acknowledged those whom he called “heroes” and “distinguished guests,” whose stories he went on to share later in his speech.  Then he said something very poignant:  “If the cries of those who are enslaved around the world today were an earthquake, then the tremors would be felt in every single nation on every continent simultaneously.”

    This is true.  Every country on this planet has been affected by the horrible tragedy of human trafficking.  The comparison to an earthquake made me think of an actual natural disaster.  Whenever we see one of those tragedies on television, the world pulls together to provide aid.  Just as the world gathers together to provide water and food to countries suffering in natural disasters, we should gather together to end the trafficking of human beings.

    Human trafficking is an unnatural disaster.  Children’s legs are crumbling under the rocks they are forced to carry for ten hours a day or more in stone quarries.  Girls are falling through the chasms of the sex trade.  The family foundation is falling down all around us, and all we do is watch it all, or fail to watch it at all.  We need to go beyond passive acknowledgement.  There are serious wrongs occurring here. It is a world-wide tragedy, and we need to act.  As Kerry pointed out in his remarks:

    “Whether it is a young girl trapped in a brothel or a woman enslaved as a domestic worker or a boy forced to sell himself on the street or a man abused on a fishing boat, the victims of these crimes all have names, all had families. And they each have been robbed of the right to lead their lives the way that they might choose to for themselves.” 

    Many communities and many families consider forced labour and human trafficking to be nothing more than the way things are done, a fact of life, a necessary evil. But this is just an excuse for inaction. Forced labour and human trafficking are not “the way things are”;  they are illegal activities. Every time we buy products without knowing where they came from, every time we see a domestic situation that looks a little odd and say that it’s none of our business, every time we see a child who looks too young to be doing the job he or she is doing but keep silent, and every time we know that there is something we can do, and we do nothing, we are complicit.  We are accessories to criminal activity, participants in this unnatural disaster, and we need to stop being passive.

    If you haven’t already, take time to review the 2014 Trafficking in Person’s Report from the State Department.  Take note of the condition of your home country and the countries with whom you do business.  Think about what you can do to end this tragic crime.

    Kerry closed his statement with the following words,  and I think we should carefully consider his words and take heed: “And it’s a call to action to governments and citizens around the world to uncover modern slavery and hold it accountable to identify the victims, and bring their abusers to justice. There cannot be impunity for those who traffic in human beings. It must end. So that is the standard that we intend to hold ourselves to.”

    So please, help end this unnatural disaster.  If you are wondering how to do this, supporting NGOs like CONCERN is a great way to start.  CONCERN has been working to end child labour for over 20 years and has started many programs to help accomplish this.  If you are interested in donating, you can use the donate button at the upper right hand side of my blog and make sure to note that your donation is for CONCERN.  Thanks in advance for your support.

39. We Need to Fight Against Child Labor Everyday

    June 14, 2014 9:51 pm 2 Comments

    I arrived to Kathmandu late Monday night. After close to 30 hours of flights and layovers, I was very excited to be here; however, part of me was disappointed because I arrived at night and I wouldn’t be able to truly see the city until the morning.

    I am staying with a wonderful family in the Shawyambhu area of Kathmandu.  My room has an amazing view of Shawyambhu Stupa which is also known as “The Monkey Temple,” for the many monkeys that surround the area.

    On Wednesday afternoon I walked to CONCERN’s office to meet with the executive director, Bijaya Sainju. I also met many of the dedicated staff. We discussed our many goals for the summer, which include putting together a plan for the arrest and prosecution of child labor law violators. As far as I know, this would be the first arrest and conviction of its kind in the history of Nepal. We agreed that this will likely be a long-range goal. It will take far longer than my three month fellowship, but hopefully by the end of the summer we will have a reasonable blueprint that can be implemented.  At the end of our meeting, Bijaya invited me to join CONCERN for a rally being held the next day in Bakhtapur for World Against Child Labor Day, so…

     

    At about 5:00 A.M. on Thursday morning, I woke up and headed over to Bakhtapur to observe the rally and take pictures.  There were dozens of groups and organizations in attendance.  The total number of participants was close to 500.  They marched through the streets of Bhaktapur, ending in Bhaktapur Square where we saw many speeches, musical performances, and one live drama on the horrors of child labor.  It was a successful day, and we definitely got the message out.

    Sadly, the problems of child labor go beyond a day.  Around the world, there are millions of children who put their lives at risk every day just to have a meal.  Why aren’t we in the streets every day as well screaming to end this terrible practice?  We can justify complacency by saying there are people with problems everywhere and we can’t help them all.  True, but these are children.  They have no choice.  Adults with problems often have choices about how to deal with those problems.  Children forced to work have no choice, they are slaves to circumstance.

    So it may seem unreasonable or unfeasible to march in the streets every day demanding the end of child labor, but it is unthinkable to do nothing.  A child is the world’s responsibility.

40. Fighting the culture of impunity in Nepal

    May 30, 2014 9:26 am 3 Comments

    The statistics are alarming , and even worse is the action or a complete lack thereof, taken by state institutions in ending the illegal practice of child labor in Nepal. Last year’s Peace Fellow to Nepal, Emily MacDonald, looked into the issue of a lack of prosecution for people who employ child workers , even though there are specific laws relating to the issue, and Nepal is a signatory to and has ratified international conventions pertaining to child labor and the rights of a child. My work with Society Welfare Action Nepal (SWAN) this summer will entail strengthening legal channels for the prosecution of employers of children, and creating a collaborative long term action plan in helping end the practice of child labor in Nepal. 

    Apart from the scorching summer heat that I will be struggling with personally, advocating for the rights of child workers in western Terai region will not be an easy undertaking. SWAN operates out of Dang district, which has one of the highest numbers of bonded laborers in Nepal. The Kamaiya  practice (debt-bondage system, akin to slavery), which was rendered illegal in 2002 still rears its ugly head in the region. Without substantial support from the government when the bonded-laborers were set free, many families still resort to sending their children to work in order to gain extra income for their families. SWAN has been fighting this practice since it was founded in 1994, and I am extremely honored and look forward to working alongside dedicated people who have not only experienced the hardships on a personal level, but have dedicated their lives in fighting this social injustice. 

    I will also be closely working with Richa Adhikari and Katerina Canyon, two extremely bright and committed Peace Fellows, who will be working with Backwards Society Education (BASE) and Concern for Children and Environment Nepal – CONCERN respectively on the  issue of ending child labor in Nepal. We will be creating a joint action plan that will be implemented by the three organizations simultaneously, which will focus on prosecuting employers and rescuing and rehabilitating child workers, while creating a long-term program to tackle the issue of child labor. 

    I am really thankful to all my friends, family, and well wishers who have supported me in pursuing this endeavor. The Advocacy Project’s partnership with SWAN will hopefully change many lives for the better. I look forward to comments, suggestions, inquiries, criticisms, and hopefully continued support and encouragement as I carry out my work and document them here for the next 10 weeks. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to hearing from you.  

    My first attempt at editing and creating a video. My expectation-video during the AP training in Washington D.C. 

    [content-builder]{“id”:1,”version”:”1.0.4″,”nextId”:7,”block”:”root”,”layout”:”12″,”childs”:[{“id”:”2″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”

    The statistics are alarming<\/a> , and even worse is the action or a complete lack thereof, taken by state institutions in ending the illegal practice of child labor in Nepal. Last year\u2019s Peace Fellow to Nepal, Emily MacDonald, looked into the issue of a lack of prosecution<\/a> for people who employ child workers , even though there are specific laws relating to the issue, and Nepal is a signatory to and has ratified international conventions pertaining to child labor and the rights of a child. My work with Society Welfare Action Nepal (SWAN)<\/a> this summer will entail strengthening legal channels for the prosecution of employers of children, and creating a collaborative long term action plan in helping end the practice of child labor in Nepal. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n

    Apart from the scorching summer heat that I will be struggling with personally, advocating for the rights of child workers in western Terai region will not be an easy undertaking. SWAN operates out of Dang district, which has one of the highest numbers of bonded laborers in Nepal. The Kamaiya <\/i> practice (debt-bondage system, akin to slavery), which was rendered illegal in 2002 still rears its ugly head in the region. Without substantial support from the government when the bonded-laborers were set free, many families still resort to sending their children to work in order to gain extra income for their families. SWAN has been fighting this practice since it was founded in 1994, and I am extremely honored and look forward to working alongside dedicated people who have not only experienced the hardships on a personal level, but have dedicated their lives in fighting this social injustice<\/a>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n

    I will also be closely working with Richa Adhikari<\/a> and Katerina Canyon<\/a>, two extremely bright and committed Peace Fellows, who will be working with Backwards Society Education (BASE) and Concern for Children and Environment Nepal \u2013 CONCERN respectively on the  issue of ending child labor in Nepal. We will be creating a joint action plan that will be implemented by the three organizations simultaneously, which will focus on prosecuting employers and rescuing and rehabilitating child workers, while creating a long-term program to tackle the issue of child labor. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n

    I am really thankful to all my friends, family, and well wishers who have supported me in pursuing this endeavor. The Advocacy Project\u2019s partnership with SWAN will hopefully change many lives for the better. I look forward to comments, suggestions, inquiries, criticisms, and hopefully continued support and encouragement as I carry out my work and document them here for the next 10 weeks. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to hearing from you.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>“,”class”:””},{“id”:”6″,”block”:”video”,”url”:”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3vcfwnFYyXE”,”class”:””,”ratio”:”16:9″,”scale”:”default”,”size”:{“width”:500,”height”:281}},{“id”:”4″,”block”:”rte”,”content”:”

    My first attempt at editing and creating a video. My expectation-video during the AP training in Washington D.C. <\/span><\/span><\/p>“,”class”:””}]}[/content-builder]

41. The Journey to Love Blanket

    August 21, 2011 8:10 pm Leave a Comment

    “Yesterday is a History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, Today is a Gift, That’s why it’s called the Present”

    An inspirational quote, an ancient one which has been modified into various version. I got familiar with it after watching one of my favorite animation movie, Kung Fu Panda. On the scene, Master Shifu (the wise sensei) was trying to cheer up Po (the clumsy panda bear) when he felt down.

    The quote implies an important message to make the most of time we have, regardless of the past we had or the uncertain future we face. I personally believe that the quote also means that we need to learn from the past without getting trapped by it, as Sukarno (Indonesia First President) taught Indonesian not to forget the history, but also to look at the future without being obsessed by it.

    Drawing upon the quote, this time, the Love Blanket carries the message about the past and the future of Nepali children. Without losing its original philosophy as a symbol of love and protection (First Love Blanket), the Second Love Blanket also tells about the experiences of the rescued child laborers and the dreams of brighter future of Nepali children. The blankets consist of panels which were made by rescued child laborers and school children. I hope the blankets can be a good means to learn about the plight of child labor in Nepal and be a trigger to do something in order to help those children reaching a brighter future.

    Producing the panels with the children was exciting. But it was not without challenges. Expressing their feeling, experience, or dream through art was not common for them, most of them haven’t even tried painting before. By the help from BASE’s staffs in the field we managed to organize the children to paint on the panels using brushes and colorful paints, but it got more challenging when we asked them to paint based on a theme. Figures such as house, water pump, and mountain were their favorite.

    A letter was written to accompany the panel. The children wrote letters about their experience, their dream of the future, or simply about their daily activity. I found out it wasn’t an easy task either. Some rescued children were left out at their study because they used to work while others enjoyed schooling, they needed help to write just a simple letter.

    It was such a journey to meet the children, a journey that brings me to the reality of child labor in the south-western part of Nepal.

    Check out the video and feel the journey!

    For those interested in attending or hosting Love Blanket exhibition, feel free to contact me.

42. Anatomy of an Advocacy Journalism Project

    August 11, 2011 9:46 am Leave a Comment

    Nepali media tends to focus it’s reporting on the political leadership and its business: meetings, speeches, events, power struggles, etc. Most is rife with misinformation and lies – promises and actions occupy two segregated parallel universes in Nepali politics – but is reported nonetheless as is. It’s lazy and easy journalism, and social issues do not get the attention they deserve in the press.

    The Jagaran Media Center (JMC) is a Dalit caste run media house and NGO, focusing most of its activities on Dalit journalism and human rights training. The Dalits they represent are the untouchables and downtrodden of Nepal, constituting 20 to 25% of the population. They are the lowest caste of Nepali society, and are often denied basic human rights like access to land, food, water, shelter, education, honest jobs and wages, information, and security.

    Through the Hindu caste hierarchy system, the lowly Dalits are denied the freedom to marry other higher castes, and families face persecution in communities where inter-caste marriages do occur. Dalits are often raped, beaten, or killed for superstitious reasons, while many Dalit women are accused of witchcraft and force-fed their own feces when natural phenomena interfere with the natural cycle of things (i.e. a diseased cow dies in a community).

    Dalits are underrepresented (if at all) in Nepali politics and media, so their plight is generally ignored. Police rarely provide justice to victims of caste-discrimination cases, politicians languish in establishing enforceable socially equitable laws and upholding those that are passed, while the Nepali press does a poor job in reporting all things Dalit.

    Thus, the journalism project I am leading with Prakash Mohara of JMC comes in. The goals of the project are two pronged. One is to extract Dalit caste discrimination stories and cases out of communities in 10 different districts, while using our new network of grassroots civil society organizations (CSOs) to provide justice and democratic accountability to the community.

    In each of the 10 districts we’re targeting (three in the east, two in the north, five in the west), we have identified a Dalit journalist to report on caste discrimination cases. His or her duty is to report these stories (that would otherwise not get press coverage), and publish them on a blog we have set up and trained him/her on, which will be hosted on JMC’s redesigned website (about to be launched).

    Using this information, our partnered CSO in the district in question will attempt to provide justice and democratic accountability to those affected. Using Nepal’s new “untouchability” bill as legal strength in its investigation, the CSO will attempt to unite the community, police, victims, and perpetrators. The goal is provide justice to cases that otherwise wouldn’t receive it, while promoting a more transparent and honest Nepali democracy.

    The second goal is advocacy, both at a national and international level. By hosting the blogs of the 10-targeted journalists, along with profiles of the associated 10 CSOs, the JMC will have a new network of Dalit media spread across the country, reporting on Dalit issues. The JMC will be able to use these sources to lobby their established network of national media houses to cover the reported caste-abuse cases and follow-up activities. Further, the JMC will be able to more effectively lobby lawmakers in Kathmandu to be more cognizant and equitable in their judicial duties towards the Dalits, having documented cases of Dalit discrimination hosted on JMC’s website that cannot be ignored.

    At the international level, social media tools will be used extensively to advocate on behalf of the Dalits, and will try to attract international attention and pressure to the issues. Through avenues such as Twitter and Facebook, along with the JMC’s established network of international partners and organizations, it will reach out and try to engage the international community. Ultimate goals of these activities are to have Dalit cases brought forward and investigated at various human rights commissions (i.e. U.N.), and receive press coverage by popular international news outlets.

    Ultimately, the JMC aims to be a media hub for the Dalit cause in Nepal, and be the destination for Dalit news that generally gets ignored in most other media. The aim is to firmly establish the project, grow it organically and sustainably into other districts across the country, and partner with an international organization for support.

    The project is ambitious, with many moving pieces operating at once. However, it is realistic in its goals, and can achieve sustainable and influential results over the long run. There is potential for Dalit empowerment and promotion of a more inclusive and accountable Nepali society in the districts it operates, and is a formula that can be replicated through organic growth in other districts.

    If some have suggestions or tips for this project, please share them in the comments section. It’s only the beginning.

43. A Child Club Unites To Support A Former Child Laborer

    August 7, 2011 5:00 am 3 Comments

    What happens when you run up against the deep problems of life and the mystery, you find that they aren’t any easy answers. This week, I was again reminded that it only takes a small number of dedicated people to effect change. Regardless of the adversity that the children in this community face, they are committed to encouraging each other and to break this vicious cycle of relying on child labor practices as the only source of income. These families are often landless and marginal farm households and cannot afford to send their children to school. The irregularity of the parents’ employment often see the children’ labor as an additional or more stable income source for the family. Even when the children do attend school, they are still expected to contribute to the family’s income.  The fellowship with BASE takes me different districts every other week, to the hardest places to reach in an effort to gain great insight of the causes of child labor practices. This community-based approach allows me to understand the factors that affect child labor recruitment and to formulate prevention strategies. Below are the stories of Amina and Dipak Chaudhary. I was caught off guard when I found out that they were siblings. Their last name is a common last name in the Tharu community.

    

    Dipak Chaudhary, 17 years old. Former child laborer

    Dipak Chaudhary is the oldest of four children, two sisters and two brothers. Dipak’s father died long time ago and the family is now being raised by their mother. At age 14, Dipak ran away from home to Kathmandu. His mother could not afford sending him to school and they do not own any land where he can at least work. For two years, he worked in Kathmandu in the carpentry business. His masters enrolled him in school, in Level 1 instead of Level 3. For two years, he was pushed back in his education and for his labor, he was paid a mere 5000rps ($71) a year. Most masters tend to enroll the child laborers in a lower grade because the enrollment fees are cheaper. When Dipak returned to his village for a visit, the Shanti Citizenship Child Club intervened and convinced him to stay and go to school. Dipak agreed to stay but later dropped out of school. He felt embarrassed that he was attending classes with students two years younger than him.  Again, the child club came to his side and attempted to find an alternative than Kathmandu.

    The work of the Shanti Citizenship Club should be admired. The current child club president, Ginesh Chaudhary along with the other members thought that Dipak could build up on the skills learned as a child laborer and utilize them to build a career. The club wrote a proposal to BASE asking for funds to cover Dipak’s apprenticeship program. His proposal was approved for 5000rps. Dipak is now a certified carpenter, earning 250rps ($3) a day. To put it into perspective, as a self-employed Dipak makes $93 a year, $22 more than he was earning as a child laborer. He helps his mother to provide for the family.

    

    Amina Chaudhary, child laborer for three years. She is now 16 years old

    His sister, Amina Chaudhary is now sixteen years old. She was sent to work in Gorahi, a nearby village, at the age of five. However, she ran away after few months as the living conditions were intolerable. Upon her return, her mother sent her to another landlord.  Amina worked from 6am to midnight every day cleaning the dishes, washing clothes and taking care of the landlord’s children.  In addition, Amina, who was six at that time, took care of the landlord’s one-year old by feeding and bathing her daily. She spent three years at the house until she was rescued by BASE in partnership with Friends of Needy Children (FCN). Her rescue came at a time when FCN was starting to provide financial help to children, those at risk of becoming child laborers. For now Amina is in school, after spending six years of her life as a child laborer and not attending school. However, she also goes to work to the same landlord every weekend along with her mother. Their double income along with Dipak’s carpentry position allow them to live comfortably.

    So, yes.., there are no easy answers. For now, these stories illustrate the courage of a child club. It took 22 members of the child club and $71 to save Dipak and to encourage him to use his skills to advance his career. They helped him realize that he was capable of more and that he can use his skills to pursue a profession that will generate an income for his family. Ginesh and the club members I met are incrementally saving children from exploitation. The feeling of hopelessness that overcomes me is often due to my inclination of looking at the problem as a big and almost impossible one to tackle. However, I cannot succumb to pessimism, as I believe my reaction would be a dismissal of the time and resources that these children put in to saving each other from exploitation.

44. The Child love blanket completed.. Byana project next…

    4:43 am 1 Comment

    As promised, below are the pictures of the final product, the love blanket. It is probably better to start this blog by congratulating AP fellow, Maelanny who was also a peace fellow with BASE and had begun the blanket project prior to my arrival. The blanket represents paintings from 77% of former child laborers from Banke and Bardiya districts. After the collection of all the panels, they were assembled in two blankets. I really enjoyed meeting the children and understanding child labor issues. If you are in the United States, I will be inviting you to one of the events that I hope to organize upon my return. The quilts are a powerful tool of advocacy, a way that the children can relate to us on their experiences as child laborers and on the need for all of us to do what we can to eradicate the child labor practice. Maelanny will do the same in her home country Indonesia as well as when she returns to school at Oslo University. In the past, past fellows have been able to raise money for their organization and I am hoping that we can follow in their footsteps as BASE is doing a lot of good work in the community and can use more resources, especially in rescuing more children from child labor.

     

    

    The love blanket

    The inspiration to create another quilt, this time showcasing the Tharu culture came during my field visit with Maelanny to Bardiya District. I met Asmitha Chaudhary who invited me to her house and to meet her family. During our walk around her neighborhood, I observe her sister making a ‘byana.” A byana or as called in Tharu language “banka” is a hand fan, unique to the Tharu community. It I beautifully made of wool of colorful colors as well as bamboo sticks. I am particularly interested in creating a quilt out of these byana because; most of people who are affected by child labor practices as well as bonded labor are Tharu. The end result will be a compilation of these byana sewed together into a quilt. Unlike the love blankets where we had an idea of the end result, I have no clue on the byana project. This is a learning process for me and of course you will all be joining me on this journey. For now, cross all fingers that it turns out to be a good quilt.

     

    

    Bayna- a Tharu tradition

45. Rice Planting 101

    July 20, 2011 10:47 pm 4 Comments

    My alarm goes off at 5 am. I am nowhere near ready to arise, but reluctantly force myself out of bed and throw what I need for the day into my backpack. Most importantly: Laptop and camera with battery fully charged. After a three-minute walk to the WRRP office from my hotel and I am already sweating. Shubhakamana (WRRP staff, about my age) has some bread and jam ready for breakfast on the roof. We eat it and enjoy the breeze while we both agree that it was too early to be heading out for the day’s work. We intend to travel to a nearby village (two-hour bus ride) in order to speak with some of the women that painted panels for the quilt project that the previous WRRP intern, Kate had done. I am also hoping to capture footage to better understand the work these women do on a daily basis.

    We catch the first rickshaw we see along the road to the main market, and switch to the bus where we wait until it fills with passengers. Once it is full, aisle included, we began the long stretch to the village of Rajbiraj. I do not enjoy the man who is standing in the aisle, leaning on my shoulder although it was his chair. Shubhakamana makes a motion to say something to him, and I tell her not to worry, if it really bothers me I will give him a small shove or maybe pinch. We both laugh. What’s another over-crowded bus in forty-degree weather?

    We arrive at 10 am, about 2 hours behind schedule, as often happens with Nepalese public transit. The field coordinator is there to meet us, along with two of the village women. We exchange greetings, and began walking through the village of mud and brick houses, with roofs of dried grass, and the smell of livestock. We draw some stares, as foreigners such as myself are rarely seen in this remote area. We stop at one of the houses, and are brought to the water pump to freshen up. The water is cool and clean. We sit down on the front porch, taking our sandals off before we go up the steps, even though the floor is actually made of mud. Shubhakamana begins to speak in Maithili, the local language, explaining that we are here to show them their videos, as they have not seen them before. We also like to learn about their work and shoot some video showing the type of work women do in this village.

    

    We show them their videos with my Macbook, and talk about uterine prolapse, which at least one of them has experienced and received surgery for. After this, the women are eager to provide us with an example of the work they engage in at this time of year. Shubhakamana and I are lead out into the middle of a field of rice paddies by three of the women. Ewakari, the most outgoing, is very animated in describing the work and is excited to show us. I tell her she should be an actress, and she agrees.

    We arrive where there appears to be some smaller green sprouts in the middle of the never-ending field rice paddies. Turns out, these are the “seeds”. The two women jump right into the cubic swamp and began to rip up the seeds and shake off excess mud. I realize later that they are doing this because they eventually carry a large cluster of these seeds on their heads, tied together with long blades of grass, to the planting area. We follow them as they lead us there.

    

    They began planting the rice, singing Maithili folk songs as they go. They ask me if I’d like to try planting. I of agree of course, and join them in the paddy. They laugh as I attempted to plant the rice as quickly as they did in perfect rows. I fail miserably, but enjoy their reaction. After I climb back onto the path because I am only getting in the way, one of the women pull out a clump of seeds from the mud and show me how there are LEECHES clinging to it. I quickly do a thorough check of my legs, feet and hands as they again laugh.

