Transforming the lives of young women
This is not a rags to riches story, but the struggle of a young girl whose life took a new turn thanks to exemplary work by a non-governmental organization
Anand Gurung
Sharmila Pandey (name changed), 21, from the impoverished Kailali district in Western Nepal never thought that she would end up doing a "man's job". About a year and half ago Sharmila, after not being able to pursue her studies further from standard 9 due to the poor financial conditions of her family, came to Kathmandu through a local NGO network for a training at Underprivileged Children's Education Programs (UCEP). Now fast forward to present, she can be seen repairing motorcycles in an auto workshop in the outskirts of Kathmandu. Yes, she is an auto mechanic and proudly says, "there's nothing a woman can't do if she has the will for it."
"Initially, I had come to UCEP for a tailoring course. But when the sir and madam here told me in detail abut the other courses offered here I wanted to opt for training in auto mechanic and motorcycle repair. After seeing my enthusiasm they encouraged me, and now you can see me tightening screws and bolts here at the workshop," Sharmila says gesticulating, her hand black with the motorcycle grease.
After finishing her course and soon after that 'on the job training', UCEP-Nepal, a Non-Government Organization (NGO) working for the betterment of disadvantaged children and youth of Nepal, found her and one of her friend a job at a workshop in Swayambhu. She now earns between Rs 2000 to Rs 3000, and which she says her employer has promised would be increased after seeing her performance. What's her future plan? "I want to gain as much knowledge and skill about motorcycle repair by working at the workshop, and after four or five years maybe if I am lucky and UCEP helps me a little, I may one day open my own workshop even," she hopes.
Sharmila is not the only girl who dares to dream now of a life of full of hope and possibilities, hundreds of girls like her have something to look forward to as they turn a new leaf in their life, thanks to the Young Women Gainful Employment Program run by UCEP-Nepal. The program, which started in 2003 aims to provide training to altogether 680 young women between the ages of 16 to 30 years by its termination in September 2007.
A part of a US government global initiative through USAID and the Asia Foundation for the gainful employment opportunities for young women at risk of trafficking and various forms of exploitation, the UCEP program hopes to give better life option to them through this program. Jointly run by UCEP-Nepal and Rugmark Foundation, it is the first residential program undertaken by them on a large scale.
Talking about the program, Sunil KC, program coordinator at UCEP-Nepal, said, "From July 2003, altogether 623 girls and young women between the ages of 16 to 30 years have completed training in 21 vocations at UCEP, and 485 of them have already been placed in jobs and reintegrated with their families. Currently, 98 more girls are undergoing training in 7 different vocations."
Apart from girls at risk of being trafficked and trafficking survivors, the new target groups this program has ascertained are victims of conflict and vulnerable girls who are either school dropouts or have never been to schools. These are also the basic criteria which UCEP considers before selecting the girls for the program.
After selecting the girls for the program, the girls go through four kinds of 'interventions'. First the selected girls go through orientation and counseling session so as to reduce their trauma and the feeling of despair and desperation caused by poverty, marginalization and conflict. Then after that they are given non-formal education and life skill lessons. In the third stage they are given technical and vocational training so that they can earn their own livelihood, and following which UCEP tries to place them in job.
During the whole training period which is anywhere between 4 to 6 months, the trainees are given food, shelter (this is a residential program), clothing, items of sanitation and personal hygiene and minor medical expenses also.
Now coming to the training part. In the first two years between July 2003 to 2005 (first phase) UCEP provided eight different trainings to the girls. But coming into the year 2007 (fourth phase) UCEP has started to provide trainings in 22 different vocations which includes automobile mechanic, driving, embroidery, bag-making, offset printing, draftsmanship, beautician and woodcraft.
The ethnic composition of the trainees also represents the true demographic situation of the country. During the 2005/06 training period, of the total girls accepted for the training 36 percent were from the Bahun/Chhetri community while 49 percent were from the indigenous community and the rest 15 percent from Dalit and other communities. Again, during the same period 33 percent of the girls selected for the training were illiterates while 69 percent of them were semi-literate to moderately educated (upto class 10). The ethnic composition and education level of the girl selected for the training have been fairly the same during other training periods also.
After the girls complete their training UCEP assists them to find jobs. But UCEP's responsibility doesn't end there, as it continues to give them after training support and follow up their progress in the jobs so as to make sure that the girls are well placed and comfortable in their jobs.
"As the girls move out from the hostel and take a different residence with their classmates we continue to monitor and supervise them normally for another 3 months period," said Sakuntala Rai, placement cum program officer at UCEP-Nepal, and added "our staffs goes on a regular visit of the training places, interacts with employers and give the girls career guidance and counseling even after they are placed into jobs so as to make sure they don't fall back into the situation where they had emerged from."
Sunil K.C tries to sum up the whole program like this, "The whole rationale of this programme is the social and economic empowerment of women in general. And we also believe that if a woman is trained and is able to earn her own livelihood and support her family, then it would have multiplier positive effect in the society and in the long run the country as a whole."
Should the duration of the program be extended further so that more girls and young women benefits from it? To which he says, "We are keeping our fingers crossed for it because this is actually a very good programme and we will be sorry to see it come to an end. Although a very expensive one, its benefit directly goes to the grass root level and people who really need it. We sincerely believe that this programme should be continued, and not only continued but even expanded to other parts of the country so that it can bring smile to the faces of more and more women in Nepal."
As the report was at its final stages for the perusal of the readers, Sharmila had another good news for us. Her 17-year-old younger sister had also just finished a tailoring course at UCEP and had just been placed in a job. Upon being asked what would have happened to them if UCEP hadn't happened in their life, Sharmila said in jest, "Like my other sister we would probably have been married off by our parents by now." nepalnews.com July 11 07
(The author can be reached at andygurung@yahoo.com )
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