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South Asia | Nepal | Culture

Why It’s So Hard To Stop Women From Sleeping In A Menstrual Shed

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Every year in Nepal, women die while sleeping in a shed outside their home because they are on their period. The cause of death is often smoke inhalation from lighting a fire to stay warm. The practice, called chaupadi, is linked to Hindu beliefs around religious purity and the idea that menstruation is spiritually polluting. In much of the country, this means that a woman who is menstruating will avoid temples, prayer rooms and kitchens — places important to keep pure in the Hindu religion. In parts of the remote west, an extreme version means nights sleeping outside in a hut or she
South Asia | Nepal | Politics

Nepal Parliament Elects Bidhya Devi Bhandari As First Female President

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Nepal’s parliament elected a 54-year-old women's rights activist as its first female president Wednesday, just weeks after the country established a new constitution in September. Bidhya Devi Bhandari was the country’s defense minister from 2009 to 2011 and is currently the vice-chair of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML), reports said. Bhandari said, according to local newspaper Kathmandu Post, that she would help effectively implement the new constitution. “I have been elected as the first female President as per the inclusive and proportional pri
South Asia | Nepal | Politics

Nepal elects first woman speaker in parliament

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Nepal’s parliament elected its first woman speaker on Friday, as the country continued forming its new government after the adoption of a landmark constitution last month. Maoist parliamentarian Onsari Gharti Magar was unanimously elected as the House speaker after her only competitor, Anuradha Thapa of Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party, withdrew her candidacy. “She has become the first woman speaker of Nepal, with the backing of all the parties,” spokesman for Nepal’s parliament secretariat Bharat Gautam, told AFP.
South Asia | Nepal | Entrepreneurship

Nepal: Boosting entrepreneurship among poor rural women

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Chitrakali Budhamagar began her career in 2003 collecting yarn made out of 'allo' (Himalayan nettle) and selling it in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. With the money she made selling yarn, she bought readymade garments to sell in her home village of Pyuthan, in the western part of the country. Born to a poor peasant family, Chitrakali had few other options. However, in 2005, opportunity knocked. She enrolled in a three-month skills development training programme supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other bilateral partners, and learned how to make a variety o
South Asia | Nepal | Activism

The former child soldier turned star athlete blazing a trail for women in Nepal

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Mira Rai is a low-profile type of national hero. When she walked through Nepal’s crowded international airport last week, no one made much of a fuss. On the streets of Kathmandu, the south Asian nation’s capital, more people notice the brightly coloured, brand new sports clothes than the slight 25-year-old who wears them. The anonymity may not last long. Eighteen months ago, Rai was just another young Nepalese from a desperately village who grew up never sure of two, let alone three meals in a day. Now the former Maoist child soldier is winning international races in one of the world’
South Asia | Nepal | Activism

Here’s how two girls from Nepal brought attention to the inequality facing women around the world

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Students Jharana and Sirjana were tired of gender inequality, so they made a plan. In their home country of Nepal, women are far less likely than men to be educated. While today's generation of girls is receiving at least a basic education (91% of girls attend primary school), they're still viewed as being "less than" men when it comes to looking for a career. To raise awareness of the inequality facing Nepalese women in education and career opportunities, they began recruiting classmates to participate in a 5k run for women's equality. 350 runners took part in the 5k, making it a run
South Asia | Nepal | Politics

Fears grow over Nepal’s ‘anti-women’ constitution

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Nepal's proposed new constitution has sparked fury from women who say their citizenship, property and other rights are being curtailed by the document designed to draw a line under centuries of inequality. Lawmakers tabled a draft in parliament in June shortly after bickering political parties struck an historic deal on the long-awaited charter, spurred to negotiation by an earthquake in March that killed more than 8,800 people. But a series of sometimes violent protests have since hit the impoverished, Himalayan nation, with activists saying the charter has failed to address a string of
South Asia | Nepal | Activism

Nepali women at the forefront of improving community water, sanitation services

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In Nepal, women and girls are the primary collectors, transporters and managers of the household water supply. Water sources in many areas are located far from their houses, and although the situation has improved over the last decade, women in remote rural areas must walk for 4-5 hours just to fetch water. Women are also responsible for family hygiene and sanitation in villages where houses often lack toilets and open defecation is practiced, making residents—and especially children—susceptible to water-borne and sanitation related diseases. Women’s exclusion from community resou
South Asia | Nepal | Leadership

Why women should lead Nepal’s recovery

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Those involved in the relief and recovery process have shown tremendous conviction to help Nepal rebuild. But Nepal’s deeply entrenched patriarchal and its unfair culture toward women will likely continue to complicate efforts to help the country recover. As a Nepalese citizen and co-founder of a company that is using open data to help with the recovery efforts, it’s clear that one way to minimize the potential damage would be to ensure women are leading the reconstruction process. While women leaders, such as Pushpa Basnet, are actively involved in the relief process, there aren’
South Asia | Nepal | Crimes

Nepal earthquake survivors get self-defence classes after sexual assaults

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Police in Nepal have started self-defence lessons for women and girls in camps for people displaced by massive earthquakes earlier this year after concerns about a number of sexual assaults and an increase in reports of sexual harassment.More than 8,700 people died in the two major quakes that hit Nepal on April 25 and May 12, destroying nearly half a million houses and leaving thousands camping out in the open. “While visiting different camps in Kathmandu, we realised the need for such training so that women can protect themselves,” said Tara Thapa, deputy superintendent of police in
South Asia | Nepal | Adventure

After The Seven Summits

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A group of Nepali women first defied the odds by summiting Mount Everest, then the tallest mountain on every other continent. Now they are up against their greatest challenge: rebuilding their country after two devastating earthquakes.
South Asia | Nepal | Activism

Nepalese women in refuge camps are battling cultural taboos around periods

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It was just over a month ago today that the first devastating Nepal earthquake hit, killing thousands and leaving ruin in its wake. Almost 9,000 people died and the survivors had their lives completely altered. Many have taken refuge from dangerous buildings in camps set up outside their villages, where they’re living in crowded makeshift tents. For Nepalese women this brings with it its own set of specific problems – particularly at a certain time of the month. Traditionally, in Nepal, when women have their periods, they sleep alone – not even in the same bed
South Asia | Nepal | Activism

Manisha Koirala to Help Displaced Women in Quake-Hit Nepal as UN Goodwill Ambassador

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Bollywood star and social activist Manisha Koirala has announced her support for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) as its Goodwill Ambassador for Nepal to work for pregnant women, new mothers and their infants, girls and young people displaced by the devastating earthquake of April 25. "I am truly happy to renew my partnership with UNFPA in my homeland at this crucial time," said Manisha in a statement, adding that UNFPA's life-saving interventions were needed more than ever. More than two million women of reproductive age are affected by the disaster. Many of them are at risk of unwanted p
South Asia | Nepal | Activism

Meet the amazing women rebuilding communities in Nepal

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Sarita Devi*, a 50-year-old widow in the Gorkha district of Nepal has taken on the task of clearing the rubble at the boarding school next door to where she lives. Her own house still stands after the earthquake, but the school was severely damaged. There are gaping holes in the walls so that as you stand outside you can read what’s written on the blackboards. There is no relief coming into this village yet - the first tranche is going only to 'severely affected' areas and Gorkha has been classified as 'moderately affected'. Devi has no official connection with the school but sh

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