    

    Never again will I enter a rice paddy, however, the point was certainly made. These are the kind of physically demanding chores that rural women are expected to perform day in and day out, monsoon or shine. After an hour, it was time to have some lunch at Ewakari’s home, and talk about the Uterine Prolapse Network the women of this area have formed to empower women and educate women and their families on the issue. More to come…

     

46. From Malaria Eradication to Bonded Child Labour: A Counter-Intuitive Relationship

    July 13, 2011 5:52 am 4 Comments

    Can our seemingly altruistic actions, conversations, policies affect the progression of history in unintended ways, altering relations and behaviours of individuals, networks, or systems? Is equilibrium forever on the precipice, only needing a nudge to tip its fine balance, one way or another? Reference here is to the butterfly effect and chaos theory, where actions in one non-linear system can lead to larger changes down the road.

    In Nepal’s terai (plains) southern region, the Tharu people have braved its tough climate and geography for some 600 years. Arriving from India, they had to clear its dense jungle to grow crops and defy its fearsome wildlife and virulent malarial mosquitoes. The few Tharu that survived and prospered had natural anti-malarial immunities, and were the only Nepalese that could survive in the terai year round – Darwinian evolution, epitomized. Other upper-caste Nepalese from the hills would come in the mosquito-free winter months for agriculture and hunting, but had to depart once the mosquitoes appeared in the hot springs and summers.

    

    Researcher Thomas Cox notes that in the 1950s and ‘60s, USAID and other aid agencies implemented anti-malarial programs in the terai, mostly eradicating the disease from the region. As malaria vanquished, the upper and educated castes of Nepal’s hills moved in permanently, clearing and claiming most of the jungle’s remaining land. Once settled and organized in the region, the upper castes (including Brahmans, Chetri and Thakuri) forced most Tharus off their land, or took advantage of their illiteracy and tricked them into legally signing away their land, or using their land as debt collateral at inflated prices. All told, close to 80 percent of the Tharu had lost their land by 1980.

    Without land and its means of production, the Tharu were helpless and took loans from the upper castes to pay for basics like food, medicine, clothes, etc. As a way of paying back the loans, Tharu were used as bonded or tenant labourers for meager wages of 10 to 20 rupees per day (15 to 25 cents). Tenant labourers were paid a small percentage of the crop towards the debt, while bonded labourers worked under similar conditions, but paying back debt incurred generations ago (reinforced by Nepal’s old legal code). As these labourers’ wages are so low, they’re forced to go further into debt with landlords and masters. And through this system of bondage, Tharu families send their children to work in the fields (kamaiya) or as domestic servants (kamalari) – robbing them of a childhood, friends, education, and chance of a brighter future.

    

    Another brief malaria example is courtesy of Dambisa Moyo, and her criticism of Ashton Kucher’s Twitter campaign that lead to a donation of close to 90,000 malaria nets ($1 million) to Malaria No More. Malaria No More does not source local malaria nets, and the flood of nets from abroad ran the local net producing industry out of business, leaving scores unemployed. Yes, good was done and malaria rates went down for those recipient communities, but local capacity was reduced, nets will need to be replaced (by whom and with what money?), and Africa’s ability to sustainably address their own issues was not addressed.

    So, foreign aid flaps its altruistic wings on one side of the ocean, and causes a hurricane on the other, with the wreckage only beginning to be cleared. The innocence of eradicating one deadly disease leads to the robbery and enslavement of an indigenous people on their own land. Our grand actions from afar, schooled in our detached and isolated institutions, can often have disastrous unintended local consequences in foreign lands.

    Examples abound of this inverse relationship of altruism and misfortune, and serve as a lesson that reality is often more complex than first conceived, and it’s understanding requires deep analytical thought. Of course, not all aid and generosity has negative and unintended consequences. Much good has and continues to be done.

    Our ability to predict outcomes and the future is quite limited, as the social world is an infinitude of processes competing against each other. An innocent butterfly once flapped its wings, and a tornado appeared over the plains years later.

47. Nepalgunj: the paradox of success

    July 8, 2011 1:27 am 1 Comment

    The difficulty of regulating child labor in Nepal becomes obvious as one travels across the country. While in Nepalgunj, we were served by a waiter who was probably around the age of 12. He cleaned our tables, cleared away the dirty dishes, brought us water and took our orders, tasks that he performs many times throughout the day and into the night. His piercing eyes seemed to silently condemn us for enjoying the naan that was served to us. I couldn’t help but noticed how many children were working in teashops and restaurants in Nepalgunj. These children were not the ones we saw in the villages, playing and interacting with us. They were not Birendra, Samita, the children who shared with us their homes and their future aspirations of becoming engineers. These children working in Nepalgunj are no more than 14 years old.  Yet, the harsh conditions in which they are compelled to work in have prematurely aged them. I take this moment to contrast what the government has legally pledged to do and what I experienced while in Nepalgunj.

    It is worth nothing that BASE and other nongovernment organizations, recognized that one of the leading causes of child labor is poverty and to that end have implemented many programs aimed at boosting the literacy rate and at providing economic development to many at risk communities. Additionally, the government has implemented many laws and amended other rules providing free education, prohibiting the use of child labor and, establishing the minimum age for work and employment.

    

    Children free of child labor, Banke District

    After a week traveling through the western part of Nepal, in mostly rural areas, I had for one moment forgotten about the pollution, the animals, the traffic, etc.  My scenery was instead replaced by mountains, rice fields, cows, buffalos and of course goats. I became inspired with the development that BASE is doing in the districts I visited. The child friendly village model is definitely working and I was fortunate enough to interact with rescued children and as stated in my previous blog, we collected paintings that will be assembled into a love blanket.  I returned to the city of Nepalgunj, a city with the record for the hottest place in Nepal (reaching above 104 degrees). Close to the Indian border, the city receives many visitors from both India and other Nepal cities, for business and touristic purposes.

    Many international organizations (UN) and other NGO’s have their offices located in Nepalgunj. It definitely has a vibrant society, retail shops, restaurants, factories and hotels. If you are in Nepalgunj, you have to try the samosas, the best in Nepal.  There is the constant traffic and it has currently been exacerbated by the raining season which makes it almost impossible for travel. As typical of other Nepalese cities, the presence of the respect of all life that the Buddhist and Hindu religions inculcated in their followers is well and alive in Nepalgunj: all animals, I mean all animals, roam the street untouched. It is amazing to see the very narrow streets being shared by goats, donkeys, cows, dogs, and pedestrians, small and big cars in a somehow organized chaos!

    I got a chance to talk to Dilli Raj Dhital, a member of the Nepal Bar Association and an expert on Nepal Human Rights. According to him, there are provisions in the National Constitution (1990 and 2000) and the interim Constitution that all pledge for the advancement of children and the right against exploitation with a specific clause that state that “no minor shall be employed to work in any factory or mine, or be engaged in any other hazardous work.” Additionally, the Nepalese government endorsed many international laws that indicate the government’s commitment to eradicate child labor. One of the international agreements is based on the Convention on the Rights of Child (CRC) ratified by Nepal in 1990. Under Article 32, state members “recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely […] to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.”

    In 2000, the government even went further by raising the minimum age for hazardous work from 14 to 16 years old.  However, children under the age 14 are still prohibited from working and only those between 14-16 years can engage in light duty work or work that may not hinder their development.  Nepal is also one of the first countries to sign the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention Number 138. As per Article 1, by being a signatory to this convention, Nepal has the duty to “pursue a national policy designed to ensure the effective abolition of child labour and to raise progressively the minimum age for admission to employment or work to a level consistent with the fullest physical and mental development of young persons.”

    The government legally committed itself to end child labor; however the progress has been delayed with the lack of the implementation of those laws into practice. The very fact that child labor issues are handled by three different ministries:  the ministry of Labor and Transportation, the Ministry of Women and Child and the Ministry of Land and Property should be of concern.

    If it is not the lack of available laws, then what needs to happen to save these kids from further exploitation?

    The sad reality is that everywhere I went, even where I was staying, I contributed to further exploitation of children. At my hotel, I was served by a boy who was probably 10 years old. He was still working when I went to bed and woke me up in the morning with chiya (tea) at my door step.  With every dollar that I spent in a restaurant in Nepalgunj, I reluctantly accepted the normalcy of employing children. These children, according to the law are prohibited from working. Yet, Nepalgunj, a fast growing city in Nepal, thrives on the exploitation of these children, crippling the next generation. I left the city wondering  about the  factories I passed, and if there are any children working there and what the likely consequence of those chemical exposures can do to their bodies…

    Nepalgunj may be a flourishing business center, but at what cost?

48. Promoting Human Rights, Eradicating Child Labor

    July 7, 2011 5:55 am 5 Comments

    It is widely known that child labor issue is about deprivation of child rights. In Nepal, particularly in the south-western tarai, it is much more complex than that. It is not only about child rights or right to education, but also tied closely to indigenous people rights, land rights, poverty, backwardness, even marginalization.

    There are many rules and governmental bodies which focused on eradicating child labor in Nepal. In Child Labor Act of 2000, The Government of Nepal increased minimum age of hazardous works from 14 to 16 year old. The government has also set up Child Welfare Board under the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Welfare in every district in order to disseminate and implement the rules and regulation in alleviating child labor. However, there are still so many child laborers are employed by high educated people, landlords, even governmental officials.

    As a complex issue, I believe, child labor problem cannot be solved only by enrolling children to school while their family have nothing to eat, or punishing employers while parents keep sending their children away to work. It is not only about giving enough money or providing good job to the people. As Birbal Chaudhary, BASE Bardiya District Coordinator, mentioned that changing people’s attitude is necessary needed in this case. Apparently, it won’t be solved overnight, it needs time, it will involve various elements of the country, it requires a holistic yet effective approach to reach the goal.

    Human Rights Based Approach to Child Labor

    In development fields, Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) is widely implemented. With regard to child labor issue, HRBA puts children in the center of attention. HRBA recognizes that children often forfeit their right to education and other rights to guarantee their holistic development irrespective of the kind of work they do, as well as the centrality of exploitation through work done by children. HRBA help to address this centrality and to identify the conditions and factors that contribute to this problem (Karunan, 2005). Additionally, the programmatic implications of such approach imply coordinated and multi-sectoral interventions in a variety of fields related to the effects of hazardous and exploitative work on children (UNICEF).

    I found HRBA is being implemented by BASE.

    Different from mainstream, HRBA applies bottom-up approach by highlighting family as the first line of protection for the child and rendering appropriate support and assistance to parents and legal guardians in the performance of their child-rearing duties in order to facilitate the capacity of the family to protect the rights of the children and their enhancement (Karunan, 2005). In line with that, BASE develops Child Friendly Village (CFV) project which covers more than two hundreds villages in five districts; Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, and Kanchanpur. CFV ensures that children in the area attend school and free from child labor. CFV aims at protecting children as well as supporting families and communities.

    Empowering children is another key point of HRBA to child labor. In order to empower children to participate actively in the improvement of their lives, BASE helps children to organize by forming Child Club in every Child Friendly Village (CFV). Child Club involves school children and rescued child laborers. The formation aims at enhancing their capacity, increasing awareness of their rights and responsibilities in the community, most importantly, identifying child laborers, their living condition in their employers’ house, and advocating for their rights. Child Club leaders are elected in democratic way every 2 year. BASE facilitates them with training on leadership and advocacy. More info on CFV & Child Club can be found on Adrienne Henck’s blog.

    

    BASE Child Friendly Village (CFV) Signpost in Burigaun VDC, Bardiya District Photo by: Maelanny P

    As Karunan puts it, “one of the reason behind the failure of conventional approach to child labor is its too narrow focus on removal and rescue operations of children in bondage and servitude in the worst forms of child labor, with too little attention and resources invested in providing sustainable alternative livelihoods for rescued children and their families, income generation, and improving the quality, relevance, and accessibility of education and the schooling system. The approach to combat child labor must, therefore, take this variables into account” (Karunan, 2005). In consistence with that BASE provides skill development and vocational training for youth and older rescued child laborers. Parents are also given the opportunity to join income generation program which consists of agricultural training and microcredit.

    In addition, BASE supports 27 schools in its 5 working districts by facilitating toilet construction, building reparation, and furniture improvement thanks to the cheap tablecloths in bulk found online, etc. BASE also develops several model schools which now being adopted by governmental schools in different districts.

    BASE regularly conducts rescue and rehabilitation program as well as awareness campaign for child laborers. In doing so, Child Friendly Village Committees, Child Clubs, Youth Groups and partners are actively engaged. Generally, the rescue is held during Maghi Festival and Dasai Festival, big Tharu and Hindu celebrations when children usually return home to meet their family.

    Earlier in this year, BASE started a cooperation with local government to improve Child Friendly Villages’ quality. BASE and districts government agreed to ‘match fund’. Each of them contributes around three hundreds thousands rupees to support various interventions in CFV that I mentioned earlier.

    Having said that, I believe BASE approach is an invaluable contribution to sustainably eradicate child labor problems in Nepal.

    (From various sources, Karunan in Weston, 2005; UNICEF research paper; BASE Annual Report 2010)

     

    It is widely known that child labor issue is about deprivation of child rights. In Nepal, particularly in the south-western tarai, it is much more complex than that. It is not only about child rights or right to education, but also tied closely to indigenous people rights, land rights, poverty, backwardness, even marginalization.

     

    There are many rules and governmental bodies which focused on eradicating child labor in Nepal. Based on Children Act of Nepal, employing children below the age of 14 year old is a crime. The government has also set up Child Welfare Board under the Ministry of Woman and Children Affairs in every district in order to disseminate and implement the rules and regulation in alleviating child labor. However, there are still so many child laborers are employed by high educated people, landlords, even governmental officials.

     

    As a complex issue, I believe, child labor problem cannot be solved only by enrolling children to school while their family have nothing to eat, or punishing employers while parents keep sending their children away to work. It is not only about giving enough money or providing good job to the people. As Birbal Chaudhary, BASE Bardiya District Coordinator, mentioned that changing people’s attitude is necessary needed in this case. Apparently, it won’t be solved overnight, it needs time, it will involve various elements of the country, it requires a holistic yet effective approach to reach the goal.

     

    Towards a HRBA to Child Labor

    In development fields, Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) is widely implemented. With regard to child labor issue, HRBA puts children in the center of attention. HRBA recognizes that children often forfeit their right to education and other rights to guarantee their holistic development irrespective of the kind of work they do, as well as the centrality of exploitation through work done by children. HRBA help to address this centrality and to identify the conditions and factors that contribute to this problem (Karunan, 2005). Additionally, the programmatic implications of such approach imply coordinated and multi-sectoral interventions in a variety of fields related to the effects of hazardous and exploitative work on children (UNICEF).

     

    I found HRBA is being implemented by BASE.

    Different from mainstream, HRBA applies bottom-up approach by highlighting family as the first line of protection for the child and rendering appropriate support and assistance to parents and legal guardians in the performance of their child-rearing duties in order to facilitate the capacity of the family to protect the rights of the children and their enhancement (Karunan, 2005). In line with that, BASE develops Child Friendly Village (CFV) project which covers more than two hundreds villages in five districts; Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, and Kanchanpur. CFV ensures that children in the area attend school and free from child labor. CFV aims at protecting children as well as supporting families and communities.

     

    Empowering children is another key point of HRBA to child labor. In order to empower children to participate actively in the improvement of their lives, BASE helps children to organize by forming Child Club in every Child Friendly Village (CFV). Child Club involves school children and rescued child laborers. The formation aims at enhancing their capacity, increasing awareness of their rights and responsibilities in the community, most importantly, identifying child laborers, their living condition in their employers’ house, and advocating for their rights. Child Club leaders are elected in democratic way every 2 year. BASE facilitates them with training on leadership and advocacy. More info on CFV & Child Club can be found on Adrienne Henck’s blog.

     

    As Karunan puts it, “one of the reason behind the failure of conventional approach to child labor is its too narrow focus on removal and rescue operations of children in bondage and servitude in the worst forms of child labor, with too little attention and resources invested in providing sustainable alternative livelihoods for rescued children and their families, income generation, and improving the quality, relevance, and accessibility of education and the schooling system. The approach to combat child labor must, therefore, take this variables into account” (Karunan, 2005). In consistence with that BASE provides skill development and vocational training

    for youth and older rescued child laborers. Parents are also given the opportunity to join income generation program which consists of agricultural training and microcredit.

     

    In addition, BASE supports 27 schools in its 5 working districts by facilitating toilet construction, building reparation, and furniture improvement, etc. BASE also develops several model schools which now being adopted by governmental schools in different districts.

     

    BASE regularly conducts rescue and rehabilitation program as well as awareness campaign for child laborers. In doing so, Child Friendly Village Committees, Child Clubs, Youth Groups and partners are actively engage

    It is widely known that child labor issue is about deprivation of child rights. In Nepal, particularly in the south-western tarai, it is much more complex than that. It is not only about child rights or right to education, but also tied closely to indigenous people rights, land rights, poverty, backwardness, even marginalization.

    There are many rules and governmental bodies which focused on eradicating child labor in Nepal. Based on Children Act of Nepal, employing children below the age of 14 year old is a crime. The government has also set up Child Welfare Board under the Ministry of Woman and Children Affairs in every district in order to disseminate and implement the rules and regulation in alleviating child labor. However, there are still so many child laborers are employed by high educated people, landlords, even governmental officials.

    As a complex issue, I believe, child labor problem cannot be solved only by enrolling children to school while their family have nothing to eat, or punishing employers while parents keep sending their children away to work. It is not only about giving enough money or providing good job to the people. As Birbal Chaudhary, BASE Bardiya District Coordinator, mentioned that changing people’s attitude is necessary needed in this case. Apparently, it won’t be solved overnight, it needs time, it will involve various elements of the country, it requires a holistic yet effective approach to reach the goal.

    Towards a HRBA to Child Labor

    In development fields, Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) is widely implemented. With regard to child labor issue, HRBA puts children in the center of attention. HRBA recognizes that children often forfeit their right to education and other rights to guarantee their holistic development irrespective of the kind of work they do, as well as the centrality of exploitation through work done by children. HRBA help to address this centrality and to identify the conditions and factors that contribute to this problem (Karunan, 2005). Additionally, the programmatic implications of such approach imply coordinated and multi-sectoral interventions in a variety of fields related to the effects of hazardous and exploitative work on children (UNICEF).

    I found HRBA is being implemented by BASE.

    Different from mainstream, HRBA applies bottom-up approach by highlighting family as the first line of protection for the child and rendering appropriate support and assistance to parents and legal guardians in the performance of their child-rearing duties in order to facilitate the capacity of the family to protect the rights of the children and their enhancement (Karunan, 2005). In line with that, BASE develops Child Friendly Village (CFV) project which covers more than two hundreds villages in five districts; Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, and Kanchanpur. CFV ensures that children in the area attend school and free from child labor. CFV aims at protecting children as well as supporting families and communities.

    Empowering children is another key point of HRBA to child labor. In order to empower children to participate actively in the improvement of their lives, BASE helps children to organize by forming Child Club in every Child Friendly Village (CFV). Child Club involves school children and rescued child laborers. The formation aims at enhancing their capacity, increasing awareness of their rights and responsibilities in the community, most importantly, identifying child laborers, their living condition in their employers’ house, and advocating for their rights. Child Club leaders are elected in democratic way every 2 year. BASE facilitates them with training on leadership and advocacy. More info on CFV & Child Club can be found on Adrienne Henck’s blog.

    As Karunan puts it, “one of the reason behind the failure of conventional approach to child labor is its too narrow focus on removal and rescue operations of children in bondage and servitude in the worst forms of child labor, with too little attention and resources invested in providing sustainable alternative livelihoods for rescued children and their families, income generation, and improving the quality, relevance, and accessibility of education and the schooling system. The approach to combat child labor must, therefore, take this variables into account” (Karunan, 2005). In consistence with that BASE provides skill development and vocational training

    for youth and older rescued child laborers. Parents are also given the opportunity to join income generation program which consists of agricultural training and microcredit.

    In addition, BASE supports 27 schools in its 5 working districts by facilitating toilet construction, building reparation, and furniture improvement, etc. BASE also develops several model schools which now being adopted by governmental schools in different districts.

    BASE regularly conducts rescue and rehabilitation program as well as awareness campaign for child laborers. In doing so, Child Friendly Village Committees, Child Clubs, Youth Groups and partners are actively engaged. Generally, the rescue is held during Maghi Festival and Dasai Festival, big Tharu and Hindu celebrations when children usually return home to meet their family.

    Earlier in this year, BASE started a cooperation with local government to improve Child Friendly Villages’ quality. BASE and districts government agreed to ‘match fund’. Each of them contributes around three hundreds thousands rupees to support various interventions in CFV that I mentioned earlier.

    Having said that, I believe BASE approach is an invaluable contribution to sustainably eradicate child labor issue in Nepal.

    (From various sources, Karunan in Weston, 2005, UNICEF research paper, BASE Annual Report 2010)

    d. Generally, the rescue is held during Maghi Festival and Dasai Festival, big Tharu and Hindu celebrations when children usually return home to meet their family.

     

    Earlier in this year, BASE started a cooperation with local government to improve Child Friendly Villages’ quality. BASE and districts government agreed to ‘match fund’. Each of them contributes around three hundreds thousands rupees to support various interventions in CFV that I mentioned earlier.

     

    Having said that, I believe BASE approach is an invaluable contribution to sustainably eradicate child labor issue in Nepal.

     

    (From various sources, Karunan in Weston, 2005, UNICEF research paper, BASE Annual Report 2010)

49. Drawing my childhood..( the process of making a love blanket)

    July 4, 2011 6:00 am 1 Comment

    What would my childhood drawings look like? When I was little, my father used to ask me to draw him and his friends. He would beam with pride as he shows off my drawings, which I was told were nothing more than just four lines to make legs and arms and an oval shape for the head! My childhood upbringing was fortunately free of forced labor of any kind and I was left to use my imagination in drawing all sorts of images. I am returning from a week visiting four child friendly villages in Banke and Bardiya districts. The experience brought back good childhood memories although I am sure my attempt at drawing will be as mediocre as it was in the past!

    

    Sunita Chaudary, 16 years old. child laborer at age 12. Rescued by BASE.

    The process of making a love blanket:

    

    A child transferring the image onto the cloth.

    The project involves giving each child a piece of cloth with the hope that they would visually depict their lives: whether as a child right now or as a former child laborer. The pieces will be assembled into a blanket: the love blanket. Past fellows have created amazing blankets from Nepal, Congo, Peru and Bosnia. The concept of child friendly villages is a blanket itself, a place where the children are surrounded by love and protection and free to have a normal childhood and attend school. The blanket once wrapped around us gives us a source of comfort and protection. The same concept is used for the love blanket. The purpose of the blanket is to compile the stories of the children, including former child laborers, who all live in these child friendly villages.  The paintings show a certain level of innocence, imagination, hope and fear as they draw not only what they see on a regular basis but also improvise with the use of bright colors (yellow cows, red goats) which make the pieces more interesting.

    The children fist practice on a piece of paper and then paint those images on a piece of cloth.  I suspect that this concept of drawing their experiences on a piece of cloth, relying on their imagination is a foreign concept. But the children never shy away from participating and you can see their excitement the moment that the BASE staff translates into Nepali our instructions and the purpose of our visit. The children giggle, laugh at each other’s attempt at drawing a person and copy each other’s concept. The innocence of the children is undeniably the same everywhere and transcends cultural boundaries. I myself used to rely on the school textbooks for inspiration on how to draw a dog or a house. Some children look with a blank face while others chew on their pencils, their mind pacing hoping to eventually land on an inspiration thought enough to translate into a picture.

    The thoughts finally come together into pictures on their piece of paper and their mind goes somewhere else, a world they would like to imagine or for the former child laborers a world they would rather forget. Some of the children manage to draw their experiences; others draw obscure and dark images and others imagine trees being blue or yellow.

    

    Birendra Chaudhary, 12 years old. was a child laborer from age 8. until he was rescued last year.

    

    Ram Prasad Tharu and Berandra Chaudhary copying each other!

    The most reoccurring images are the Nepali flag, a house, water pumps, things all too familiar to them. As the images start to take form, from a paper to a cloth and added colors, the children’ faces bloom with joy and excitement in anticipation for the final product. The pieces that they produce all tell a different childhood experience. They are all colorful with the popular color being yellow and pink. I am excited to see the final product. My hope is that the blanket will tell the stories of Nepali children, and serve them justice in explaining their daily lives, their struggles, their experiences and most importantly their longing to have a normal childhood.

50. First week in the field

    June 26, 2011 7:22 pm Leave a Comment

    A week has passed since I have been in Nepal. I am now in Tulsipur where I will be living for the remainder of my time here. The organization that I am working with is called BASE (Backward Society Education). It is a grassroots people’s movement involving around 200,000 members. It is an organization that is ever growing in order to include other programs, all with the aim of promoting the education to marginalized communities. Their major focus and one of the programs that I will be closely working on is on the issue of spreading awareness and advocating for the ratification of child rights laws, especially in the movement to end child labor.

    One of the most stellar attributes of BASE is that they advocate for a community-based approach to development and problem solving. For example, for their movement against child labor, they have recognized Child Friendly Villages (CFV) and BASE works with the families and children in those communities. This Child Friendly Villages model is a tool of changing communities into child laborer free societies by working to eliminate child labour practices and working towards having all the children attend school. It is quite an impressive program and in my opinion a way to empower the communities themselves in effecting change.

    There are about 244 child friendly villages located in five districts: Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, Kanchapur.  BASE is involved in educating the parents about the children’s rights and the need for them to go to school. The model has been successful and in 2010, BASE annual report found that in those child friendly villages, school attendance increased by 64% (the number of children going to school in 2007 was 12,111 and in 2010 it was 22,269). The number of child laborers decreased by 59% in those villages (from 2093 in 2007 to 771 in 2010). One of BASE staff shared with me that in those villages, the communities (families and children) have agreed to all work together in order to end child laborer.

    This week, I am joining another AP fellow, Maelanny Purwaningrum as we travel to Bardiya and Banke. The purpose for this visit is to further our work in producing love quilts with the children in those CFV as well a chance to interview some of the former child laborers. BASE is an amazing organization and all the staff have been very welcoming and willing to show us around and to explain to us all the different programs that they are working on. I hope to highlight in future blogs other programs that they are involved in.

51. The Big Sacrifice in South Asia

    9:32 am 2 Comments

    Over a dinner of naan and curried vegetables in a small, hole in the wall restaurant in Kathmandu’s Jawalakhel neighbourhood, exiled Bangladeshi journalist William Gomes once told me, “I feel like a prisoner here, in my room, in Nepal… I cannot go home. I don’t have my own money, or anything. I have enough to cover food every day, but that is it. Once my allowance runs out, then what? Then where?”

    William and his legion of other exiled South Asian journalists are paying the ultimate sacrifice for being critical, and speaking up for injustice. They are from countries where reporting and researching abuses inflicted by the state can get one imprisoned, tortured, and even killed. They are from regions where those fighting for their countrymen’s rights in burgeoning young democracies are risking their lives, or at least lives as they knew it – forced into perpetual exile from family, friends, colleagues, and country, never to return home. They’re forced to live in countries of foreign customs, language, food, and people.

    William, and later Dipal Baruwa, both from Bangladesh, have crossed my path recently. William first arrived at my guesthouse four weeks ago, shipped out of Bangladesh courtesy of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). While working with the AHRC as a journalist, documenting cases of human rights abuses and disappearances in Bangladesh, he was picked up by the Bangladeshi military in a black jeep near his home, shuttled to a government prison facility. Stripped, blindfolded, submitted to cold temperatures, drugged, threatened, and verbally abused, a clear warning was made by the Bangladeshi authorities to cease his activities, or else retribution. He was dumped in the same place of his abduction near his home.

    

    (Dipal on the left, William on the right)

    Two weeks later, Dipal, a Buddhist monk, arrived in Kathmandu at my guesthouse, courtesy of the AHRC again. His story was similar to William’s – a Bangladeshi human rights activist tortured and threatened by the Bangladeshi authorities, warning him of serious personal harm if his activities continued.

    Two weeks ago, William rushed into my room in the morning, “Corey, hurry upstairs, there is an emergency with Dipal.” And there was Dipal, lying beside his bed, not talking or answering to us. He had tried to hang himself during the night, and William had found him just in time, returning from the bathroom.

    My colleague Prakash Mohara from the Jagaran Media Center (JMC), who also works with the AHRC, soon came over. We agreed to not leave Dipal alone, and would get him to a hospital. As Prakash and I were downstairs, making coffee and discussing the situation, William joined us to quickly grab a coffee. We rushed upstairs, as Dipal was left alone. He had bolted the door shut, and wouldn’t answer our calls. Three strikes with my shoulder, and the door fell, to Dipal again trying to hang himself. Medical staff soon came, and Dipal received the treatment that he needed. He has since been released, doing much better, and smiling again.

    And that is the plight of some of those who are sacrificing their lives for the rights and dignities of their compatriots. Some are suffering the same traumas of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as war veterans – depressed and disturbed by what they have experienced, and traumatized from their terrible treatment inflicted on them by state officials.

    In South Asia, independent and critical journalism is a precarious enterprise, with those questioning governments’ official narrative risking persecution and personal safety. Over the past several years, numerous South Asian journalists have disappeared, been killed, or forced into exile – most reporting on national security issues. Most recently, William’s friend Saleem Shahzad was found dead in Pakistan – a journalist researching the Pakistani military’s links to Al Qaeda.

    In Karachi, only weeks ago, captured by video and widely circulated on YouTube, a young man was shot and left for dead by the Pakistani military, in broad daylight. Clearly, parts of the state apparatus have different ideas when it comes to meting out justice and valuing life. Reforms towards more respectable democracies have ways to go in some countries, but publicizing these instances of injustice are an important part of the reformation.

    William and Dipal want to continue their advocacy work, but are now unsure where they’ll land, to continue their lives. Visa applications to foreign countries are pending, and scholarship applications for postgraduate work have been submitted, and their waiting games continue.

    In the meantime, William and his friends in Bangladesh have started a Facebook campaign, “Demand justice for journalist and human rights activist William Gomes” . It now has over 1600 members, and Bangladeshi journalists and law students have been spreading posters throughout the country, and have marched in Dhaka, demanding accountability and transparency for what happened.

    It is clear that William and Dipal’s lives are fractured, and their consciences tormented by what happened. They’ve paid the ultimate sacrifice in standing up, and have to begin their lives anew. But I suspect that William and Dipal and his fellow exiled colleagues would not change the past, and would continue on in their fight knowing the risks involved.

52. I do (not) like Sunday – Mingling with the Children

    June 17, 2011 12:43 am 147 Comments

    I don’t like Sunday. I know this might sound anti-mainstream, but, trust me, it’s not. While in most countries people work from Monday to Friday, in Nepal people work from Sunday to Friday. Yeah, Sunday turned out to be my first day of working days. It always be more difficult to start the routine after a day of hanging-out-doing-nothing. But, last Sunday was different. I finally started my field visit to produce “Love Blanket” with the children.

    Last Sunday, I visited nearby villages with two BASE staffs and a local artist. We planned to leave at 4 p.m, around 3 o’clock the sky covered with dark cloud. A sign of heavy rain to come. Then, strong wind came and rain showered. I was a bit worry to continue. But, we did continue after waiting for about 15 minutes. By the time we arrived, the sky was clear, wet green grasses and muddy road left out by the rain. Along the road, I was amazed, the nature rapidly changed. It was no longer arid as I crossed in early May, but fresh and green. The rain is a blessing.

    

    Lalpur road, Dang District. Photo by: Maelanny P

    My first encounter with children turned out to be beyond my expectation. I didn’t expect too high on this first field visit. I understood if children might feel tired after their whole day at school. Then, I was stunned by their enthusiasm and excitement to produce love blanket. Everyone wanted to participate and contribute something, even some youngest children. It was exhausting as well as exciting. I believe, it’s the joy of childhood to see things purely, to try out new things, to do everything in their fun way.

    While waiting for the children to gather, I chatted and took some photos. Then, a boy came around, he looked like someone who has just arrived from fields with muddy spots all over his clothes. He peeped on us, then slowly joined us into the room. He was shy. He introduced himself as Onil, but later on he told us his real name as Arjun Chaudary. We asked Arjun to call his friends, he ran out, then I heard he shouted. I guess he was calling his friends. He came along with some friends. BASE local member told me that his father has passed away and his mother works as domestic worker, he has just joined schooling facilitated by BASE. I know he has this unique talent. He didn’t seems to really enjoy drawing or painting as other children did, but he helped us to collect pencils and books from his friends without even asked to do so.

    

    A boy peeping into the room, he is Arjun Chaudary. Photo by: Maelanny P

    The next day, I visited further village. The car crossed two fair size rivers, passed very bumpy roads, and stopped for several times to let cows, goats, lambs, or pigs cross over. In this village, I was able to meet some rescued kamalaris and produced ‘Love Blanket’ with them. They shared their story as child domestic servants to me. Most of them mentioned that they experienced beating and scolding while working as kamalari and none of them was sent to school.

    

    Girls of Kothari Village, some of them are rescued kamalari. Photo by: Maelanny P

    I saw strength in their innocent eyes. I’m proud of them. I can hardly wait to meet other children and find out more surprise from them. Thank you Arjun, thank you all!

    ————————

    Last Sunday, 12 June 2011, was also the ‘world day against child labor’. ILO issued a new report on children in hazardous work. The report tells that 115 of 215 million child laborers worldwide engaged in hazardous work. The biggest number is found in Asia & Pacific, followed by sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, Nepal is one of few countries where slavery—a type of ‘worst forms of child labor’—are extensively practiced. Apparently, kamalari is one of them, as thousands of kamalari still exist in western tarai (from various surveys conducted by I/NGOs).

53. The elephant in the room, screaming for attention: South Asia’s environmental problem

    June 15, 2011 7:54 am 7 Comments

    You can see it in Kathmandu’s rivers, clogged of garbage and the occasional carcass. Slum kids play and bathe in these waters, sometimes directly below riverside pastures of buffalo, with their leaching refuse and all. If lucky, you can sometimes read it in the papers and hear it on the radio, with word of increasingly erratic monsoons, flash floods, and breached glacial lakes. You can also see it on these river embankments, where marginalized communities and castes are ghettoized into slums – forced to live at nature’s mercy, borrowed time, and within humanity’s excrement. The Dalits, and other untouchable castes, ghettoized to the margins of Kathmandu’s rivers, where nobody else dares to venture – a guaranteed location of untouchability.

    What you can see is the environmental crisis hitting Nepal and South Asia, and the pressures of economic development. Development begets consumption, and consumption begets pollution. As Asia’s population rises, so goes its pollution levels. And with an atmosphere being pumped full of greenhouse gas emissions without restraint by the global community, despite the dire warnings, an unfolding climate crisis is emerging. Social, political, economic, and environmental troubles await, requiring creative thinking by analysts and policy makers of every stripe.

    

    And that is the unfortunate part of articles like David Malone’s recent piece in The Globe and Mail, “India’s and China’s uncomfortable dance.” It neatly summarizes the usual issues of South Asian development, along with the security and political implications of two regional powers located in a volatile region full of nukes. Economic interests bind China and India’s foreign policy, so co-operation will likely emerge, albeit with some degree of competition. A demographic bulge is helping to fuel each country’s growth, which is helping them ease past this global recession. Malone concludes optimistically that, “[t]he continent and the rest of the globe are large enough to accommodate the peaceful rise of both.” Optimism and simplicity are always cherished in political analysis, but they cannot be stuck in a politico-social-economic and ecological environment of yesteryear, uninterested in thinking outside of the “International Relations 101” box. The huge elephant in the room that Malone ignores is the region’s environmental pressures.

    A quick 60-second Google search, or any two-minute phone conversation with an expert on the Asian or global environment will throw ones typical political and economic thinking into the dustbin. In Thomas Friedman’s recent piece “The Earth is Full,” he cites how civilisation’s consumption patterns are using the resources of 1.5 Earths, and growing. Most of the Himalyan glaciers that feed Asia’s rivers are melting faster than expected with global warming, and a water crisis in the region appears to be inevitable. The region’s water aquifers are also being drained at unprecedented rates due to growing agricultural and commercial demands, and nobody quite knows how much water is left. Sana, Yemen – that revolutionary hotbed and host to many Islamic extremists – could become the first major city in the world to run out of water, which could happen in the next few years.

    A recent report by the Norwegian Refugee Council states that 42 million people were displaced by sudden natural disasters in 2010, 90% of which were climate related. Over the past few years, the onslaught of natural disasters has increased substantially, as has the amount of climate refugees. Most of these refugees are unlikely to return home to their devastated and forever changed geographies, and will place their burdens on whichever country they land. And as for the Arab Spring – it’s widely acknowledged that one of the revolutionary sparks were high food prices, in part caused by climate change.

    So with the growing economies in India and China, with all their new factories, cars, clothes, television sets, and food, and consuming more water from the increasingly polluted rivers flowing from faster-than-previously-thought melting Himalayan glaciers and the Tibetan plateau, the world cannot accommodate a rise of both at current levels of growth, unless some miracle technologies present themselves. And for the rest of the region, a growing and consuming China and India present many problems. Many South Asian rivers are but a trickle as they reach some Asian country borders, with upstream dams, agriculture, and cities consuming most of the bounty.

    Malone is right when he says, “[w]hat happens over the coming decades in Asia, as its geopolitics undergo tectonic shifts, could affect us all, not least by either enhancing or disrupting international trade and hence our prosperity.” He’s right for reasons that his imagination dared not to think. They are the reasons why U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently warned of a creeping “new colonialism” in Africa, warning its people and leaders that foreign investors and governments are taking advantage of its natural resources. She warns of unsustainable projects by the Chinese, pillaging Africa’s natural resources, that will leave behind a scarred and empty environment. It’s a “tectonic shift” of transferring the burdens of ecological limits from one country to another, from one people to another.

    Most people in Nepal now talk about it. “Oh yes, climate change and the environment. Big problem in Nepal.” Yet nobody appears to be writing or doing anything seriously about it. In Nepal’s best bookstore, Vajra, I asked the manager if he has anything on the environment and climate change and politics in Nepal or South Asia. “Oh no, nothing has been written. Many people come in, asking about climate change. I know two French researchers are studying it right now, but that’s it.” Books on elephants, Nepali cultural dance, and books on just about anything else can be found at Vajra. But for that elephant in the room, dancing and screaming for attention, whose name dare not be mentioned in certain circles, no such luck in this bookstore. The same goes for most Nepali, and for that matter international, news outlets.

    And so it goes. Our inputs for analysis need to expand to include the ever increasingly polluted and abused ecological world.

54. Out into the field: Surkhet

    June 7, 2011 7:11 pm 4 Comments

    Upon our (Sunita and I) arrival in Surkhet, I was exhausted. The 18-hour bus ride seemed to have taken the life out of me, as it had been comparable to riding a mechanical bull, due to the consistent potholes. Additionally, I accidently leaked half a bottle of water onto my seat that I had left there during a pit stop. This meant hours of sitting in a soaking wet seat, bumping up and down continuously. When, to my relief we finally arrived at WRRP-West, we were given a room to share above the office with a gas burner to cook on and a pail of water for washing. Thus, our time in Surkhet had begun.

    

    View from our roof in Surkhet

    Our mission was as follows:

    1. Construct and carry out a reproductive health (RH) school program for adolescents

    2. Train community non-governmental organizations (CNGOs) to conduct programs independently to ensure sustainability

    After 3 days of planning an adolescent RH school program, and a Saturday of preparing materials, we were ready to give the program a trial run. We travelled at 7:30 am on Sunday to a school approximately 30 minutes from the WRRP-West office to set up for the program. (Yes, schools in Nepal generally run from Sunday-Friday).

    The WRRP team of four, myself included, traveled 2 at a time to the school via motorbike.  I arrived last to find a crowd of students swarming around Sunita (program facilitator). The festivities had begun!

    

    Students showing interest

    The activities were designed to address the following topics of reproductive health:

    1. Puberty
    2. Menstruation/nightfall/masturbation
    3. HIV/AIDs (and other STIs)
    4. Life skills (ie. Personal ambitions, how to say no to early marriage and unsafe sex)
    5. Uterine prolapse

    

    Girl laughing at picture of female growth stages

    We used a variety of games that were adapted to convey lessons on reproductive health.  For example, the group was divided into three teams, and each team was asked to generate the changes experienced during adolescence and write them on a large piece of paper. Team leaders were also selected, who in turn had to present the changes their team had written.  Games that required physical activity were also used to convey the message (video is in process).

    

    Participants describing adolescent changes

    All together, there were about 30 participants whose ages ranged from 15-19 years. Among these, some of were married (hence the messages regarding early marriage, which is a contributing factor of uterine prolapse). The group was enthusiastic, and although some had to leave early for their hour-long walk home for lunch, a select group stayed until the very end of the program. All in all, the program was a success. The group was informed, and educational RH materials and books were given to those who stayed until the end, to distribute within their classes.  Afterwards, the facilitators and members of the CNGO stayed behind to evaluate the program and provide feedback.

    The next two days will consist of training the Surkhet community NGOs to implement the program within the schools from their respective areas.

    To be continued…

55. Wild Dogs of the Night

    June 6, 2011 11:43 pm 4 Comments

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co_lCez2B7g

    (Recorded from my rooftop, June 6)

    Oh, these wild dogs. Keeping me up, barking all night long. I’m a light sleeper, and a dripping bathroom faucet is enough to keep me awake. A lot of Kathmandu’s dogs are without an owner or home, and they roam the streets – some in packs, others alone. Sleeping all day in the summer heat, they spend their restless nights barking to one another, cross-city. Just howling. Are they trying to assert some sort of neighbourhood toughness or dominance, a midnight power struggle? Or is it a battle of attrition of who can keep up the loud racket the longest?

    Last night, I had enough. With surprisingly little shame or guilt, I took care of my local leading hound in the alley behind my house with my jump rope. He was a white ugly thing, with an accompanying loud ugly bark. My sleep was sound afterwards, and I’m fine with my decision – someone had to do it, for the sanity of us all.

    Yikes. That’s been a recurring dream of mine for the past two weeks. I mostly awake from it to barking dogs, ashamed of myself that I could think such things. I’m a dog lover, and once had an annoying dog named Sam, who barked at everyone that came to the door, and would hump their leg most times on their way out. I used to give him Karma Pets treats and got him toys from Dog Gear to calm him down during times when I have guests coming over (not to mention we always had full stocks of the best fresh dog food in the house). Once he got used to you, he was cool and fun and quieter, but still humped. A good-looking dog too – even modeled for a box of dog cookies. The point being, I shouldn’t be dreaming of strangling dogs in the middle of the night so I can get some rest, no matter how annoying. I’m better than that, I think?

    These wild dogs of Kathmandu are killing me… Serenity now. Serenity now.

56. A Different Media Landscape

    June 3, 2011 1:24 am 250 Comments

    The lead article in yesterday’s (June 2, 2011) Kathmandu Post begins with, “The UCPN (Maoist) on Wednesday unilaterally decided to end the two-layer security being provided to its leaders – a key demand of the main opposition, Nepali Congress (NC) – amid opposition from the party’s hardliners.” It goes on to explain that the security detail’s unregistered vehicles, which were once illegally seized during the Maoist insurgency, will be given up to the main government, that security will now be provided by the country’s established security forces, and concludes by providing details of political negotiations and Maoist meetings.

    Another leading article from the same paper, “NC negotiators under CWC scrutiny,” reveals how NC party leaders’ performance in recent constitutional writing negotiations is under review by a NC party committee. Some insiders believe its leaders were too stubborn, while others think they compromised too much. Another, “Yadav in a tight corner in Sunsari,” is about a group of 12 hard-line lawmakers splintering from their once popular Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Nepal (MJF-N) party. The MJF-N is not as powerful in the Constituent Assembly as it once was, and worries are rising that its leader, Upendra Yadav, is being deserted.

    Outside of these political brouhahas, few other stories get ink. One, “Babai valley, once an ‘ideal’ habitat, now a haven for poachers,” states that this valley remains a poaching ground for rhinoceroses and tigers, despite conservation efforts. And in another, “Swelling Saptakoshi still a threat,” the out of control Saptakoshi river is said to be eroding its shores and threatens nearby villages and settlements. Quoting Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar district, he’s all over the problem and has instructed people to work harder. Great advice.

    Yesterday’s newspaper is not unique, and most Nepali news outlets follow a similar pattern of allegiance to the political hierarchy and pay little attention to on the ground and behind the scene stories. Understanding ordinary Nepalese struggles, concerns, and views is difficult to find in the Nepali press, as is a contextual framework from which to analyze the news and compare contrasting views. What is the social significance of certain political statements and events? How have certain policies affected ordinary Nepalese, and have they been a waste of capital? What of the failing constitution writing process on Nepali society, and how have minorities in a fledgling democracy without a constitution been affected by the ongoing political impasse? What of Nepal’s environmental problem and its social effects? These questions, and others, are rarely posed in Nepali media, let alone answered.

    An Al Jazeera commentator was recently quoted in GQ magazine as saying, “If other networks are interested in the politician… Al Jazeera will always be interested in the politician’s driver.” The article goes on to say how Al Jazeera equally irks Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Western leaders. It seeks to find out how lives are lived and affected by national and international events, and intends to provide a voice to most sides. Al Jazeera is not perfect, and has been criticized for editorial bias in the past. The point being is that its journalism’s focus is bottom-up, not top-down.

    The role of media is not to present a reality removed from average citizens’ lives and interests. It is to peer behind the social and political curtain and to reveal a social fabric at times uncomfortable with itself, to understand the machinations at work that are shaping society, and to try and understand and explain where society is going, and has been.

    For these reasons, advocacy organizations and media centers like the Jagaran Media Center are so vital in weak media markets. They provide a voice for the voiceless, representing marginalized peoples who are under- or unrepresented in political and social hierarchies, businesses, and media. They aim to expose stories of ordinary lives and communities affected by ancient superstitious practices, and the hypocrisies at work within government. Where democracy is but a budding idea and practice, on the ground organizations serve to get unreported stories out, helping the transition, however long, towards a more functioning representative democracy.

    In an interview following Arundhati Roy’s Come September speech, she concluded by stating her views on how best to live a life: “To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget…” For now, power and authority is respected far too much in Nepal, and those excluded from the hierarchy exhibiting strength of character are most often ignored. Affecting change is difficult here, but some dedicated strong few are on the ground, refusing to look away, and not allowing injustices of the past and present to go unreported. With time…

57. The Girl, The Goat, and The Broker

    June 2, 2011 3:36 am 6 Comments

    Maghi festival marks the New Year for Tharu people in Nepal. It is celebrated in January during the cold days of the year. Maghi also signs a completely different phase for many Tharu girls in the south-western Tarai. It is during the maghi holiday that many of brokers from different cities throughout Nepal come to Tharu villages to make deal of Tharu girls to be kamalari.

    In the previous post, I slightly touched upon kamalari issue. Kamalari has been prevailed since around 60 years ago, when the kamaiya system was on going. Kamaiya system abolished in 2000, but kamalari practice remains. Girls, as early as 5 or 6 year-old, forced to work around 14-16 hours a day as servants in the households of higher-caste families. They are fully responsible for various kinds of work, like cleaning, washing, cooking, babysitting, that far from any standards of proper working condition. They are easily subjected to physical and psychological abuses, even, sexual abuse. They often denied access to education. Yes, some were promised to enjoy schooling, but very little was realized.

    What can we get from US$ 75? Not much, I think.

    Well, you can buy a goat with those money here. But, kamalaris were sold for similar cost, even lower. The money was given to the family as the sign of contract that will be renewed per year. This means the girls will get nothing at all. They are only entitled to work, work, and work.

    These girls, mostly, grew up in destitute former bonded-laborer families. The families have no choice for them and some narrow-minded-employers are taking advantage of their destitution.

    

    A girl selling 'kafal' during holiday in Dang District. Will she be kamalari? Photo by: Swarupa

    This is not an attempt to negate boys inclusion in such practice. For some reasons, there has been a wave of feminization of bonded labor. The boys might be rarely sold to be domestic worker, but we can find a lot of them in the brick kilns industry. They are all under similar circumstances, bondage, either from loan or some advance payments.

    I don’t think there are any other terms best describe this practice except slavery. Maybe, you also know similar practices, but in different terms, in other countries. I suppose, the kamalari in Nepal is similar to the restavék in Haiti and the abd in Mauritania. These are some kind of modern slavery where people are sold like objects, forced to work for little or no pay and are at the mercy of their employers. (Find out more here)

    Don’t we have rules to stop those horrible practice?

    Apparently, we’ve got a lot of them. I mentioned prohibition of child labor on my earliest post, and we also have the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the 1956 UN Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery which declares forms of child labor and bonded labor are slavery.

    But, all those sophisticated international legal instruments will not make any changes unless being adopted into national legislation. In 2008, UN urged Nepal to end the kamalari system. Only recently, the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare of Nepal approved a bill outlining the government’s child-protection policies, which ban the practice of kamalari. However, girls are still being sold. Though it’s a criminal offense to have child slaves, the laws have no teeth, and hardly anyone is arrested or fined.

    Obviously, not all children that engaged in domestic labor in Nepal constitutes bonded labor. However, once they involved, it’s difficult to get out, poverty and lack of education trap have been waiting for them. Seems that, law enforcement alone will not be effective to tackle this issue.

    Many organizations, local and international, includes BASE, have been actively engaged in combating kamalari practices. They arranged campaigns, advocacy, and rehabilitation programs. BASE implements unique intervention on this matter, I will elaborate it on my another post. Keep in track!

    ——-

    It has been several days after the deadline of Nepal constitutional drafting, on 28 May. Since the Constituent Assembly couldn’t meet its deadline, the parties agreed on 3 months extension. Following the constitutional deadline, there were a lot of tension and bandh (Nepali term for strike). During bandh, offices, shops, and public transports, etc are not allowed to operate. Well, I did some tricky things about this. As I needed the internet (which only be available at the office), I went to the office and stayed with door and window closed. Anyway, we moved to the new office yesterday!

58. STORY BEHIND THE STORY

    May 25, 2011 4:59 am 4 Comments

    This is a real story, not a fairytale. This is a story about humanity.

    Every story consists of different parts. Like fitting scraps into puzzle, each part of the story counts as scrap that needs to be arranged to shape a clearer picture. But wait, in this story, the more part I knew, the more scrap I found, the more complex it became. No wonder, because it’s a reality, not a fairytale. Fairytale will come to happy ending, but human story? Who knows?

    This is the story about the struggle for dignity.

    Approximately, 600 years ago, a large group of people came into the Tarai area in Nepal. Tarai was characterized as wild lowland which swampy and marshy, with forest of Sal trees, not to mention its virulent strain of malaria. These people opened the jungle, built houses on elevated wooden platforms to protect themselves from dangerous animals, cultivated lands, traded timbers, lived their life in Tarai. Others have tried to settle there but failed, mainly, because of malaria. Famous of the immunity to malaria, they remained to be the only permanent inhabitant of Tarai. They are the Tharu.

    

    Distribution of Tharu in the Tarai, Nepal

    In 1950s, Nepal Government by the support of International Development Agencies conducted malaria eradication project in the Tarai. This project marked a completely different era for the Tharus. Many people from the hills migrate to the fertile lowlands of Tarai. At the same time, land reforms was introduced as part of the post-1951 modernization sought to give the tenants of the state property rights in the land they cultivated. But this system of private property relations, whose implications many ordinary Tharu tenant farmers appear not to understood. It, then, led to the exploitation at hands of some immigrants and to the loss of land they had acquired. Throughout the Tarai, particularly in the west, Tharus have lost control of land either through outright fraud, manipulation or indebtedness. In the western Tarai, many of them have been reduced to the status of bonded labor (the so-called kamaiya system).

    In the Kamaiya system, every part of the Tharu family has his/her own role. Father and son responsible for farming and agriculture, while mother and daughter work as domestic worker. Girl who work as domestic assistance is also known as kamalari. Kamaiya system forced Tharus to work as bonded laborers to pay their debt to the landowners. If a man unable to pay off the debt, it’s automatically transferred to his son. This debt bondage was also reinforced by Nepal’s legal code. In all cases the landlord was free to pay his bonded laborers as much as he wants. Generally, landlords kept the wages as low as possible, forcing bonded laborers to keep borrowing money from them. Thus, most of bonded laborers keep falling deeper into debt. Besides, bonded laborers could possibly be transferred to another landlord simply by paying off their debts to the former landowner. Every year, thousand of Tharus were bought and sold in this way in the Dang-Deukhuri, Bardiya, Kailali, Banke and Kanchanpur Districts of western Tarai of Nepal. Even though, data from the Government of Nepal showed a smaller number, most of the studies agree that in 1995 total number of bonded laborers in the western Tarai was estimated to be around 100,000—most likely the difference occurred because the government data didn’t take account women, children, and older kamaiyas. Thus, this system was equivalent to a form of slavery that is designed to maintain a source of cheap labor for landlords.

    Brought up in unjust situation, Tharu youths didn’t keep silent. A seventeen-year-old Tharu named Dilli Bahadhur Chaudary, established a development organization for their community. This organization began with 34 members, most young Tharu men from Dumrigaon and neighboring villages. Within a month of its inception the Dumrigaon Organization established a literacy class for uneducated local Tharu villagers, organization members also made plans to implement an income generating program, and launch a political campaign against oppression. Suspected as rebel, the government of Nepal threw Dilli into jail twice under the Public Security Act, and forced him to stop his organization. But, Dilli never stop. This organization, then, well known as BASE (Backward Society Education).

    Together with various organizations, local and international, BASE actively campaigned for justice for bonded laborers. Then, in July 2000, kamaiya system was abolished by the Government of Nepal, followed by the enforcement of prohibition for kamaiya Labor Act in 2002. The government of Nepal also implemented Landless People Resettlement Program and other similar programs for the recovery of ex-kamaiyas.

    

    Ex-Kamaiya Family in front of their house in Bardiya District, Photo: Kan Yan, AP Fellow 2009

    Today. The struggle is far from end.

    Many kamaiyas were liberated from their former landlords and released into poverty without any support. Others received land that was unproductive. Many ex-kamaiya families still live in chronic poverty; a lot of them settle in very remote area without access to water, electricity, and other basic needs; girls (the kamalari) are sent to the city to have a better life, but end up working day and night without education and easily exposed to abuse. Poverty, illiteracy, marginalization, and discrimination form a vicious circle that trap the ex-kamaiyas, it makes very difficult for them to escape.

    There are a lot left to do.

    (From various sources: Guneratne, 2002; Cox,1994 ; ILO Reports, World Organization Against Torture Report, 2005; etc)

    _________________

    We are developing BASE Facebook fan page. Join us to support BASE and marginalized community here to continue their struggle for dignity.

59. Political Silly Season in Nepal

    May 24, 2011 11:02 am 2 Comments

    The banda is Nepal’s version of a strike, and a uniquely Nepali one at that. This is not your London or Madrid student protest, Greek civil servant strike, or French air traffic controller strike. Here, depending on the type of banda called, whole cities, regions, and country itself, shutdown. Enforcers, linked to whichever group or cause organized the banda, roam the streets, forcing most vehicles off the roads. Citizens respect the call. There have already been two this week, one last week, and more ambitious national ones are planned in the coming days and weeks. Since January, Nepal has witnessed just over 100 bandas.

    Nepal’s Constituent Assembly’s (CA) yearlong fruitless extension to finalize the country’s new constitution expires May 28, and internal political bickering and civil strife is mounting as the date approaches. Nepal’s constitution is far from complete, and more time is required to finalize this bedrock piece of democracy. On banda days, businesses and government offices are shut, taxis and buses don’t run, cars are parked at home, with some street vendors and food stalls open. Civil society and the Nepali economy come to a standstill, granting media headlines and dubious status to whichever group(s) (and their affiliated cause) organizes the banda. As May 28 looms near, bandas are on the rise.

    Last Sunday, the banda was organized by the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), demanding indigenous rights and inclusion in the new constitution. This most recent Sunday, it was the ethnic group Chetri Samaj, demanding recognition as an indigenous community. Today, it was the CPN Maoists Matrika fraction, promoting the “people’s rights”. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday bandas are being prepared by what seems like every political party and cause under the Himalayan sun.

    How much do they influence the average Nepali? Who pays attention to the actual group that organizes them? Are their issues actually raised or debated in the media because of the banda, discussed in teashops and public squares? Not really. Society goes on, enjoying the day off, working on projects.

    The Nepali banda is the definition of a civil society in disarray, not ready for the mature compromises required in a functioning democracy. Unflinching demands permeate Nepali political parties’ platforms, including the Maoists not wanting to give up their 1000s of weapons in arms depots scattered across the country. Yes, a history not completely familiar with democratic norms and compromise is partially to blame, but that excuse only goes so far – just like the never dying idea that continues to squarely blame post-colonialism on Africa’s continuing woes. Nepal’s media generally does a poor job in exposing the hypocrisy of the political establishment (more on that in a later post), but once again, that excuse is limited.

    So, what to do? Like most things in life, act like an adult and take responsibility.

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFn6k_OTcUc

    I must say, though, that a great bonus of the banda is that peace and tranquility sweeps over this crazy city. Traffic is quiet, horns honk less, kids play in the streets, the air is cleaner, and my beloved holy cows can roam the streets and munch on garbage in relative safety. On these days off, Nepalese head to their ancient squares and temples to hangout. Women and men sit on the steps and ledges of the squares’ Hindu and Buddhist temples, gossiping as the days go on, while kids play below on old red brick terraces. If you’re lucky, glimpses of Nepali beauty will catch you off guard on these slower days (see the banda spectacle below). Perhaps I shouldn’t be so critical then, but that would be too selfish of me to ease up on this silly political ill.

    

60. The Monsoon is Coming!

    May 20, 2011 7:31 am 2 Comments

    In anticipation of the monsoon, the Rain God Rato Machhendranath‘s chariot is pulled through the Lalitpur neighbourhood by his ethnic Newari devotees. Two chariots are pulled, with the community electing who gets to conduct the chariot and who gets to ride high on the chariots tall (20 meter) bamboo and pine spires. Festivals past, the chariots have been known to topple over, without any deaths, so I’m told. The Rato Macheendranath Jatra (chariot pulling festival of the Rain God) lasts about two months, and began May 7th. No doubt, one of the most extraordinary spectacles I’ve ever come across.

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtSfPFxAv7A

61. A Loud First Lesson

    May 18, 2011 8:09 am 3 Comments

    Walking the streets of Kathmandu for the first time is an intimidating and baffling exercise. Intimidating for the sheer madness and pace of the city, and baffling for what seems to be a method in the chaos.

    The morning taxi ride to my guesthouse from Kathmandu’s airport was my first and maybe most important lesson in the method: honk. As a driver, honk when swerving, honk when turning, honk when in a traffic jam, and honk when entering an intersection. Without a traffic light or stop sign to speak of in my southern Lalitpur neighbourhood, or lanes on the road, the car and motorbike’s horn becomes the director of traffic.

    Back at the guest house in southern Lalitpur, ready for a nap after 35 hours of travel, and the first lesson of this city plays an annoying game: the honk is loud and piercing. The nap must wait.

    On the streets, the honk now serves a dual lesson – act as a car and be confident, or else you’ll never cross the street. Families cross from one side to another with ease, cows roam the center lanes and sidewalks without a worry, munching on the street-lined garbage, and wild dogs snake through the traffic like veterans – looking both ways before crossing.

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkrGfgAeAy4&feature=youtu.be

    Taking a break from the chaos and catching my breath from the choking pollution, I stand a few steps up on a corner shop and just watch. Vivid purples, greens, reds, pinks – saris of every kind – pass below me. A scooter rolls by with three people squished on a tiny seat, with the back passenger somehow reading a newspaper while seated sideways. A tiny old man in sandals lumbers by, carrying a heavy cupboard bigger than himself jerry-rigged to a leather strap wrapped around his forehead. And a wedding procession marches on (see 2:00 of my earlier video), all dancing and celebrating in the streets to loud drums and horns (a custom adopted from India).

    It seems that I stood on this one random street corner and saw more variety in life’s hustle and bustle in 20 minutes than I would have otherwise seen over the course of a day, week (month?) in Toronto. Life here is happening, on the streets, raw, in plain view without shame and apprehension.

    Kathmandu’s madness is in its loudness, speed, smell, and lack of formal coordination. But somehow, synchronicity flourishes in its people, and all is taken in stride – epitomized by the Nepali saying “khe garne?”, or “what is there to do?” Like a Jackson Pollock painting, there is flow and beauty in the discord. It all works, and is wondrous.

62. TULSIPUR EXPOSURE

    May 11, 2011 5:51 am 310 Comments

    I wrote this post accompanied by my first heavy rain and strong wind in Tulsipur. The monsoon period has not came yet, but we’ve had several heavy rains. It’s strange. Anyway, I’m glad for my first tropical rain after more than 8 months in the subtropics area. I enjoy the view of water pouring down, the feeling of temperature going down, the sound of water touching the ground while thunders interrupt, and the fresh smell of wet soil and grass.

    I usually spend my day at BASE office, planning, organizing, researching, writing, etc. BASE will have a new office. Its own office,  not a lease anymore. We will be moving in soon.

    

    The office might look pretty small and casual. But, the heart of BASE people are extra-ordinarily big to struggle for their community.

    I stay not far from the office, only 3-5 minutes by walk. This so called ‘guest house’ is simple and basic. It lies on the second floor. My room is big enough to be occupied by a person. So far, I haven’t shared the room with anyone, but maybe soon I will have roommate, as BASE has many visitors with various purposes.

    

    I was hesitant to enter the food stalls here. Seriously, it’s not the type of food stall you might want to visit. But then, I get used to it. As the quote says, “don’t judge a book by its cover”, some of them do serve good foods. Well, I know a bit more lavish one at ‘The Green Peace Hotel’. Note, it has nothing to do with an environmental INGO.

    Now, I can proudly say I know some Nepali foods, struggling to remember their names though.

    Rice or Roti?

    

    Plus drink and dessert.

    

    And, the sweets.

    

    Some foods and sweets are adopted from India, not to mention the music and movies as well. But, chowmein is definitely adopted from China. What about Momo? Hmm…

    

    Some more interesting sights

    

    The women march along the road. I don’t know what do they carry on top of their head, something like pipe, some other stuffs covered by white fabric. All I can see is it looks heavy.

    Who says that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) only for big corporations?

    

    In the middle of a busy shopping street as well as one of the main road in Tulsipur, there is a small tent with a big tank and the crowd. They line up to get a big cup of fresh drinking water. An owner of an hotel in Tulsipur provides drinking water for everyone.

    What about these children?

    I saw this boy when I visited a restaurant for lunch. He washed dishes, served meals, cleaned up the tables.

    

    These children and women carry rocks for the road construction.

    

    Yes, these children are working children. I’m not sure about their age, family and education. For sure, BASE has tried to talk to the employer. I hope it will work.

63. Goodbye Canada

    May 6, 2011 7:39 am Leave a Comment

    The plane departs shortly, and I really have no idea what my work in Nepal will be like. Friends and family ask what exactly I’ll be doing over there? I can only say that I don’t entirely know apart from the job description, and brief conversations I’ve had with Prakash, program manager at the JMC. Talking and working with local journalists and people on the ground about Dalit caste human rights, traveling around Nepal, writing, taking pictures and videos – sounds about right.

    Am I nervous or scared? No. I’m ready to jump into this assignment headfirst and immerse myself in the work – whatever it may be. I have no real fears or trepidations. Yes, reporting on human rights abuses will have its interesting and unexpected moments, but none that are worrying. Nepal is a safe and inviting country, and whatever challenges I may face will be overcome, strengthening my resolve and character.

    I’ve read a few of Nepalese author Samrat Upadhyay’s novels in preparation – a somewhat cultural and mental introduction to Nepalese society. His stories are laced with allusions to Hindu gods and Buddhist shrines, and always sure to emphasize the importance of family and caste on the Nepalese way of life. His characters interact with Kathmandu’s streets, business, and politics – dodging in and out of teahouses, bars, and temples. For Upadhyay’s Nepal, like any society really, history is alive and inescapable, haunting and influencing the present. The public face of the family presented to the neighbourhood is often a mask to a darker and more complicated reality… One I hope to penetrate as my time in Nepal goes on.

    So time to depart the heavy rains of Toronto’s spring, and arrive as monsoon season prepares it’s lashing of Kathmandu. Suitcases are packed, preparations have been made, but my mind and body remain in Toronto. The work of past Peace Fellows at the JMC helps serve me as a mental guide, but it can only be that. I expect a sensory overload upon arrival in Kathmandu, but until that time, I’ll be going about my business day by day, saying goodbyes. Six months in Nepal. More to come…

64. QUICK FACTS ON CHILD LABOR IN NEPAL

    May 5, 2011 6:12 am Leave a Comment

    I’m in the process of writing an entry about bonded (child) labors in the Tarai area, where the Tharus indigenous people live, but then I consider why don’t give a more general view on child labor in Nepal before it. So, as an introduction to bonded (child) labors in Tarai area I post this entry.

    Child Labor in Numbers:

    *Statistics shows that of about 7 million children between 5-14 years old working in Nepal, about 3 million are found to be regularly working and 1.7 million children are found to be economically active.

    *Almost two fifths children of school-going age are economically active.

    *The number of child laborers is estimated at around 2,060,000 where about, 94.7% are involved in agriculture and household work and the remaining 5% are engaged in service and manufacturing industries. For every 100 children in the 6-14 years age group, 4-5 are engaged in paid work.

    *CWCD in 1998 found that 71% of rural, 52% of urban and 63% of Kamaiya children are economically active.

    *According to the ILO-sponsored national survey, of the 6.2 million children between the ages of 5-14 years, 2,596,000 are child workers, which forms 41.7% of this age group.

    *Of 2.59 million working children, 278,000 or 4.5% of all Nepali children are in paid work and 1.38 million or 22.2% of all children are in unpaid work.

    Worst Forms of Child Labor in Numbers:

    This part shows statistical data on some types of child labor which categorized as the worst forms of child labor by ILO.

    Note: As I mentioned in my earlier entry, Kamaiya system is one of the bonded labor system, generally in the agriculture sector, in Nepal. The people, usually the whole family, which employed under this system have to work to pay off debts incurred by their ancestors. Working condition under this system is far from decent.

    

    Source: flickr

    *The number of bonded children is estimated at 33,000.

    *40,000 children are estimated to be in debt-bondage.

    *40,000 Nepalese girls under 16 in Indian brothels are forced into prostitution

    *More than 9,000 girls are trafficked each year from Nepal and Bangladesh into bondage in India and Pakistan, often with the acquiescence or cooperation of state officials

    *It is estimated that at least 1 million children in Nepal are working as child laborers in difficult circumstances, often as slaves in carpet factories, brick kilns, domestic service, agriculture, plantation, construction, transportation, stone quarry, mines and as migrant workers.

    *Available data suggests that approximately 7,000 girls between 10 -18 are lured or abducted into prostitution each year. In many cases, parents or relatives sell young girls into sexual slavery

    *Among the Kamaiya families the number of children working under the system is reported to be about 13,000.

    (Source: http://www.globalmarch.org/worstformsreport/world/nepal.html )

65. Flight + Rickshaw Ride + Microbus = More Than 7 hrs

    May 3, 2011 6:36 am 2 Comments

    The temperature was hot. It was around 32 degrees Celsius when I landed in Nepalganj. Many people were lining up in the backyard of a blue building which is the airport. The airport is small and simple. The airport crew handed out our baggage to be claimed. There was an hour delay, I wasn’t sure about the reason, someone sat beside me explained that domestic flights always be late.

    It was my second day in Nepal. Before, I stayed a night at Thamel district after my long flight from Oslo through Moscow and Delhi.

    Sangita from BASE picked me at Nepalganj airport. After lunch, we headed to the bus terminal. She stopped a cycle rickshaw. I and Sangita with two big bags sat on the rickshaw drawn by a thin man. I felt terrible.

    I used to travel with ‘becak’ in Indonesia, so it wasn’t a big surprise for me to ride the rickshaw.

    

    

    But wait, this rickshaw is operated on the main road, competing with buses, trucks, cars, etc. It made me a bit (or more) worried at that time. When the rickshaw were passing through big buses or trucks which generously honking their horn, I (literally) closed my eyes.

    It took about 5 hours to reach Tulsipur from Nepalganj with an overload micro buss. Whenever the bus was stopping, many sellers came by. Many of them were children, they offered fruits, ice cream, drinks, etc. It was Friday afternoon, I hope that they have finished their classes at the school before selling those things. I saw a young couple entering the buss. I didn’t really notice them at the first place. But, because the girl wore a beautiful blinking red dress, quite similar to the dress of Indian bride that I saw from the movies, they took my attention. Sangita told me that they just got married and the husband took the wife to his house. Hmm, interesting!

    I didn’t really believe it until I witnessed it myself.

    My Nepalese friends in Oslo mentioned that Nepal has problem with power shortage. They said, it will only be available for some hours per day. I thought it happen just in particular areas in Nepal. But, I was wrong.

    I wasn’t really affected by the blackouts in Kathmandu, I think because the hostel put on their generator. Upon my arrival in Tulsipur, the electricity was off. They have schedule for the blackouts. Fortunately, since my second day here,  we have longer time of electricity than on the schedule. Power shortage for this whole country is a big challenge.

66. Last Lessons from Nepal

    August 23, 2010 7:07 am 1 Comment

    It’s my last week at the office: thus, time for final reflections.  When a 10-12 week fellowship gets cut to a mere 6 weeks because of Indian bureaucratic messes, it’s unbelievable how quickly the  measurement-defying Nepali time can go.  I feel a bit as though this summer has galloped right past me, and I’m watching its receding back and crying, “But wait, I’m not finished with you yet!  There’s still too much to learn, and I will miss Nepal too much!”

    

    So what have I learned? 

    Children are incredibly vulnerable, and we must protect them from exploitation at all costs.  Most of them are unable to stand up for themselves, so they rely upon us to take notice and DO something. 

    

    “Happiness” does not equal development.  Just because children laugh and play here, just like they do in Maryland or in Arkansas, does not mean that they have no need of health care and education and affection from their families.  They are content with the bare minimum because it’s all they’ve ever known.  But in a country of corrupt politicians and no social safety nets, one accdent or illness in an impoverished family can mean years of labor for an innocent child.   Subsistence living is a constant risk, even if it looks happy from the outside.

    I’ve been weighing my options and contemplating my future all summer long, and it’s official: I want to dedicate my life to this.  Hello, PhD in human rights?

    And on a lighter note:

    2 gallons of cold water in a bucket is perfectly adequate for the morning shower (?) (bath?).

    I really can eat dhal bhat every day and not get tired of it.  I’m already dreading a dahl bhat-less existence in the US.  (Although I’m going to try to cook it very soon!  Who wants to come over for Nepali food?)

    

    Nepalis are some of the warmest, most generous, and most considerate people that I have ever met.  Is it possible for an entire people group to be universally kind-hearted?  There’s a lot wrong with this country (e.g., they can’t elect a prime minister, the lack of bridges paralyzes transportation during the rainy season, and 2.6 million kids are working instead of playing and studying), but they’re definitely doing something right.  Americans could learn a thing or two from Nepalis about hospitality and taking the time to really talk to each other and build deep relationships.

    Finally, take a look at my latest video.  (One more to come, but it’s long so I’ll post it from the Land of Fast Internet sometime next week.)  There’s not much new information here if you’ve been following along on the Child Friendly Village initiative, but my goodness, these kids are cute!

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sloR8sfvYQ

    Thank you so much to all of my readers, commenters, donors, and well-wishers.  Even though I’m so far away from most of you, I haven’t felt lonely or abandoned for a single minute.  Your support made this incredible experience possible for me, and I really do believe that together we have made a small dent in the child labor problem in Nepal.

67. Remember the Boys

    August 20, 2010 6:50 am 1 Comment

    Growing up in the American south is at once a spectacular privilege and a frustrating experience for a young girl.  The boys tend to be rather better gentlemen than anywhere else in the world, but Southern decorum also means that girls can’t always do many of the things that boys get away with.  Inevitably, living with this daily disparity turned me into a bit of a feminist, and I’ve become increasingly interested in gender issues in international development. 

    This interest has been reaffirmed by my time in Nepal, as seven of the eight child laborers that I met last week were girls.  Impoverished Nepali parents send their daughters away more often than their sons.  Female child labor is such a big problem that they have a special name for the girls: Kamalari.   

    Because of this discrimination, I left for my field visit rather predisposed to tell the stories of the girls that I would meet.  But, as always, Nepal surprised me.  On two separate occasions, I was told to remember the boys.  Apparently, many NGOs see the need for programs that target young girls, so they fill that need.  But in so doing, these programs refuse to fund many young boys who share the same plight as these girls.

    In the Bardiya district last week, I had a very confusing conversation with a 14 year-old young man by the name of Ram Kumar Chaudhary.         

    I was meeting with the Child Friendly Village Committee of Tarkapur, and began the conversation with my usual questions: “Are there any returned child laborers in this village?”  “How about parents who sent their children away?”  “Now that the children are back from working in urban areas, do they stay in school?”  “What is your drop-out rate?”

    Ram Kumar was singled out as a drop-out, right in front of about 50 people who were discussing child labor, education, and children’s rights.  He had reached class 7 before quitting school, which is a pretty high class for a 14-year old in rural Nepal.  Sharada, a BASE staff member and my translator, and I spoke with Ram quietly so that he would not be too embarrassed.

    

    “So Ram, why did you drop out of school?”

    “I have no uniform, and no money to pay for a new uniform.”

    “Why doesn’t the Child Friendly Village committee pay for your uniform?  They have a public fund to help kids go to school.”

    “Room to Read (the NGO that sends children to school in Tarkapur) supports only girls.  There is no funding for the boys.  I want to go back to school, but I am too poor.”

    I thought I had uncovered something scandalous.  Had the tides turned so much that boys were now discriminated against in rural Nepal? 

    Then I addressed the entire Child Friendly Village Committee.  “Can you not find some funding to help boys like Ram Kumar go to school, too?”

    

    The meeting erupted into a cacophony of Nepali arguments.  I had unwittingly caused a stir, and I sat in confusion for quite some time as Sharada ingested the conversation before relaying its contents back to me.  Apparently, the CFV management committee had given Ram Kumar a scholarship for books, supplies, and a uniform some time ago, but he still did not attend school although he said that he would. 

    Who is to blame for Ram Kumar’s truancy?  Although everyone in the village knew that he was still not attending school, the management committee offered him the scholarship once and just left it at that.  His parents were uneducated themselves, and they did not force him to go to school.  Ram himself ought to know better, and he should make himself attend school even if he does not want to.  But he is a fourteen year old boy, and I know several American teenagers who would also prefer the freedom of dropping out to compulsory attendance at a public school.

    Ram is not a returned child laborer, but another girl from who had been a laborer also dropped out at age 16.  At least she was training to become a tailor, but tailoring is almost certainly all that she will ever do.  Ram Kumar could not give a satisfactory answer when I asked what he does with his time when he’s not in school, but he’s definitely not pursuing vocational training.  So whom should I believe?  Ram, when he says he wants to go to school but can’t afford it, or the committee, who say that they funded him but he refused to go?  Someone isn’t telling the full truth, but regardless of who is right and who is wrong, I came away having learned two things:

    Children’s education is the responsibility of entire communities.  If parents let their kids down, then other mechanisms must be in place so that children do not slip through the cracks.

    

    Women’s rights are terribly important, but only because they are humans, just like men.  Supporting young girls does not mean that we can forget the boys.

68. Darkness

    August 18, 2010 11:38 am 41 Comments

    Nepal is a land of many incongruencies.  Beneath the bright, summer sunshine, the women’s salwar kurtas sparkle and snap with brilliant colors, sequins, and embroidery.  The ubiquitous music, incense, and spices can make daily life seem more like a Bollywood set than genuine existence.  But then the monsoons chase away the sunlight, and at nighttime, the electricity disappears as an impoverished nation resorts to daily load shedding for at least a couple of hours.  Nepal quite literally becomes a land of darkness that just dresses herself with a bright façade.   Go through https://didyouknowhomes.com/7-ways-to-avoid-a-bad-landscape-lighting-system/ to know the bad landscape lighting system.

    

    Unfortunately, Nepal treats its children with the same carelessness as its electricity generators.  Most of the time, they are happy, funny, cherished lights in their parents’ lives.  But if some impoverished parents become too desperate, they send their children away to work for food and clothing.  Like load shedding, nobody likes it.  But also like the blackouts, child labor practically becomes necessary for these families unless they receive aid from the outside.  But these children do not disappear for a couple of hours—they face years of separation, exhaustion, and deprivation during the most formative times of their lives.

    

    I had the pleasure and the pain of speaking with returned child laborers for the first time while on a recent field visit to the Bardiya district in southwestern Nepal.

    Sarbourati Chaudhary was terribly shy.  Although she is fourteen, she would barely mumble her answers to my simplest questions, such as “what is your favorite food?” (apples, oranges, and mangoes) or “do you have any brothers or sisters?”  (lots of brothers).  When I asked about her favorite thing to do for fun, she couldn’t supply any answer at all.  (Fun?  Incomprehensible.)  But at least Sarbourati’s broken life is on the mend. 

     

    She worked in a private home in a bustling metropolis of 64,000, Nepalgunj, for two years because her family was very poor.  Although Sarbourati was sent away, her older and younger brothers stayed at home and attended school.  Like many daughters of impoverished families across Nepal, Sarbourati was singled out from her male counterparts to become the child laborer who left the family. 

    Sarbourati told me that she missed her family very much while she was working in Nepalgunj.  When Child Friendly Village committee members asked her if she wanted to go and live at the Girls Rescue Hostel and attend the Aansubarma High School, she jumped at the chance to stop working, travel to a new place, and gain new knowledge.  Sarbourati still misses her family today, since they do not live near her new school.  But she wishes to study science and become a doctor, and she knows that a good education is the only way for her to achieve her goal.  Despite missing two years of school, Sarbourati is already in class 5.  I have no doubt that she will make a fine doctor someday, even though she’s not yet sure how she feels about blood! 

    Child labor in Nepal is a crisis.  It is easy to become overwhelmed and to feel helpless in the face of such a complex, sobering situation.  But then brave, persistent girls like Sarbourati cut through the hopelessness like pinpricks of light on the far side of a darkened city.  So let’s light up this entire, load shedding landscape with the smiles of the 2.6 million other Nepali child laborers who still need rescuing.

    Know more at, https://beautyharmonylife.com/5-ways-a-landscape-lighting-system-can-increase-your-home-value/.

69. Children First: BASE’s Approach to Combating Child Labor

    August 16, 2010 6:29 pm 3 Comments

    The message of her song was clear:  if we end child labor, all children will have the opportunity to become educated, and Nepal as a nation will prosper.  Or so went the beautiful, self-written song performed by Reka Paudel, 14, at a recent Child Club meeting in Kothari Village.

    Though Nepal has recognized child labor as a key human rights issue, the problem still persists.  Local NGOs, international organizations and the government have employed varied tactics to combat the problem.  Some approaches aim to improve the economic livelihood of poor families vulnerable to sending their children to work, while others focus on education.  Many rural villages, though, are combining these approaches through the creation of child friendly spaces. 

    Child friendly spaces embody a commitment to protect children, end discrimination against them and support their basic the human rights.  With the welfare of children as the highest priority, these kinds of approaches place an emphasis on child participation, community mobilization and the promotion of education.

    Making Villages Child Friendly

    The Child Friendly Village is a unique concept, currently being implemented in the western Terai, which aims to create and sustain child friendly spaces at the village level.   The primary goal is that a village becomes child labor-free (no children are employed in the village and no village children are sent away to work) and that all school-age children are attending school. 

    Paudel’s village is just one of more than 300 that have been designated as Child Friendly Villages in Nepal.

    Bachpan Bachpao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement), a children’s rights NGO in northern India, pioneered the Child Friendly Village model in 2001.  BASE (Backward Society Education) then adapted the model and began implementing it in 2007 in some of the most marginalized communities in Nepal.  Approximately 10,000 people in Kanchanpur, Kailali, Bardiya, Dang and Banke, Districts are now living in BASE-designated Child Friendly Villages. 

    BASE believes it is possible to eliminate child labor through Child Friendly Villages.  “This is one good way to eliminate the worst forms of child labor,” said Churna Chaudhary, Executive Director of BASE, “BASE’s role is to enhance the capacity of children by generating awareness of children’s rights.  Once they understand their basic rights, the children themselves will mobilize to work against child labor and other forms of discrimination towards children.” 

    The Child Friendly Village model is critical in targeting rural areas and small villages which are the primary sources of children who move to urban areas to work as child laborers.  Hence, effective anti-child labor campaigns must focus on keeping children in their own villages, preventing them from going to work as child laborers and making the communities aware of the importance of education

    Freedom for the Children

    “Before, many children did not want to go to school and some were child laborers.  Now, because of the Child Friendly Village, children are going to school, and there is no child labor,” a Child Friendly Village Committee member from Surmi Katan Village in Kailali district reported.

    Through structures such as the Child Friendly Village Committee and Child Club, villagers persuade parents to withdraw their children from work enroll them in school.  By making parents aware of the illegality of child labor, possible punishments, international regulations and human rights standards, many have a change of heart that results in freedom for their children.

    One woman from Dakshin Amarai Village in Dang District sent her daughter away but was convinced by the Child Friend Village Committee to bring her back.  “We (the family) originally did this because we didn’t have land and needed money to survive,” she said, “my daughter worked from when she was 10 to 12 years-old.  Now our life is more challenging, but I compared that hardship with my child’s future and was convinced to bring her back.  I was also convinced when I learned about the laws and that I could be punished.”

    BASE’s Child Friendly Villages and child labor rescue initiatives have freed approximately 1,000 child laborers since 2008.

    A Holistic Approach

    While other NGOs working in Nepal such as World Education and MS Action Aid, as well as various District Development Committees, have also embraced child friendly education approaches, BASE’s holistic village model uniquely addresses the multidimensional child labor problem.  Child labor is not only a cause but also a consequence of poverty, illiteracy and lack of human security.

    Through a rights-based approach, the Child Friendly Villages aim to achieve both social and economic community development. 

    The right to education underpins efforts to provide quality education to all children.  According to BASE Child Labor Program Coordinator, Pinky Dangi, “If we teach children about their rights and ensure they receive an education, then it will impact their future and be more sustainable.”

    Many villages have also united under the structures of the Child Friendly Village to implement infrastructure projects such as road maintenance and sanitation improvement.  These projects impact the development of children, enabling them to have happier, healthier lives.  

    The ultimate goal of the Child Friendly Village program is the complete eradication of child labor and the achievement of the United Nation’s “Education for All” Millennium Development Goal.

    The Future of Nepal’s Children

    The Kothari Village Child Club, of which Paudel is an active member, is working to increase local people’s awareness of children’s rights and fight against child labor.  They currently perform very successful street dramas and hope to incorporate other kinds of cultural performances, like song and dance, to their anti-child labor repertoire.

    “I am not a child laborer, but I work too much in my home because my family is poor.  Also, I have seen others involved in child labor so I want to end it,” Paudel said, “Every opportunity should be available to all including good quality education.”

    Though the fight against child labor must happen on many levels—local, district, national and international—the collaborative efforts of BASE’s Child Friendly Villages is likely to have a significant, positive impact on the futures of the children of Nepal.

70. Applying Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach to BASE’s Child Friendly Village Model

    August 8, 2010 11:12 am 8 Comments

    We humans cannot help but see the world through the lens of our particular worldviews.  Even though I am literally half a world away from my school, my views of development work in Nepal have been colored primarily by my ongoing studies at the University of Maryland on Amartya Sen’s capability approach (largely thanks to the influence of my outstanding development ethics professor, Dr. David Crocker). 

    

    The more I learn about Child Friendly Villages, the easier it becomes to distinguish the extent to which this model for fighting against child labor follows Sen’s emphasis upon capability and agency.

    Here is a snapshot of Sen’s philosophy and the way it has been carried out by BASE’s Child Friendly Village initiative.  

    	Sen’s Philosophy[1]	Application to Child Friendly Village
    Functioning	Current state and activity of well-being	Children should never be child laborers, but the absence of child labor is not enough
    Capability	The presence of real opportunity to change the status quo	Education must be universal so that all children have real opportunities to further themselves
    Individual Agency	The freedom to pursue goals that a person has reason to value, even if that goal does not improve his or her personal well-being	Child Friendly Villages consist of individuals acting to pursue their own goals; this may include parents who deprive themselves of certain things so that they are not forced to send their children into urban areas to become bonded laborers
    Group Agency	Democratic deliberation is the best way for an entire group to exercise its agency and realize its own goals	Child Friendly Villages are created only upon community demand; within each CFV, Child Clubs allow children to unify and make their voice a major part of the discussion about their fate

    You may not believe that Sen’s idea of development as freedom is the best way to go about development, but I find that his approach’s emphasis upon human beings, rather than economic growth, is an important distinction that is too often overlooked.  Even though the World Bank reports favorable economic growth and a reduction in poverty from 42% to 31% in Nepal (1995-2004),   Nepal’s HDI (Human Development Index) numbers  indicate that its citizens still have huge numbers of unmet needs, as it is ranked 115^th on life expectancy at birth (66.3 years), 130^th on adult literacy rate (56.5%), and 136^th on gross enrollment rate in schools (60.8%). 

    

    Economic growth tends to register as positive social change, but that is not always the case (such as in Augusto Pinochet’s Chile).  At any rate, growth alone must not be equated with development when human beings, or the rightful ends of development (as opposed to mere means), suffer poor literacy, low life expectancy, and little opportunity to bring about positive change in their own lives.

    This empasis on social change at the individual level is why I respect the Child Friendly Village model so much.  Not only is it creating real change by lowering the number of child laborers in Nepal (481 children freed in 2009, according to the BASE Child Friendly Village Concept Paper), but it is also ensuring that the next generation of Nepali parents will be well-educated and committed to keeping their children at home instead of sending them away to earn money.  By promoting the current capabilities of children, the CFV model expands the future freedom and agency of all of its citizens. 

    

    ---

    [1] Ideas taken from David Crocker and Ingrid Robeyns, “Capability and Agency,” in Amartya Sen, ed. Christopher Morris, (New York: Cambridge UP, 2010), 60-90.

71. Sabita and Sima

    August 4, 2010 5:05 am Leave a Comment

    Sabita and Sima sometimes seem like Siamese twins, living parallel lives, acting out the same story.  Both sport the same boy haircuts typical for young Nepali girls, and both invariably giggle between every sentence.  Sima, 11, likes to eat oranges and study social studies, while Sabita, 10, likes mangoes and English. They both like to play volleyball.  Even if you didn’t know their backgrounds, or perhaps even if you did, you might think they were sisters.

    Sima lived out the classic child labor narrative.  Following her father’s death, her mother, unable to support four children, sent Sima, then 9 years old, to the city with expectations that she could earn some money and attend school.  These were false expectations, indeed, for Sima never visited a classroom.  Instead, at the mercy of a house owner, Sima spent twelve to thirteen hours a day performing domestic labor.  She cleaned the house, washed dishes, did laundry, cooked meals, tended to the kitchen garden and collected cow dung for use as fertilizer.  Exhausted at night, attending school was an elusive dream.

    At the same time, less than 25 kilometers away, a rich lawyer, who later claimed he did not purchase Sabita, was purchasing then 8 year-old Sabita.  A law student tenant with a different story may or may not have played a role in the transaction.  As a pawn in a web of shady transactions and incongruous stories, Sabita was also living out a classic child labor narrative.  However, regardless of how she came to be in the lawyer’s home, Sabita’s story of what happened after arriving was clear. Go through the site https://www.hughesandcoleman.com/ for detail information.

    “I used to clean the TV room, sitting room and kitchen and corridor and my room too.  I used to wash uncle and auntie’s clothes.  Sometimes there weren’t many dishes so I would do them alone.  When there were guests, there were too many dishes so the aunt would wash with me.  They used to scold me when I made a mistake.  If I didn’t clean the dishes properly they’d say, ‘Look how dirty these dishes are, if you don’t clean properly we’ll get diseases!’  I stayed there for many days.  One day, Uncle and Aunt went somewhere for a few days.  Then I was just staying alone and I was so hungry.”

    Enter BASE.  In the spring of 2009, BASE conducted a series of child labor raid and rescue missions that, in conjunction with other anti-child labor initiatives, rescued more than 1,000 children in a two-year period.  Sabita and Sima’s parallel lives converged as they were rescued and taken to a BASE rehabilitation center where they received initial care and support.  Sabita was later taken back to her home, but with her father dead, mother run away with another man, and brother burdened with financial problems, she decided to return to BASE’s care.  Both girls ultimately embraced their newfound freedom by demanding the rights of children as participants in the BASE-organized Nepal March for Education, part of the Global March Against Child Labor.

    Sabita and Sima now live at the Children’s Peace Home, a charitable initiative providing care to underprivileged children, and ride a school bus everyday to the Hindu Vidyapeeth School, a prestigious boarding school.  With their lives interwoven, they share many things—a penchant for studying, compassion for their friends and the joy of youth.   Above all though, they share the same strength and resilience—and hopefully, because of BASE’s intervention, the same bright future.

    The story above was compiled from two interviews with Sabita and Sima, one at the Hindu Vidyapeeth School and the other at the Children’s Peace Home, as well as the documentary, The Price of Childhood, by Kan Yan, 2009 Advocacy Project Peace Fellow with BASE.  Please see Kan’s blog for a more detailed account of Sabita’s story.

72. Not your average highschooler

    August 2, 2010 9:50 am 1 Comment

    This time, I’m going to let Sithal do all of my talking for me.  I should just add that I’ve been terribly impressed by the good humor, gracious manner, and intelligent, social awareness of all of the Child Club members that I have spoken to in BASE’s Child Friendly Villages.  They obviously need more school supplies and better teachers, but these kids are incredibly dedicated to education and to self-improvement. 

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVtKOKv0vd8

    By the way, Sithal is 15 years old and approximately 25 miles away from the border of one of the technology capitals of the world, and he has never used a computer.

73. Impressions from the Field

    July 28, 2010 10:49 am 1 Comment

    A few days ago, BASE staff member Birbal took Adrienne and me out into the field to visit the local Child Clubs of two villages to learn about their activities and to encourage their participation in a district-wide advocacy project (which will be revealed in great detail at a later date).  I had been under the impression that Tulsipur was rural, and indeed it is after the bustle of Kathmandu.  But out in Chootkighumna, Tulsipur’s bus horns, political announcements via loudspeaker, clattering of spicy dishes and smells of sweaty, striving humanity are all a distant memory. 

    

    The Deukhuri Valley

    It would be very easy to romanticize the seemingly idyllic existence in Chootkighumna.  The pastoral landscape is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen, and all of the children seemed happy and well.  But beneath the shy smiles and positive attitudes of the children lies a different story of poverty and desperation.  The thatched roofs leak.  The poorest children cannot afford school supplies.  Too many children in rural areas, especially above age fourteen, become unmotivated, drop out of school, and turn to drugs and alcohol. 

    

    Child Club members

    As impoverished as it is, Chootkighumna’s Child Friendly Village status makes it one of the better environments for children in this area.  These particular Child Club members did not know any child laborers personally because the practice has been eradicated in their village.  But they are still working very hard to ensure that all children of school-age stay enrolled in classes. 

    What impressed me the most in Chootkighumna was the resolve and strength of the Child Club members.  They were courteous to the strange, older Americans, but they were not afraid to truthfully voice their concerns (a leaky roof and the drop-out rate) and hopes (education for all and good teachers) when we began a discussion about child labor and education in their village. 

    One young lady in particular, the 16 year old President of the club named Nilam Chaudhary, spoke many times about the club’s activities and the importance of education.  I could see why she had been elected President, as her charisma and confidence demanded the attention of everyone in the room. 

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQZL0Hlwge0

    Nilam and her friends emphasized independence and standing on their own strength.  They seem to realize that education is the one, sure-fire way they can help themselves.  BASE and other NGOs will continue to do good work, but these kids know that the strength of their united voice is their own greatest asset.

    

74. What is Child Labor?

    4:41 am Leave a Comment

    What is child labor?  Is it the village children sold out of desperation by their poor families to be domestic workers in Nepal’s urban centers?  Sure.  Is it the thousands of children who are trafficked to India to work in various sectors including prostitution?  Absolutely.  The kids bonded to landlords?  Laboring in quarries, brick factories, mines, factories and construction sites.  You bet.

    How about…

    

    or

    

    What about the swarms of children ubiquitous on any Nepali highway, hawking bottled water, snacks and other treats to travelers?  Children like:

    

    and

    

    Probably, maybe, perhaps, and possibly.

    And then there’s the Tapa children who, alongside their parents, are busy bees serving customers at the family-run Sithal restaraunt.

    

    It depends.

    Why all the ambiguity, you ask? 

    According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the term “child labor” is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.  It refers to work that is:

    – mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and

    – interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school, obliging them to leave school prematurely, or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.

    However, the definition of “child”, while guided by international norms, is largely left to national interpretation.  The Children’s Act of Nepal, 1992, established that a child is any person below the age of 16 years.  According to the policy, though, anyone under 16 engaged in economic activity is a not child laborer.  There are two primary reasons for this incongruity.

    First, labor is only legally restricted to those below 14 years.  For those in the 14 to 16 age bracket, labor is fair game as long as it abides by certain restrictions.  Following Nepal’s ratification of the ILO’s Minimum Age Convention (No. 138), the Child Labor Act, 1999, which amended the Labor Acts of 1992 and 1993, enlisted specific occupations as hazardous work and prohibited the use of children below 16 from such activities.  In addition, the Act stipulated working hour restrictions, stating that children from 14 to 16 may not work between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

    And second, there is a distinction between labor and work that permits child workers. While many recognize child labor as wrong, societal norms underpin a culture of indifference to child workers.  Most Nepalis just don’t think anything of it when they see a child working, especially if it is a poor child. 

    The distinction holds that children, regardless of their age, working by their own free will and under non-exploitative conditions that protect their rights, are legally permitted to work.  BASE, for example, defines children who go to school and also work (e.g. help with family business or work temporarily during summer vacation) as child workers.  While these children should not be required to work more than is appropriate for their physical and mental capacity, they aren’t child laborers. 

    BASE also incorporates an interesting assumption into their operational definition of child labor:  any child not receiving an education is a child laborer.  Because a child not attending school is at high risk of becoming a child laborer, BASE conceptualizes these children as child laborers and similarly targets them with their anti-child labor initiatives.  This critical assumption is underpinned by BASE’s emphasis on education.

    So given all these international and national regulations, variable definitions and assumptions, the child labor question remains.  What exactly constitutes child labor?  Every night as I eat dahl bhat at my favorite dinner spot, Sithal restaraunt, I am reminded of the ambiguity.  Sarita, 16, always eager to read my Nepali-English phrasebook, serves food to customers; Sithal, 13, the namesake of the restaurant, washes dishes; and Bobina, 8, recent karate brown belt-recipient, chops vegetables.  Sujendra, 14, the only boy and unofficial comedian of the establishment, has the daily responsibility of making the roti, that delicious South Asian flatbread staple. 

    

    

    The role of these children in the economic profitability of the restaurant is undeniable.  But they are attending school, and even extra-curricular activities.  They laugh, play and seem generally happy.  I still wonder, though, if they are missing out on their childhood and how a childhood with more work than play will affect their development.  Every handful of dahl bhat that I shovel into my mouth is accompanied by the aftertaste of this big, moral dilemma.  Is this child labor?  Am I supporting it by patronizing Sithal restaurant?  And even further, am I now part of the larger-scale social problem that perpetuates the system of child labor in Nepal?  Swallow.

    I don’t have all the answers to the child labor question.  But I do know that instead of asking, what is child labor?, perhaps we should be asking, who is in school?

75. Becoming One With Nepal, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Unexpected

    July 23, 2010 10:59 am Leave a Comment

    After 5 flights and a 5-hour bus ride over the course of 5 days, I have finally reached Tulsipur, Nepal, where I will be working on child labor issues for 5 weeks with BASE (Backward Society Education).  In keeping with this unintended theme of fives, I’ve decided to share this strange, new life of mine through a few lists of superlatives.

    Five best sights thus far, in chronological order:

    1)  London!  I’d never been before, so I took advantage of an eight-hour layover and walked along the Thames for a couple of hours, taking in Westminster Abbey, the Globe, and St. Paul’s.

    2)  A Nepali stranger holding up a sign with the words “Karie Cross” when I walked out of the Kathmandu airport with all of my luggage.  The International Guest House picked me up and took me straight to a blessedly Western-style shower and bed in the Thamel district.

    3)  The Himalayas.  Some of the mountain roads are a bit harrowing, but you couldn’t ask for a better view of these foothills.                                                                                                             

    4)  Kate Bollinger and Adrienne Henck, fellow Peace Fellows with The Advocacy Project.  Kate showed me around Kathmandu, and I’m working with Adrienne in Tulsipur until she leaves at the beginning of August.

    5)  Smiling Nepali school children, one of whom was bold enough to say “hi” to me on the street.  Nearly all of the children that I’ve seen here just giggle and smile at me.

     

    Five biggest surprises:

    1)  Taxi drivers in Kathmandu don’t let unfamiliarity with a destination come between themselves and a customer.  They’ll just drive to the district and yell at people on the street until they find it.  They (and all other vehicles in Nepal) also pay no attention to lanes, speed limits, and traffic lights, and apply their horns liberally.

    2)  I rode from the Nepalganj airport to the local BASE office on the back of a motorbike with Suraj, a BASE staff member.  Motorbikes can comfortably seat two.  But two people and two backpacks (one large, one small) is not quite so comfortable.  We made it work, but we earned a lot of funny looks.

    3)  On the bus ride out to Tulsipur, every time we stopped to pick up passengers children would crowd around the windows of the bus, thrusting bottles of filtered water and freshly made Nepali treats up at our faces.  The young men working the bus were very kind to these children, but it was such a sad thing to see school kids on the bus contrasted to the children their age hawking goods outside the bus.  BASE is trying to find a way to get all kids onto the bus, so to speak.

    4)  Tulsipur’s influential FM Chairperson, Devi Prasad Dhital, was murdered last week.  Because of this, nearly all of the local shops have closed in protest (bandh), local police are out in full force, and there was a big procession through town a couple of hours ago.

    5)  I can apparently plan on being awoken at approximately 6 a.m. each morning by bleating goats.

     

    Five important things to learn about BASE’s work on child labor:

    1)  BASE was begun in 1985 to fight against human exploitation in impoverished Nepali communities.  It focuses on many human rights issues including bonded labor, illiteracy, marginalized communities, and child labor.

    2)  Children usually become laborers because their parents can’t afford to keep them.  Landlords will often exchange land for a child or two.  BASE fights these practices by educating Nepalis in rural villages about children’s rights and the illegality of child labor.

    3)  Child labor includes children who are “engaged in an economic activity and who are below the minimum legal age of employment” (CFV memo, Bal Mitra Gaun).  Children may legally work with their families as long as they are enrolled in school.  They are designated as child workers instead of child laborers.

    4)  BASE promotes the Child Friendly Village model, which consists of a community formally acknowledging child labor issues and committing to stop the practice in their area.  Many Nepalis see child labor as an unwanted but traditional way of life.  But just because that’s the way it is does not mean that that’s the way it should be.

    5)  Through Child Friendly Villages, BASE hopes to promote universal education by rescuing and rehabilitating the children who have been sent away to work in urban areas.  They aim to reach 100% enrollment in schools and create Child Clubs through which children lead in their communities, express their views, and raise funds to pay for school supplies for the poorest children.

    Stay tuned.  I’ve already learned so much.

76. The Children of Nepal in Numbers

    July 19, 2010 6:42 am Leave a Comment

    Before delving into the crux of child labor: the what, the how, and the why, let’s establish the hard facts of who.  That is, who are the children of Nepal?  And how many ways can we count them?

    41 percent of the total population is below 16 years old.

    2.6 million children are engaged in child labor.

    50 percent of child laborers work without pay as family members or bonded laborers.

    20 percent of the total workforce is comprised of children (one of the highest proportions in the world).

    2 times as much work is performed by 10-14 year old girls compared to boys in the same age group.

    42 percent of 10 to 14 year olds are working rather than attending school.

    63 percent of the male population and only 35 percent of the female population over 15 are able to read and write.

    And just in case you were wondering…

    34 percent of marriages involve children below 15 years of age.

    12,000 women and children are trafficked to India annually.

    5,000 children are working and living on the streets.

    And…

    8,000 children have been orphaned and more than 40,000 have been displaced due to the ongoing-armed conflict between the government and Maoists (CPN).

    The numbers say it all, don’t you think?

    (Sources: CWIN-RAIC/CBS/UNICEF/Ministry of Education/ILO/UNFPA/Nepal Media Council and Jim Flood’s “Child Labor in Nepal:  A Brief Overview”)

77. A Ten-year-old Makes Your Frappuccino: Child Labor in an American Context

    July 6, 2010 6:44 am 4 Comments

    Child labor.  Over the past few weeks, this issue has been the focus of my work with BASE.  But what does child labor really mean?  Is this something that we, as residents of affluent America, can really comprehend?  Humor me for a moment and step outside your present reality…

    Can you imagine a ten-year-old working at Starbucks, blending your Frappuccino? 

    Or at McDonalds, flipping your quarter-pounder, wiping dirty tables, and carrying bags of trash bigger than she is to the dumpster out back.  It seems unreal and even bizarre.  But try hard and imagine.

    Your car needs fixing and you take it to the mechanic.  Can you imagine that the oil-covered face underneath the hood of your Honda Accord belongs to an eight-year-old boy?  Seriously.

    The high-rise going up down the street?  A troupe of 12- and 13-year-olds are the muscles behind that enterprise, mixing cement, welding beams and, from dawn to dusk every day, sending it higher and higher towards the sky.  Can you really imagine this?

    That t-shirt you’re wearing looks good on you, even though it was made in a factory full of nine-year-olds, sweating to keep pace with the production line.

    In your home, imagine you have a servant.  Sounds nice, doesn’t it?  Someone to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for you, do all your dirty dishes, wash your laundry, and clean your house, including that  grime under the toilet seat that you’d rather not think about.   It’s a lot of work for a seven-year-old and often takes her no less than 18 hours a day.

    These children, they’re probably not getting paid, and if they are, it’s not much.

    They’re not going to school.  How could they find the time or energy with their workload?

    And they’re certainly not laughing, playing and enjoying their childhood the way other children are.

    Imagine that it’s not just one child, or even a couple.  This is 1 out of every 5 children in America.  That’s 13 million.  Wow.  Imagine that.

    Good thing you only have to imagine, though, because if you lived in Nepal, this would be real.

    

78. A day in the life of a Peace Fellow in rural Nepal

    June 22, 2010 7:06 am 4 Comments

    Because every blog needs a little personalization, I thought I’d share a typical day in my life here in Tulsipur.

    7:00 AM  Good morning!  Although others have been up since sunrise, cooking, tending to animals, walking to their jobs, I finally wake up, thinking:  the air is so cool.  The reality of later being drenched in sweat is distant, unthinkable.

    7:10 AM I throw a towel and bottle of mineral water (for brushing teeth) in a plastic bag and trudge out of my apartment, down to the next landing and into my bathroom, a concrete room with one hole, two buckets and a lot of mosquitoes.  Brr, the water is so cold at first, but I like the feeling of clean.

    8:00 AM  Tea time!  I head to the local tea shop for some sweet milk tea and cholasamosa, a delicious mix of mashed up samosa, curried chickpeas and a sprinkling of red onion.  I am not surprised to run into a few BASE staff, also enjoying a cup of chiya.

    8:30 AM  Before starting work, BASE staff often sit in a courtyard under a giant rubber tree, reading the daily newspaper, talking about politics and exchanging personal stories.

    9:30 AM Blogging, social networking, reading the 13 new emails from my mother asking, “Sweetie, where are you?  Are you eating enough?  Is everything OK?”

    10:30 AM Around this time I expect some unexpected plan for the day to be announced.  I head out with the Child Labor team to visit a school/orphanage/village.

    12:00 PM  The heat and humidity creeps in.  The unreliable Nepali electricity goes out.  No fan, ugh.

    1:30 PM  Nepalis typically only eat two meals a day, in the morning and at night.  Sometimes they eat a small mid-day snack.  I feel like gluttonous American for requesting lunch, but my body is protesting the cultural assimilation.

    2:00 PM The power comes on, and I rush to charge my computer and mobile phone.  Nepali electricity is a mysterious force that I understand even less than Nepali politics.  I certainly do not not take it for granted.

    2:30 PM  The power goes out.

    2:35 PM  The power comes on.

    4:00 PM  I learn that an insurgent group has announced a nationwide strike for the following day.  While strikes are not uncommon in Nepal, it means that all shops will be closed, no motor vehicles will be allowed to move and my plans of visiting the Children’s Peace Home in a neighboring town will be cancelled.  Sigh.  Personal goals aside, it also means that schools will be closed, and children will once again be denied their right to education.

    5 PM The workday ends.  If it’s Friday then I’ll be back in the office on Sunday, because it’s a six-day work week. 

    6:30 PM You know, I thought I would get tired of dhal bhat, the staple Nepali meal consisting of rice, curried vegetables and lentils, often with some raw cucumbers and pickles on the side.  So far, though, it tastes like mom’s home cooking to me!  Maybe that’s because Kamala cooks it for me every day at her family-owned restaurant where I invariably take my dinner.  And maybe, also, it’s because I eat it in the excellent company of Sorita, Bobina, Sithel and Suhendra, my three new sisters and brother.

    7:30 PM I rush home so that I can wash away the day’s sweat and dirt with a bucket of water before it becomes dark.  Three-inch cockroach who guards my bathroom:  because of you, I am afraid to use the toilet after dark.  One day, perhaps, we will be at peace with each other.

    8:00 PM  The sun sets, and the power goes out, this time for the scheduled daily load-shedding.  The darkness of the Nepali countryside is coal black, amplifying the evening chatter of neighboring familes.  Should I read a book by flashlight or give in to my impatience and go to sleep?

    10:00 PM  Expecting the unexpected has become my routine.  And even that thought is comforting.  I sleep.

    (Note:  The above account grossly underrepresents the actual number of daily power outages.)

    —–

    For an much more detailed and even more entertaining account of life in rural Nepal, check out this excellent blog.  Melinda is a volunteer at the Children’s Peace Home where several former child laborers, rescued by BASE, are now living.

79. Education under the rubber tree

    June 20, 2010 8:58 am 2 Comments

    Every day before beginning work, BASE staff members usually take time to socialize in the office courtyard.  Sitting in red and blue plastic chairs in the shade of a rubber tree, they read the daily newspaper, talk about politics and exchange personal stories.  One morning the friendly Diplal, BASE’s Administrative Head, decided to forgo the usual lighthearted banter and school me on the breadth of BASE’s work. 

    

    Bonded Labor.  Child Labor.  Education.  Human rights.  Health.  Family Planning.  Women’s socio-economic development.  Gender equity.  Microfinance.   My head was spinning as he spouted off the issues BASE’s work addressed and their acronymed program names (e.g. CBCDC for Child-based Development Center, CDDD for Child Development Discussant Program, and C2C for Child to Child Education…).  BASE’s work seems to touch on every issue.  They are everywhere, doing everything.  I couldn’t help but wonder, what is the common thread?

    I have realized that it all comes back to education.  Bonded labor was abolished in 2000; however, two over-arching problems have remained.  For one, the government did nothing to rehabilitate the freed kamaiyas (bonded laborers).  The law granted them freedom, but with no land, skills or education, they were prisoners of poverty.  And for the other, persistent poverty has given rise to and perpetuated the rampant system of child labor that exists today.  Families, unable to provide for all of their children, have been hoodwinked by false promises of schooling and big city futures.  Ultimately, their children end up being sent away to distant, unknown places and enslaved as domestic workers. 

    BASE’s core approach rests on the tenet that through education, Tharus can rise above their marginalization and claim their basic human rights.  This is a classic rights-based approach to development.  And I love it!

    For a great synopsis of the history of the Tharus narrated by BASE President Dilli Chaudhary, check out this video by 2009 Peace Fellow, Kan Yan.

80. A Surprising Perspective: Introduction to Bonded Labor

    June 12, 2010 10:19 am 2 Comments

    Despite some difficulties in getting here (immense gratitude goes out to my amazing supporters), I present this latest entry to you with love from Kathmandu.  With just one day in the city before beelining to my final destination in rural southwest Nepal, I stopped in at the US Embassy to meet with Peter Zirnite, Economic/Commercial Chief of the Political and Economic Section and expert on labor-related issues. 

    Mr. Zirnite briefed me on the issues of bonded labor, child labor (including the practice of kamalari or daughter selling) and marginalization of the Tharus.  While I was not surprised to learn of the insufficient and unreliable documentation of these issues, another idea that Mr. Zirnite shared with me almost knocked me out of my chair.

    Until the 1950’s, the primarily Tharu-inhabited Terai region of Nepal was a malaria hot-bed.  However, as scientific studies have documented, the Tharu possess a genetic resistance to the disease.  With the influx of international aid in the post-World War II era, malaria was nearly eradicated, priming the region for habitation by other Nepalis. 

    Though the practice of bonded labor can be traced to ancient times, the influx of land-seeking Nepalis during the 1950’s and 1960’s resulted in the birth of the modern kamaiya, or bonded labor, system.  The migrant Nepalis brought with them cultural norms of private property distinct from the Tharu belief in common land ownership.  These contested norms, combined with the Tharus position at the bottom of the caste system, produced conditions ripe for the perpetuation of inequality and marginalization of the Tharu.  Enter bonded labor.  Tharus were forced from their homes, forced to work for landowners to survive and burdened with debt that was passed on to their children.     

    This is the part where I nearly fall out of my chair.  Some Tharus attribute the modern practice of bonded labor to the international development initiatives that eradicated malaria from the Terai.  While this view is only held by a minority and is not necessarily supported by BASE, it nevertheless represents a very interesting take on the multiple faces of international development.  Is this a case of good intentions gone wrong?  A failure to adequately weigh the importance of local culture?  Please share your thoughts below and stay tuned for my next entry from the Terai.

    

81. Changing Nepal, Changing the World: Education for All

    May 29, 2010 1:13 pm 1 Comment

    This blog is about education.  Many people have access to it.  However, many don’t.  This virtual space is dedicated to the latter.  We sometimes take education for granted—I know I did for most of my life.  But the reality is that many individuals around the world are denied access to education simply for being a member of a particular group, for being a certain gender, or for being poor.  According to a U.N. report, approximately 70 million children around the world are not enrolled in school, with 18 million of them in South Asia.  An additional 776 million adults, or 16% of the world’s population, lack basic literacy skills.  

    For example, take the Tharu, one of Nepal’s more than 100 ethnic groups.  Until the early 1980’s, most Tharu children were working for landlords, instead of going to school.  Because of their lower caste, they were discriminated against and exploited socially, economically and politically.  Today, both bonded labor and child labor have been outlawed in Nepal, but former bonded laborers and their children continue to be marginalized and denied basic rights, including the right to education.  This is where my summer adventure and the incredible work of a Tharu-led social movement and NGO called Backward Society Education (BASE) comes in.  

    As a Peace Fellow with The Advocacy Project, I will spend this summer working with BASE in southwest Nepal.  At the moment, as I prepare to fly off to Kathmandu, I admittedly know very little about BASE, the Tharu and education in Nepal.  In fact, I have never been to Nepal and do not speak Nepali (yet!).  But as this summer is about education, I too, will be learning so much from the wonderful BASE team, who until now I have only exchanged emails with.  

    I have so many questions and am eager to seek out answers.  BASE’s website announces “Compulsory and Quality Education as a Fundamental right for New Nepal.”  Who does have access to education in Nepal?  What factors exclude some segments of the population?  Further, what was the old Nepal?  And what processes of social change produced the new Nepal?  What roles have children, minorities (such as the Tharu) and other marginalized communities played?  And finally, how is BASE working to producing lasting social change?  I know this summer will be filled with difficult challenges, amazing experiences, and, of course, a lot of learning.  But I’m ready.  

    Let my education in Nepal and education for all begin now!  

    

82. Embarking

    May 27, 2010 11:50 am Leave a Comment

    This summer, I will go to Nepal as an Advocacy Project “Peace Fellow” to work with the Women’s Reproductive Rights Program (hereafter referred to as WRRP). WRRP is an advocacy organization based in Kathmandu, Nepal whose primary focus is on a reproductive health condition called uterine prolapse – or “falling of the womb”. This is condition in which a woman’s uterus becomes dislodged. While it happens to women everywhere in the world (almost always after menopause), in Nepal it is estimated that 1 out of 10 women suffers from a prolapsed uterus. That is approximately 600,000 women. Adolescents through adults are afflicted. WRRP approaches uterine prolapse as an issue of gender discrimination as it is an issue caused by women’s malnutrition, lack of proper medical care – particularly during pregnancy-, and work overload. WRRP has done ten years of very productive work on this issue so far and I know I have a lot to learn, and hopefully to contribute, this summer.

    I will spend my first two weeks of the fellowship in Washington DC where Samita Pradhan, director of the WRRP, will travel to present at the Women Deliver 2010 conference. The conference in itself should be quite an experience – thousands of men and women from all over the world will come together at the Washington DC Convention Center to discuss gender equity. I’ll be a volunteer at this conference – which will provide me with a free pass to attend. For the rest of the two weeks in DC, I’ll join Samita and the Advocacy Project crew in the many meetings they have been hard at work organizing. In mid-June,  I will travel to Kathmandu, Nepal where I will work with WRRP for the rest of the summer.

    While the Advocacy Project has described to me the type of work I’ll be doing, I know I have many surprises awaiting me in Kathmandu and the villages beyond. While I’ve been to Nepal before, I’m excited to spend time here in a new context – an advocacy context.  This work will also, hopefully, be a valuable extension of my masters program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, where I have just finished my first year as a graduate student in international policy studies with a focus on international development and human rights. On a personal note, I am very excited to be back in Nepal, practicing my nepali, filling up with daalbhat, and watching the monsoons roll by.

    

83. Profile: Denesh Harijan, Radio Jagaran

    August 26, 2009 11:22 pm 1 Comment

    

    A second-year bachelor’s degree student, Denesh Harijan works as a reporter in the news and human rights departments at Radio Jagaran. After having grown up in circumstances of extreme poverty, he is the only person in his entire village to pursue a college education. An affable polyglot, Denesh is fluent in Nepali, English, Hindi, and two local Terai languages.

    Denesh developed an interest in human rights advocacy after witnessing firsthand, as a child, the range of problems facing Dalits in the Terai area: child marriages, little to no access to education, abject poverty, and severe abuses against the lower castes. As a Dalit, he was treated differently by teachers while in primary school. His teachers, traditional observers of “untouchability” practices, often would not let him touch desks or books, would instruct other students not to touch him, and would punish him severely if he intentionally or inadvertently disobeyed such draconian commands. Reflecting on the humiliation and pain caused by his experiences growing up, Denesh focuses much of his reporting on abuses against Dalit schoolchildren.

    Denesh endeavors to reach out to communities whom are generally excluded from mainstream media due to language barriers. He conducts several of his programs in local (non-Nepali) Terai languages to ensure that all stakeholders are afforded the opportunity to be informed, and to participate in, discussions regarding urgent community issues. As a result of his noteworthy contributions to inclusiveness in media, Denesh’s radio programs tend to generate the highest numbers of listener responses at Radio Jagaran.

84. Reaching Out to At-Risk Youth

    August 13, 2009 4:05 am 4 Comments

    Earlier last week, JMC held its first-ever youth workshop on human rights, caste discrimination, and the use of media as a tool of advocacy–and after its fruitful results, we hope that it will not be the last.

    Wanting to know what I do all day while they’re at home or in school, the children at the orphanage at which I live have been energetically bombarding me with questions about my work with JMC on an almost-daily basis. The more I’d explain to them about JMC’s overall goals and actions, the more enthralled the kids would become with Dalit issues and the concept of advocacy through media. Every day that I spend with the kids, I am astonished and inspired by their eagerness to learn, their sense of empathy and compassion toward each other, and their vivacity. I was wholly astounded, though, when I realized their genuine interest in learning about human rights issues. As the children are currently on holiday from school for a short time, I was searching for ways to ensure that this highly fortuitous opportunity to make something happen did not slip away. When ten-year-old Biru said to me, “Jessica, I want to come to work with you!”, I considered the idea for a moment and thought…why not?

    When I approached Prakash and Rem about exploring possibilities of holding a youth workshop at the JMC office, they were kindly amenable to the idea. The JMC-ers who run various different programs within the organization–such as our radio show, our television series, our human rights monitoring department, etc.–additionally offered their generous support in educating orphaned and at-risk youth about human rights issues. Just a few days later, we found ourselves sitting in JMC’s downstairs conference room, surrounded by cookies and milky chiya, various JMC staff members, paper and pencils for a planned activity, a film projector, and eight curious children (ages ten to fourteen) plus two volunteers from the orphanage.

    I’d been harboring a giddy nervousness about the workshop for a number of reasons: this was my first time planning/facilitating a workshop with youth (let alone a human rights-themed one), the first time JMC had ever had a group of kids in the office, AND the workshop was somehow going to be conducted in both English and Nepali. Needless to say, Murphy’s Law could have had a field day. We were all pleasantly surprised (and relieved!), however, by how smoothly the workshop panned out–not to mention amazed by the exhilarating levels of enthusiasm and intellect displayed by the children.

    

    A brief breakdown of our itinerary (not including, of course, intermittent snack and bathroom breaks):

    I began the workshop by introducing the topics of human rights, advocacy, and civil society, speaking in English to the children which Prakash then translated. (The kids are all fluent in English, but I thought it would be best to address substantive, sensitive issues–such as caste discrimination–in our native languages in order to cultivate a more natural understanding of the concepts. Additionally, since these concepts are so new to the kids, I didn’t think it would hurt for them to hear an explanation of the ideas twice.) After going over what many of the rights outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are (as well as the significance and origin of the document itself), I emphasized the fact that these rights are granted to one regardless of age, race, gender, religion, country of birth, or caste–most importantly, because one is simply a human being.

    We then discussed how, realistically speaking, such rights are NOT adequately upheld for all populations in most societies–worldwide discrimination in myriad forms is distinct and irrefutable. As such, civil society organizations such as JMC are needed to advocate, monitor, and protect these rights. The children were then informed that they would be learning about how JMC specifically uses various media campaigns to advocate for Dalit human rights.

    Purna (one of JMC’s managers, and head of Dalan series) and Dilip (JMC’s Secretary-General) spoke to the children about the founding of JMC, explaining the extent of caste discrimination and related abuses that had been witnessed and experienced throughout Nepal by its very first staff members. They also explained the deficiency of reliable, serious coverage of Dalit issues in Nepal’s mainstream media, and the need for an independent organization to produce such research and information.

    The children were then introduced to JMC’s various media campaigns by staffers from each respective department:

    – Katwal Radio Patrika: Katwal is a nationwide, thirty minute-long feature program that focuses on contemporary political and social issues facing Dalits. Through discussion sessions between Dalits and non-Dalits, Katwal advocates for proportional representation, political participation, inclusiveness, and restructuring of the state to best address Dalit issues.

    – Dalan Series: One particularly innovative advocacy method devised by JMC is its production of a 25-episode soap opera series called Dalan, which chronicles three successive generations of a Dalit family in Nepal. Touching on virtually all forms of discrimination that afflict Dalits, Dalan has amassed laudatory ratings throughout the country–and notably, throughout Nepal’s different castes.

    – Radio Jagaran: Radio Jagaran’s headquarters is located in Nepal’s western region, an area notorious for having the highest and most severe incidences of caste-based discrimination. While Nepal has more than 100 community radio stations, Radio Jagaran is one of the only that is exclusively dedicated to raising issues concerning Dalits and other marginalized communities. On broadcast for eighteen hours per day, Radio Jagaran runs more than 100 different news and discussion programs that reach the inhabitants of western Nepal. (Unlike Katwal, Radio Jagaran is more focused on local issues, and targets a specific stakeholder population in the western region.)

    – Dalit Human Rights Monitoring: JMC’s field reporters, based in various districts throughout Nepal, collect data on a wide range of human rights abuses including beatings, rapes, murders, incidents of torture, forced expulsions from residences, and persecution of inter-caste couples. The data is then compiled into an annual human rights report, which is used for legal, advocacy, and educational purposes.

    – Journalist Training: Though there are more than 5,000 journalists working throughout Nepal, less than 100 hail from the Dalit community. JMC aims to address this gaping disparity by training Dalits on the dynamics of Nepalese mass media, as well as writing techniques, photography, and interviewing. As a result of this program, several past Dalit participants are now active journalists in the mainstream media. JMC also provides training to non-Dalit journalists in order to enhance their familiarity with and sensitivity to issues facing Dalits.

    We then watched an episode of Dalan which depicted an inter-caste marriage in a rural village, and the subsequent violent, humiliating expulsion from the community of a Brahmin (highest caste) man and Dalit woman. The kids all agreed that the couple were treated in a manifestly cruel and wanton manner, as the man and woman had clearly not hurt anybody; yet they understood that such events in Nepal are prevalent and habitually tolerated.

    By this point, the kids were feeling quite engaged, and were beginning to candidly converse about how antiquated, destructive, and downright nefarious the system of caste discrimination is. It was prime time for our planned interactive activity at the end, whereby the kids broke up into small groups and brainstormed answers to a specific caste-related question. Their answers blew all of the adults in the room away with how well thought-out and earnest they were. It was truly edifying to see such a compassionate and intellectual side of the kids come out full-force, especially in a team environment. (The activity I’d planned was translated into Nepali on paper, and the kids initially answered in Nepali. After they stood up and explained their answers in Nepali, Prakash summed up their main points in English. Sounds awkward, but it actually worked out rather nicely!)

    In the meantime, I am awaiting precise translation of their written answers in response to the interactive activity, which I plan to excerpt later in this blog. I can’t wait to share the children’s evocative insights. Stay tuned!

    • 

85. But What About the Youth? [Part 2]

    July 28, 2009 9:31 am 4 Comments [continued from Part 1]

    Contrasting the luminous, lively eyes of the orphanage kids with the sunken, lifeless counterparts of Nepal’s less fortunate children, I shudder to think of what could have happened to the former, had the orphanage not interceded in their cases. The orphan problem in Nepal is dire, due to a variety of factors–the recent civil war, dangerous livelihoods, rampant disease, crippling poverty. While I certainly have no intention of asking the children with whom I live what castes they come from, all sociological indicators–which point to a disproportionate pattern of disease, hunger, and mortality among Nepal’s lowest caste–lead me to logically infer that a disproportionate pattern of orphanhood exists among Dalits.

    Between eighty-five and ninety percent of Dalits live below the poverty line, and the majority lack access to clean drinking water–making such individuals more prone to waterborne diseases, gastrointestinal infections, and diarrhea-related deaths. Gynecological diseases–such as uterine prolapse–are especially common among Dalit women, and mothers often die due to childbirth-related causes. Dalit fathers are most likely to work hazardous jobs in unhygienic conditions, leaving them more vulnerable to deadly disease and injury. These factors, coupled with deeply-embedded marginalization in the areas of educational attainment and receipt of government services, beget a lethal combination–a prime breeding ground for high incidences of unexpected parental deaths in Dalit families, and correspondingly high numbers of Dalit orphans and street children.

    Orphaned girls and young women, particularly Dalits, face an especially horrific threat: the danger of being whisked away by human traffickers. Due to their marginalization and lack of legal protection, Dalit women and girls are the most likely to be trafficked–primarily bought and sold into brothels in India’s major cities (such as Mumbai, which has the largest number of brothels in the world according to WomenNewsNetwork). Every year about 10,000 Nepalese girls–some as young as six years old, but most between the ages of nine and sixteen–are taken and sold to brothels in India, where hundreds of thousands of other young girls are already believed to be involved in coerced sex work (U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report, 2009). I urge you to visit this link to familiarize yourself with the truly heartbreaking and harrowing story of Seema, a Nepali woman who became a trafficking victim at the age of twelve.

    Some of the children in the orphanage at which I volunteer have already had firsthand experience with being bought and sold as a commodity. One girl, who is now nine, was found by a government social worker in a busy area of Kathmandu–covered in bruises and with her hands tightly bound by a rusty wire–forced to work as a domestic servant. She’s understandably had a difficult time opening up to the other children at the orphanage, and has not yet spoken in detail about what happened to her while she was held in servitude. However, she has expressed her love of attending school and passion for learning, which suggests that her agonizing past may not prevent her from pursuing a positive, productive life of her own after all. In fact, given the struggles and tumultuous experiences to which all the children in the orphanage have been subjected, I am astounded by how helpful, friendly, and loving they all are toward both the staff members and each other–like a large, but very content, family.

    Since arriving in Nepal, I’ve been intrigued with the idea of staying with a local host family–rather than hopping from hostel to hostel as I’d been doing–in order to experience and immerse myself in “real” Nepali life. Relocating to this orphanage has allowed me to fulfill that desire in a delightfully unconventional way. We may not have running water or reliable electricity, but cohesion, compassion and fortitude run deep here. As spoken by the director of the orphanage to the kids: “You are no different from the other children at school. You work hard in your classes, eat dhaal-bhaat every day, and love to sing songs just as they do. The only difference is that your family is a little bit bigger than the other kids’ families.”

    

86. no more mangos!

    3:28 am Leave a Comment

    It’s a glorious day because for one, it is very cool out, below the sweltering 95 degrees. I am not sweating for the first time in weeks.  The monsoon season brought much needed rain and also, I think I had the most juicy, ripe mango ever.  Sadly, my daily mango, or sometimes three will be coming to an end.  The family I am staying with only has five left!  The mango (apt in Nepali) season is coming to an end, Sova, my new mother pointed out today.  The fruit that I don’t think I ever have had in the U.S other than in a smoothie will be surely be missed.  I will have to find another delicacy soon. 

     

    NESPEC has been quite hectic the past few days with the monthly review and planning meetings.  My desire to learn Nepali has heightened even more after sitting in the discussions with only some translation.  All staff members and some board members were present to check in with the activities for the past month as well as plan for next month.  Each social mobilizer presented their activities in July and then feedback was provided.  The issues that NESPEC have are the same that many other NGOs face.  Field offices not open long enough, committees not following saving model, resources lacking, donors adapting grants and the most common problem, staff are not getting paid enough. Even on the other side of the world the same issues are struggles with organizations.  

     

    The organization is a broadly based human rights NGO, working on four campaigns; land rights and food security, education, women’s rights and health. Since the start of NESPEC in 1997, the organization has always focused on what marginalized people need in Gaighat and the surrounding areas.  A human rights based approach was implemented, educating people on their rights with an overall awareness of various issues.  The awareness eventually led to people who would never speak out demand the government for important issues, such as water pumps and land rights.  Just recently, one committee asked for a foot water pump, which will help grow their vegetables. These simple requests are how villages will sustain their food supply, especially with an organization like NESPEC supporting them.    

     

    The largest campaign that NESEPC is working on currently is the food and land rights campaign with Action Aid Nepal.  NESPEC, along with seven other organizations are forming ways to help marginalized people live better lives with sustained income.  One way NESEPC is taking action is through farming groups, in which 45 have formed in different districts.  The farmers talk about their problems with the land, and as a result formed a micro finance system.  Loans can now be given with very small interest to those in the community that are in need.  There are also REFLECT classes in which NESPEC oversees, a town hall like forum that marginalized groups can tell their stories and can feel empowered through local government advocacy.  NESPEC is a powerful force in Gaighat and will continue to be with its determined activists and campaigns.  Local government policy has been influenced by the campaigns.  Now the district members are committed to changing the micro credit system so that it is assessable to all.

     

    An issue in Nepal that I witness on a daily basis is the inequality of women.  Many have approached me asking what America is like, how I have been able to come here and most important, how do I like Nepal.  Those are the simple questions that are entertaining to answer.  However, it’s when the conversation gets deeper is when it becomes very complicated.  Every woman has had extreme hardship to endure in this society. Childbirth for example, can be very dangerous to the mother and they are forced to take care of the household the day after giving birth, resulting in serious medical problems years later.  Domestic abuse, unequal pay and low literacy rates are other issues to name a few, all in which NESPEC is fighting against. 

     

    A monthly women’s forum has been established by NESPEC where oppressed women gather to speak about their experiences ranging from land rights, to how to get out of domestic abuse situations. The women have felt very empowered through this story telling and a survey was conducted by NESPEC with women in various communities about domestic abuse that was then passed onto the local governments.  The ministry has recently passed a new law in which women who have been abused by their husbands are given compensation.  In the end, women in the forum felt very empowered by making a significant social change.

     

    It is truly astounding to see such a small organization make such a large impact in the community policy level.  NGO’s such as these are needed in a country where the government is seen as corrupt to most citizens and very slow to actually listen to its people.  

     

    The next blog hopefully will be about the children’s campaigns in the field if the rain ever stops. 

     

     

     

     

87. Paani (Water): A Necessity, Privilege, and Threat [Part 2]

    July 23, 2009 5:36 am 1 Comment

    [continued from Part 1]

    For Dalits in many areas, the liquid necessity has also been refashioned into a highly exclusive commodity to which they do not enjoy privileges. Think about how much water you use in the course of a single day for various perfunctory activities, such as bathing, cooking, drinking, and washing household items. Imagine how toilsome it must be to have to spend hours every day lugging extremely heavy jugs of water from a community pump back to your home – which is sometimes miles away and at the top of ominously steep and rugged terrain – in smoldering heat and stifling humidity, just so that you can struggle to make do with your limited supply for the day until repeating the arduous process the morning after.

    Sound rough? Now imagine having to live in a similar situation of impeded water access and poverty…but to also face the threat of torture and possible death if another villager catches you using the local tap (a likely scenario, given that such taps often provide hydration for the inhabitants of entire communities), because your touching the pump will purportedly “contaminate” the full water supply. This truly outrageous manifestation of injustice is endured throughout Nepal on a daily basis, by Dalits merely seeking to fulfill the most basic human need of obtaining water. In fact, Dalits are violently persecuted for water-related events even if they don’t touch the pump at all. JMC’s 2008 human rights monitoring report cited several cases in which Dalits were beaten on the charge that their pigs had touched public water taps used by the higher castes, and so contaminated the water supply.

    

    A community water pump in Kathmandu. Credit: Morten Svenningsen

    So, what can be done? Much ink has been spilled and bandwidth consumed with myriad suggestions for improving Nepal’s water situation. Millions of dollars have been spent attempting to purify the once-famed Bagmati River that used to be Kathmandu City’s centerpiece. The “too many cooks in the kitchen” argument comes up from time to time, suggesting that a superfluity of unsolicited assistance coming from outside parties has ultimately fragmented sanitation efforts and further complicated matters. The importance of indigenous self-determination in the extremely controversial and contentious realm of “development” is palpable throughout Nepal, and rightly so. As aptly articulated by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Gehlek Rinpoche: “If aid comes with strings attached, the recipient becomes a puppet who has to dance according to the pull of the puppeteers.”

    At the center of the self-determination issue, however, is the importance of Dalit participation in all aspects of Nepali affairs. It’s possible that one of the primary reasons why nationwide water-related issues persist is that the populations most adversely affected – i.e., Dalits and other oppressed groups – have not been given an adequate say in addressing said issues. How will it be possible for Nepal to resolve its festering social and political dilemmas without the full participation of all affected individuals? The JMC has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in this crucial debate, pushing for the increased involvement of Dalits in all aspects of the political transition and peace process – particularly the drafting of the New Nepal’s constitution.

    The pressing issues of health, water, sanitation and the like highlight the importance of the democratic participation of ALL societal groups, especially at such a pivotal time in the country’s history. The recent pro-Dalit budget initiatives announced by the Finance Minister (including free education for Dalit children up to the secondary level, benefits for inter-caste married couples, and more) are an excellent start to improving Dalits’ social, economic, and political inclusion. However, strong implementation measures must be enacted to ensure that Dalits are enjoying the fundamental human rights to which they are entitled, as well as their full involvement in the administration of vital social services and public goods.

    Now that these concerns are finally being debated on a public scale, new windows of opportunity are opening – and it is becoming ever more irrefutable that a cleaner, safer, better Nepal for Dalits will translate into a better Nepal for all.

88. Paani (Water): A Necessity, Privilege, and Threat [Part 1]

    5:36 am 2 Comments

    “Paani paryo, paani paryo (the rain, the rain)!” the pint-sized, light blue uniform-clad schoolboy beside me on the sidewalk giggled. The busy morning streets, predictably filled with people rushing off to school and work, were also filled with evidence that the monsoon season had arrived in full force: a river of opaque mahogany water – teeming with various floating adornments including food remnants, a kaleidoscopic dung rainbow comprising browns of assorted tints (from greenish to goldish to orangey), pieces of household trash and other debris – had flooded the alleyways and formed an encircling blanket that nearly came up to our knees.

    

    Flooded Kathmandu streets.

    Women lifted their saris up to their thighs and comfortably waded through, schoolchildren jumped and played in the water, and elderly Nepalis with canes bravely trekked along. All of a sudden, widespread laughter erupted among all of us – and not the superficially-friendly chuckles that sometimes arise between strangers due to an unusual random sight – but REAL, side-splitting, wholehearted belly laughter. The contagious fit of hysteria and sheer silliness that engulfed everyone on the streets that morning was, in retrospect, an incredibly surreal memory; it was one of those moments in which the improbable quality of a large number of complete strangers connecting in a single moment leaves the participant spellbound. It was also arguably the most fun I’ve ever had while walking to work.

    When I finally arrived at the JMC office – completely soaked and absolutely filthy! – my cheeks still ached from all the laughing. The Western inculcation of antiseptic, germ-phobic paranoia that characterizes an American upbringing had not managed to seep into my consciousness in the midst of the morning commute-turned-swim. However, it was an eerie coincidence to then receive a Google Alert article detailing how the source of all that laughter had also proven to become a source of devastation among many in Nepal, manifesting in disturbingly high incidences of waterborne diseases (including fatal outbreaks of cholera and diarrhea), destruction of homes due to flooding, and widespread displacement that the monsoon season brings.

    I’m generally not a fan of listing more than a handful of statistics at a time to illustrate a point, but I felt compelled to share the following in order to exemplify just how dire Nepal’s water/sanitation situation is:

    * More than 2/3 of all people in Nepal don’t have access to a toilet (source: UNDP).

    * 80% of diseases among Nepalis are contracted due to poor sanitation and unsafe water sources (News from Nepal).

    * One third of all people in Nepal live in slum dwellings, and an additional 18,000+ people live in informal, illegal squatter settlements without any land rights (sdinet.org).

    * While 40% of children in Nepal suffer from malnutrition and its related diseases, waterborne diseases alone kill one out of 10 children under five every year (sdinet.org).

    * Despite the rampant water-related health problems, only about 15% of Nepalis have access to adequate healthcare services (UNDP).

    

    Riverside slum area, Kathmandu. Credit: Travelblog.org

    

    Kathmandu riverbank area.

    As alarming as these figures are, however, it is important to note that Dalits face a far crueler version of the water and sanitation predicament. Out of all socially stratified groups in Nepal, Dalits are by far the most marginalized due to the age-old practice of untouchability; as such, they are condemned to suffer disproportionately in terms of mortality rates, landlessness, displacement, extreme poverty, and diseases. Due to discrimination in the community and a lack of land rights, Dalits are often forced to build their homes in the most squalid and hazardous areas, and tend to be the primary inhabitants of riverside slums. According to sdinet.org, the polluted riverside areas where Nepal’s poorest residents take shelter are typically the sites of profuse dumping of solid waste by the municipalities. Additionally, when severe rainstorms strike Nepal, riverside slum areas are most adversely affected in the event of flooding, consequent displacement, and heightened exposure to toxins.

    [continue to Part 2]

89. Law and Order: Domestic Violence, Part II

    July 22, 2009 10:46 pm 22 Comments

    My last blog talks a little about the domestic violence law that recently passed in Nepal. Since writing that post, I have obtained a copy of the law in English. Here are the main points:

    1. – The term domestic violence encompasses more than physical abuse. The law defines it as physical, mental, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse in any familial relationship.

    1. – The law does not only apply to violence against women. Abusive acts directed towards any person who does, or at some point has, lived under the same roof as the perpetrator and is related in some way can be punished under the law. In my last post, I mentioned that a woman must prove her marriage in order to file a claim. I will look further into whether this was prior to the new law or if this is a loophole that still exists.

    1. – The court has the power to offer protection, if needed, to a victim during the investigation of a complaint. It can also mandate that compensation is provided, or basic needs are met, during the trial.

    1. – Attempting to commit an act of domestic violence or inciting someone else to commit one can also be punished under the law.

    1. – Repeat offenders are subject to double the punishment the second time they commit an offense.

    1. – Public officials are subject to ten percent longer punishments.

    1. – The statute of limitation is 90 days after the crime.

    On one hand, I find the law to be very strict and for good reason. A 2008 study by Saathi found that 93 percent of women in Nepal are exposed to mental and emotional torture, 82 percent are beaten, 30 percent are raped, and 28 percent are forced into prostitution**. These numbers clearly show a strong domestic violence law-one that takes into account more than just physical abuse-is needed.

    Domestic abuse takes many forms. Depriving a woman of economic opportunities, for example, can lead to situations that foster domestic violence. Countless women in Nepal were displaced during the conflict; many of them, lacking sufficient job skills, have turned to sex work. It is important that the law takes into consideration contributing factors.

    On the other hand, I find the law too wide-ranging to be effective. Any family relationship and almost any form of mistreatment can be prosecuted. Just attempting to commit an act defined as domestic violence or provoking someone else to do so is punishable. The law also does not reference specific types of physical violence or establish appropriate penalties. For example, there is no mention of weapons. Theoretically, a perpetrator could receive the same sentence for verbally abusing his wife as he could for shooting her.

    I am curious to see how claims filed under this law will play out in court.

    What are your thoughts on the first domestic violence law in Nepal? How do you feel about some of the more interesting provisions, such as mandating a ten percent longer punishment for public servants? Please share your comments below.

    **Gender Action for Peace and Security (2009). Global monitoring checklist of women, peace, and security. Available at http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/1325/GAPS_MonitoringChecklist.pdf

90. A Mosaic of Stimuli

    July 16, 2009 3:39 am 5 Comments

    It is not humanly possible to describe Kathmandu succinctly if one strives for accuracy. It is a city bursting with frenetic energy, vibrant colors, rich cultural history, devoted spirituality, and people of striking beauty. It is also a place of abject poverty, political tumult, and great uncertainty. I created this vlog with the intention of providing a video collage of many of the sights I encounter on a daily basis; it is meant to show only bits and pieces of a complex mosaic of fascinating characteristics (i.e., it is NOT an exhaustive description by any means!).

    Notice the elegance and grace with which the Nepalese carry themselves. Smile at the unusual sight of a baby monkey nonchalantly riding on its mother’s back in the middle of a crowded sidewalk. Absorb the plight of a malnourished child living on the streets. Feel the beeping horn of a maniacal taxi driver reverberate through your ears.

    Tapailai Kathmandu Ma Swagat Chha (welcome to Kathmandu)!

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU284JhqAQM

    I also made the following video of a rickshaw ride, just for fun:

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YObagmaFvUc

91. “Women In Nepal Face Discrimination From the Womb”

    July 10, 2009 12:08 am 4 Comments

    Last Monday, I had the opportunity to meet with Uma Bhandari, the president of Ruwon Nepal. Ruwon, also known as the Rural Women’s Network Nepal, is an organization based out of Chabahil that focuses on gender equality and women empowerment through education.

    Unfortunately, Uma was not feeling well so I was unable to take video footage of my interview with her. She is resting at the doctor’s recommendation, so I met with her in her home. During our discussion, she shared with me her thoughts on gender discrimination in Nepal and Ruwon’s approach to fighting it.

    “Women in Nepal face discrimination from the womb,” Uma told me. Since Nepal is a patriarchal society, the birth of a son is valued at more than that of a daughter. This is due, in part, to religious beliefs that only a son can help give salvation to his ancestors. In Hinduism, it is traditionally believed that only sons or elder grandsons can perform shraddha, or funeral rites that pay homage to the dead. Even though some villages closer to the city now allow women to perform funeral rites, Uma said that traditional beliefs lead some families to abort a pregnancy for this reason if they discover that it is a girl.

    In more rural areas, which make up the majority of Nepal’s population, this type of discrimination may persist throughout a woman’s lifetime. Traditionally, a woman belongs in the home, taking care of the children and household chores. Her property is her husband’s. In fact, until recently inheritance laws only allowed sons in the family to inherit property. In the event there are no sons, property is inherited to the men in the husband’s family.

    Husbands have traditionally been given multiple provisions in the law to divorce their wives or remarry additional women. The primary reasons include if his wife did not give birth to any children in the first eight years of a marriage, if she did not bear him any sons, or if she displayed “misdemeanor characteristics.” Divorce for women was allowed under only one provision: after her husband’s death.

    Uma told me that these laws have since been changed. Legally, men are not allowed to have multiple wives or divorce for these reasons. However, as seems to be common in Nepal, there is little enforcement and many rural areas continue to practice traditional norms without regard to the law.

    It is very difficult to change gender roles, particularly those that are grounded in traditions and beliefs. Ruwon Nepal focuses on educating women and promoting awareness of these issues as a way to what Uma calls “culture refinement.” She believes that Nepali culture thinks of a woman’s social self, a term she uses to describe a woman’s role in the community, and does not focus enough on her as an individual person.

    This is part of the problem in raising awareness of domestic violence. According to Ruwon, one in three women in Nepal are victims of domestic violence. Many women, Uma said, are aware that they are being mistreated and try to get help, often from her own or her husband’s family. Instead of being told to think about herself and her own needs, she is often told to think about how leaving a marriage or exposing her husband’s behavior will affect her family and her community. In this way, she is urged to put her social self and the sustainability of her family before her individual self, and tolerate violence because of a social stigma attached to divorce.

    “Human rights are individual issues,” Uma said, adding that through education, “a girl child can become an individual.” Originally from a rural village outside of Kathmandu that still has no electricity or water, Uma is the only woman in her village not currently doing traditional housework. She completed her master’s degree in education and is currently pursuing a doctorate at Tribhuvan University. Her research on gender, identity, and education has been published widely and her master’s thesis, titled Beyond Patriarchy, is set to be published in the next year.

    “When we read, we become clearly aware,” she said, “and intolerant of these issues.” Her husband, who was present during our discussion, told me not a day goes by that she doesn’t talk about how something is gender biased in Nepal.

    A professor in the journalism department at Tribhuvan University, her husband said that he was unaware of women’s issues until he married Uma. Interestingly enough, their marriage was arranged by one of her brothers. Since their marriage, he has learned more about women’s rights in Nepal, currently serves on Ruwon’s advisory board, and tries to include some of his wife’s experiences in the field in his classroom discussions. Sometimes, he finds himself pointing out gender bias to others.

    Uma joined Ruwon Nepal three years ago, after meeting Dhruba Prasad Ghimire through a mutual professor. Dhruba, who I met at the bicycle rally launching the “Disarm Domestic Violence” campaign, founded the organization in Sinhuli, a rural area in Nepal. He was the one kind enough to set up a meeting between Uma and me.

    The organization is optimistic about change for women in Nepal, citing the increase in women in parliament. However, Uma says NGOs are still facing a lot of work given the current political situation.

    Now that everything has “sprouted up so fast, everyone wants something,” she said.

92. A Chat with Rem

    July 7, 2009 4:08 am Leave a Comment

    Video Description: The Jagaran Media Center, based in Kathmandu, Nepal, works to eliminate caste discrimination through the use of media as a social advocacy tool. The JMC was established by journalists from the Dalit community, or those considered to be “untouchables” within the caste system. In this brief interview, JMC president Rem Biswokarma talks about the organization’s activities and goals, as well as what drew him personally to work on Dalit issues.

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UebAmDVUZjI

93. My [Slightly Late] Introductory Video

    4:07 am 1 Comment

    A new requirement of this year’s Peace Fellowship is the production of several vlogs, or video blogs. For our first vlog, we were asked to provide a short personal statement-type video of ourselves introducing the work that we’ll be doing, as well as our hopes for the summer.

    Due to a plethora of technical difficulties, I’m now posting my “introductory” video five blogs later. My apologies! The incongruity of my timing is rivaled only by the painful awkwardness of having to watch myself on video. (You know the wince-inducing discomfort that commonly results from listening to a recording of your own voice? Video has the notable ability to take such clumsiness to the tenth power.)

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HXJTWU8

94. Gun Laws and Domestic Violence: What’s the Connection?

    June 24, 2009 2:17 am 8 Comments

    It should come as no surprise that women are disproportionately affected by domestic violence. Even less surprising, they are often the victims when domestic abuse escalates to death.

    In fact, women are three times more likely to die violently due to one factor alone: if a gun is present in the house. In many cases, the crime is committed by a spouse or partner-someone with a prior history of domestic abuse. Gun control laws and domestic violence laws are rarely harmonized, creating a loophole that allows people with a history of domestic abuse to purchase firearms or maintain licenses for those that they already own.

    Preventing situations like this, and increasing awareness of this issue, are the main goals of IANSA’s “Disarming Domestic Violence” campaign, which I will be working on for the remainder of the summer.

    

    In the first international campaign of its kind, IANSA and 85 partner organizations around the world, including SAP-Nepal, are making the connection between gun control and domestic violence. Out of nearly 900 million small arms in the world today, more than 75 percent are in the hands of private individuals-most of them men-putting women in these households at a significant risk.

    Last Friday was the launch date for the campaign here in Nepal. SAP-Nepal, collaborating with SASA Net Nepal and Yatra, organized a bicycle rally to launch the campaign. More than 61 people (including myself!) participated in the rally, biking between four major political party offices and delivering a memorandum of policy suggestions to top party officials.

    

    The party representatives who took the memorandum with appreciation and signed a commitment to “disarm domestic violence” included: Mr. Narayan Prasad Daha, Central Committee Member and CA Member of the UCPN-Maoist party; Mr. Nanda Kishore Yadav, Office Secretary of the Madhesee Youth Forum – Nepal (MJF); Mr. Ram Krishna Tamrakar, former minister and Center Committee Member of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) party; and Mr. Ishwore Pokhrel, former minister and General Secretary of Nepali Congress (NC).

    They agreed to bring up the issue, and the policy suggestions, at a future legislative meeting.

    

    Supporters present policy recommendations to a Maoist party official

    

    Mr. Ram Krishna Tamrakar, former minister and Center Committee Member of the Unified Marxist Leninist party signs the commitment to "disarm domestic violence"

    More photos from the event can be viewed here. Also, look forward some of my video footage in the coming week!

    

    

    

95. Broken Windows and Burning Tires: Just Another Bandh

    June 17, 2009 10:03 am 6 Comments

    In Nepal, a typical work week is six days to make up for time that may be lost due to an unexpected bandh. A common form of political protest in South Asia, bandhs are becoming somewhat ordinary in Nepal, often causing major cities like Kathmandu to reach a complete standstill.

    

    A street in Kathmandu during the bandh

    

    Credit: Xinhua/Reuters Photo

    During a bandh, no one is expected to open shop, including schools, or drive on main roads. Attempt to break the bandh, and you risk having rocks thrown at your windows, tires burned, and your car set on fire. As a result, streets are nearly deserted except for demonstrations and a small number of people on foot. Main roads, normally filled with the sounds of beeping motorbikes, are almost silent.

    

    Credit: Xinhua/Reuters Photo

    I know this, of course, because the Maoists declared one Monday.

    Members of the Young Communist League (YCL) and other Maoist organizations ordered an all-day bandh after learning a local Maoist leader had been killed. Rumors circulating Kathmandu suggest that Youth Force, the younger wing of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) party may be responsible. The police, people are saying, may have helped cover up details.

    This came after an uprising Sunday night between Maoist supporters and Nepalese police. While searching for a taxi that night, the AP fellows and I caught a glimpse of police in the street with large shields protecting them. Peering to get a better look, a man on the street told us there was a fight. We later learned it was a riot.

    I didn’t hear about the bandh until the next morning, just 15 minutes before I was supposed to have my first day at the South Asia Partnership. Shobha, my contact there, wouldn’t be able to pick me up, so I would be starting on Tuesday.

    I wanted to see what was going on. The caretaker of our guesthouse said it was safe to walk, especially for tourists. For some reason, the bandha doesn’t apply to tourists. It only applies to Nepali people, including those on bikes. Yesterday, demonstrators burned the bicycle of a doctor attempting to get to the hospital.

    Meera, Jess and I went into the city on foot. There was an eerie quiet on the streets. More people were out than I expected but it wasn’t as lively as I remembered from the day before. I barely recognized Thamel, a popular tourist neighborhood, because it was so deserted. Most of the shops, including hotels, had metal shutters pulled down to protect their windows. It reminded me of parts of DC.

    On the way to Thamel, we saw Maoist supporters carrying red hammer and sickle flags. One man carried a large one that he put on display in the center of a major intersection. A woman being transported in a rickshaw was carrying five. In both instances, I wish I had taken a photo, but was nervous since we seemed to be the only tourists out. I wasn’t sure how demonstrators would react, but I later learned that photography is fine. Next time, I’ll have some of my own photos to show you. And since I’ll be here more than two months, there will be a next time.

    

    Credit: The Himalayan Times

    The current political situation in Nepal is very complicated. I must admit, the more I learn about it, the more confused I am. People that I have spoken with in Kathmandu are frustrated. Every party has promised change but the government is so corrupt that when a new party takes power, nothing happens. Money that could be going towards development programs, they say, is often spent providing a “life of luxury” for its leaders. Children are frequently kidnapped from schools as a political tactic. Strong leadership is lacking and a political career is equated with being a criminal, so few people are willing to step up.

    Earlier this year, Maoists threatened a ten-day bandh. This would have been incredibly destructive to Nepal’s economy, particularly for those individuals who rely on a day to day income. Fortunately, it only lasted a day. In times like this, it is hard to see what the future holds for the people of Nepal.

    

    A cute monkey I saw while exploring Kathmandu during the bandh.

96. A new day dawns. At dawn.

    June 14, 2009 12:08 pm Leave a Comment

    3:00 a.m., and I was finally drifting toward sleep. I was psyched at the thought of being able to sleep in, considering that I’d gotten around two hours of sleep per night over the past three or four days. What a risible idea that turned out to be. I’d heard before that the Nepali people as a whole begin the day essentially when the roosters crow, but I was certainly not expecting what would follow.

    5:00 a.m. rolls around and I hear what sounds like some combination of a huge marching band and a lynch mob making its way down the street. Men and women are fervidly belting out verses with the cheery enthusiasm of holiday church carolers, and as the crowd inches closer to our guesthouse, I hear various “instruments” that sound like large metal culinary tools clanging against even larger pots and pans. The crowd stops moving and the clanging grows louder and faster, as the rhythmic chants ripen into spirited shrieks. At this point I’m getting rather excited myself – I’m dying to go outside and see what all the commotion is about. Equal parts curious and confused, I climb out of bed and fumble for my glasses – and realize that the ear-shattering racket is…fading!

    Nooooooooo, don’t leave yet! I silently plead with the singers (chanters?). By the time I find my shoes, it’s already too late – the music, shrieking, and banging are out of earshot. I very reluctantly restrain myself from running down the street in my pajamas like a madwoman to chase this band-of-sorts (though the thought continues to creep up).

    I sigh, defeated, and ease back into bed. Though I’m mad at myself for being too slow to find out whether the ceremonious marching/racket was as much fun to see as it was to hear, I welcome the opportunity to fall back asleep for a little while longer. Just as I’m getting comfortable again, the noise vacuum is filled by dogs – lots and LOTS of dogs – howling, barking, and yelping excitedly, all the while rivaling the marching band (I’m using the term loosely at this point) in loudness and pitch. My heart sinks; I know they’re all strays, and probably all starving. I feel yet another urge to run out of the guesthouse in my pajamas to tend to these guys. It’s a good thing there were no doggie biscuits anywhere, because I probably wouldn’t have been able to stop myself otherwise.

    

    Twenty minutes pass, and the vendors come out. The dogs have been bellowing their turgid, redundant song this entire time, and are loathe to give up the spotlight for the a.m. merchants. The street has now morphed into a stage for a yelling competition between the humans and the canines – and it’s a damn close match. The dogs eventually admit defeat, though, as more and more human voices fill the air. I wonder what they are shouting about so intently and trying to sell at six in the morning; the metal gate separating the guesthouse from the street has rendered all of these sounds a mystery (and as such, all the more interesting).

    It’s a lively and musical morning in Kathmandu, and it’s far too sunny and intriguing outside to stay in bed any longer. My first day in Nepal awaits me, and I can’t wait to take it all in. Delirious from a week of sleep deprivation, I rise with a big smile on my face.

97. First Encounters

    7:03 am 7 Comments

    Namaste.

    This word, derived from Sanskrit and used to express the greatest form of respect, is the most common greeting in Nepal. It translates to something similar to, “I bow to the divine in you.”

    It is the only Nepali phrase that, as of now, I know by heart.

    Armed with my Nepali pocket dictionary, I expected to be more than confused when I got off the plane. Surprisingly, it seemed everyone in the airport spoke English. Taxi drivers called to me from the sidewalk, “Hotel? Where are you going?”

    Two young men, close to my age, approached me.

    “Do you need a ride?”

    No, I politely informed them, my friends would be picking me up. Truthfully, I wasn’t all that clear on the plans. Through email in Doha, another Advocacy Project fellow had offered to meet me at the airport so that we could take a taxi together. Meera, who is working with the Center for Eco-Agriculture Development in Nepal this summer, has been in Kathmandu for the past two weeks. Her first experience with a taxi cab driver was interesting. So instead of me trying to negotiate a price alone, she and another AP fellow were to meet me when my flight landed.

    I didn’t have a contact number for either of them and I wasn’t really sure where we were planning to stay. But I had an idea. At any rate, I knew I would be able to recognize them. I had never met Meera before, but Jess and I met at the AP training in May. Jess had arrived last night and will be working this summer with the Jagaran Media Center.

    So, when my flight landed in Kathmandu, I was expecting to easily recognize, at the very least, her long, blonde hair.

    I didn’t. I peered through the swarms of people hanging out at the arrival gate. Some of these people were greeting passengers. Most of them were not. Young and old Nepali men were everywhere. It was loud, it was chaotic, and everyone wanted to offer me a ride to a much better priced hotel. After waiting ten minutes, I sat down on a bench outside.

    “Are your friends Nepali or foreigner?” asked one of the young men, who told me his name was Romeo (“You know, like Romeo and Juliet?” he said. I didn’t believe him.)

    “Foreigner.” This led to a long discussion between him, his friend, and me. They asked me about where I was from, what I was studying, if I was married already, and told me how much they liked our president, Barack Obama.

    Romeo offered to buy me a cup of coffee. I said no.

    “I’ll pay.”

    “Now why would you do that?”

    “Because,” he told me. “We’re friends now.”

    I still said no. He asked again. And again. And after a few times, I said, “It’s okay, really.” Apparently, he only heard the okay. He sprung up and ran into the airport, emerging a few minutes later with a coffee. By this time, it was 6pm. I had been waiting for an hour.

    “I don’t think your friends are coming. You should just go to a different hotel.”

    They’re coming. At least, I think so. I was determined to wait a little longer. Around 6:35pm, I saw Jess and Meera walking through the parking lot. Romeo’s friend ran to greet them.

    “Are you waiting on Isha?”

    We all walked to the car like one big group of friends. Jess and Meera were in the front guiding the pack, me in the middle, and Romeo and his friend in the back. When we got in the cab, Romeo asked for money.

    “But I bought you a coffee.” I groaned. I should have seen this coming. I didn’t have any Nepali rupees on me, so Jess and Meera covered it. They gave him twenty rupees. A little less than fifty cents.

    Just like that, I remembered what it was like to be in a foreign country. Fortunately, I was able to share the cab ride with others. On the way to our guesthouse, they told me stories about why they were late, attempting to meet each other at the local “MC Donell’s” (of no relation to McDonald’s), and of the apparently popular “milk scam” Jess fell victim to. I am sure it will make it on her blog in the future. On the drive, I suspected that we would have many more interesting stories by the end of summer.

98. Time Travel Through the Middle East

    June 13, 2009 8:15 am 1 Comment

    In the last 31 hours, I have managed to step foot in three very different countries and time travel through the past three days: I left Washington, D.C. on June 11th. Sitting in a guesthouse in Kathmandu, it is now June 13th.

    I spent last night in Doha, Qatar. Flying with Qatar Airways proved to be not only the least expensive choice, but also the most luxurious. Since my layover was so long between flights-15 hours overnight-they generously provided me with, for no additional cost, a room at The Grand Regency in Doha, dinner and breakfast, and transportation to and from the airport. I welcomed the long layover prior to departure, hoping that I would get to see a bit of Doha. Before leaving I read about beautiful white sandy beaches, the easiness for English speakers, and a city that had virtually no crime at all. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived at the hotel it was already dark. Though I had hoped to get a glimpse of more of the city than a 15 minute bus ride would afford me, I knew it was unwise to venture out at night in a foreign city, even if it was supposed to be safe. The final destination was not Qatar, but Nepal, and it would be wise to arrive in one piece.

    

    My first view of Qatar from the plane.

    The little bit of Doha that I did see was beautiful. It was much easier this morning, while it was light, to see the ornate Islamic architecture, the broad palm trees soaking up the desert heat, the fluidity of Arabic script juxtaposed with the English translation. Since yesterday, I decided to spend what time I did have in Qatar practicing my Arabic. It has been nearly a year since my last class and although I didn’t know the meaning of any of the words, I was thankful that I could still silently pronounce each word in my head.

    The airport was vastly multicultural. I expected mostly Arabs, but was pleasantly surprised to see many South and East Asians, Europeans, and Africans. I watched the Arab men walk-glide, almost-in their thobe, a long white robe that drapes down to their ankles. On their head, they wore a ghutra,  a folded piece of cloth in either white or red and white checkered print. From the back, long black ropes with tassels at the end dangled near their waist. Most women wore headscarves, but others had their long dark hair uncovered or tied loosely in a bun. A few women wore even more conservative clothing, including an abaya and a burqa.

    I wish I had more time in Qatar. I have never been to the Middle East before, but I have always been intrigued by the beautiful, rich culture that exists in Arabic countries. I promised myself to stay a few days, the next time I ended up on this side of the world. Apparently this is enough time to see Doha, a city that is still fairly new.

    Before I left, I caught a glimpse of a street sign that made me laugh. It was a pedestrian sign to signal that people walking had the right of way, similar to in the U.S. Only instead of the black silhouette of a stick figure that I am used to, this silhouette was a man’s shape, draped in a traditional thobe. Since I had been told not to take pictures near or at the airport, I decided it was in my best interest to capture this image by memory. Hopefully, on the trip back I will be able to steal a photo so you can see how interesting this was.  For now, the small picture that I found online should do.

    

    A Qatari street sign, signaling pedestrians.

99. Namaste, KTM.

    3:26 am Leave a Comment

    No, we’re not concluding a yoga class.

    I’ve just arrived in Kathmandu, and the sky is quite generous with late-night rainfall. In the car with Prakash from the JMC and Asbin – a former JMC worker and current caretaker of Casa Dei Guesthouse – we are en route to said guesthouse in Lalitpur. “Namaste”, the Nepali word for hello, is the only word I’ve managed to NOT completely mangle during the enjoyable impromptu language lesson that’s begun during the ride.

    The ice has broken quickly, and we’re all sharing a great deal of laughter. There are two main sources of our giggling: the spine-shattering bumps in the narrow urban streets, and my pitiful attempts at pronouncing various Nepali phrases (the more I repeat them, the more ridiculous I sound). Our lungs fill with syrupy, dank smog with each guffaw, but the awkward cough-laugh that results only makes things more humorous. It’s not all fun and games, though.

    It’s nearly midnight, but the streets are far from empty; zoo-like gangs of mangy dogs wander freely, and baton-wielding policemen stand watchfully. Prakash explains that after the recent resignation and replacement (via political appointment rather than popular election) of the Nepali prime minister, the already pervasive demonstrations in the country have become even more frequent. In fact, it will be quite odd if I don’t see lots of protesters out tomorrow. But wait, he explains, they prefer not to be referred to as “protesters”.

    The demonstrators self-identify as the people’s true representatives, because Nepal’s politicians are generally accepted to be out to serve themselves. “Democracy” here is a far cry from what we know it to be in the U.S. (though such a statement can’t be fairly made without acknowledging the issues, obstacles, gross missteps and mishaps that occur in our own system as well); the options of meeting with representatives and/or contacting them via phone calls/emails/letters are simply nonexistent. As it stands, there is essentially one way in which the people feel they can communicate with their government: upend public order and stage mass demonstrations/strikes, causing destruction and violence if necessary.

    We reach the guesthouse and continue our conversation over a dinner of pizza-flavored Pringles and Mountain Dew. Asbin points to the unlit candles on the table and notes his surprise that we’ve made it this far without having to reach for a match, as only four hours of electricity per day is the norm in Kathmandu. The new citywide power schedule, posted on the refrigerator, promises that daily power outages will now be limited to 90 minutes total each day. Perhaps owing to the new prime minister, the promise has held true thus far – but there is little faith in the longevity and sustainability of such a change in a simple public good like electricity. In fact, most people believe that the abrupt shift in leadership won’t change anything at all in the long run. Elected officials rarely do.

    I try to thank my hosts for their generosity and hospitality in Nepali, but like the democratic reforms in this country, my efforts fall short.

100. Disorientation…is most enjoyable!

     May 31, 2009 10:02 am 1 Comment

     As I read through the profiles and bios of the people I will soon be working alongside in Nepal, a surreal sense of admiration overwhelms me. As a student and advocate of human rights, I have a tendency to gravitate toward reading and watching material that showcases horrendous atrocities, civil strife, and the like; as such, I’m frequently baffled at the truly monstrous way in which some human beings inflict suffering on others. However, I live for the moments that shift that bafflement in the opposite direction – moments that leave me in awe at the level of strength and resilience that humans are capable of displaying, despite the most unimaginable circumstances of adversity. This is one of those moments.

     The Dalit journalists with whom I’ll be working at the JMC have been through hell and back. Here’s just one example: a former teacher was brutally attacked – and nearly killed – merely for being a Dalit in an important professional role. After this terrifying experience, he decided to become a journalist and work to fight human rights abuses within the caste system, despite the risky and highly taxing nature of the work. In addition to suffering from economic marginalization and physical/violent abuses, Dalits are subjected to an acute level of humiliation, insult, and general dehumanization. Being forced to live a life of shame – when their only crime committed is being born into the wrong caste – is what I’d imagine to be the hardest aspect for outsiders to empathize with.

     Discrimination, which can seem to be a universal human value in itself, has an unfortunately ubiquitous quality in the world (albeit with nuances in form and degree), but it is rare to find circumstances as extreme as Nepal’s in this day and age. This deeply entrenched oppression within the caste system has persisted for more than 800 years, yet Dalits continue to put up an unrelenting fight in the form of civil society activity. Given these onerous circumstances, my respect and awe of the tenacity in these individuals is inexplicable. I can only imagine how this distant admiration will solidify when I have the privilege of witnessing the JMC journalists’ courage and strength translate into action.

     This trip will be my fourth major visit to a developing country, and my third to an area affected by armed conflict. By now I’ve learned to stop myself from having any expectations, or even a modicum of confidence in anticipating how life in the country will be – regardless of how much pre-departure preparation and frantic studying I do. One thing I am certain of, though, is the sensory upheaval (Kathmandu is notorious for its “sensory overload” factor) that will come in the form of new sounds, smells, tastes, sights, and in this case air pressure – as well as the brand-new perceptions, emotions, and reflections that I know the experience will bring.

     I’m finding that the standard sense of feeling lost, small, insignificant, and generally awkward in a spanking-new location is growing on me. While I previously regarded this requisite initiation process as equal parts daunting and exciting, I now find that the latter outweighs the former by a long shot. The uniquely sobering and humbling effects that only fieldwork can yield have become oddly addicting – and I can’t wait to be thrown into the disorienting microcosm of this mysterious little country.

     

101. Tikkun Olam

     May 29, 2009 7:06 am 1 Comment

     I was recently introduced to a Hebrew phrase that explains, in the most concise way, why I am drawn to social justice.

     “Tikkun Olam.” More or less, the world is in great need of repair.

     It is perhaps this challenge that interests me: we live in a world that has more problems than we will ever have solutions. For every moment of triumph, we encounter a new and increasingly more complex issue. But I find it takes more than a good challenge to travel halfway around the world to a nation recently divided by civil war. It takes a desire to truly comprehend real suffering-an attempt to witness firsthand the sorest of shoes-to understand that civil and human rights as I know them are not universal.

     We, as human beings, have a social responsibility to help.

     Two weeks from today I will be on a flight to Kathmandu, Nepal in an effort to understand the relationship between women’s rights, domestic violence, and international security. I will be working for the South-Asia Partnership, a regional office affiliated with the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), on its “Disarming Domestic Violence” campaign. To be completely honest, I know very little about Nepal. What knowledge I do have consists of geographic landmarks, basic demographic information, and a barebones understanding of its recent history. Currently the youngest republic in the world, I will be traveling to a very unique place during an exceptionally important time.

     I have no idea what to expect. One thing I did not expect-and recently discovered-is that it will be monsoon season. But I am prepared to encounter far more surprises. I hope to merge this experience with others that I have had for a more comprehensive idea of global issues. I have never been to Nepal, but I have been to less developed countries. I am eager to explore a new place and provide an international context to domestic violence and gun control.

     I hope that you will share this journey with me over the next two and a half months by continuing to follow this blog. My next post will likely be from Doha, Qatar, during a 15 hour layover. In the meantime, please explore the websites of IANSA and the South-Asia Partnership to learn more about the organizations that I will be working with this summer.