Women in Nepal are subjected to strong sociocultural constraints that prevent them from educational opportunities, income earning, and decision-making. Discrimination, poverty, and abusive cultural practices can trap women in a circle of dependency and marginalization. Volunteer Initiative Nepal (VIN) does not ignore the existence of these barriers and has created several women’s empowerment projects to tackle them directly. Through education, financial support, entrepreneurship training, and trafficking prevention, VIN works toward creating a more equitable society where women can thrive.
The Need for Women’s Empowerment in Nepal
The reality of the situation for women in Nepal is grim. Women live in a state of mass illiteracy as well as in domestic violence and economic marginalization. Girls are also left unsupervised in rural and marginal communities in favor of domestic work over education. This lack of access to education, in turn, greatly restricts their chances in life. Additionally, women have little control over land, property, or income, and many experience violence or exploitation. Statistics show that 1 in 4 women are enrolled in higher education, and 9 in 10 Dalit women (the lowest caste in Nepal) are uneducated. Similarly, 8 in 10 women experience domestic violence, and only 3 in 10 seats in Nepal’s Parliament are reserved for women.
These statistics demonstrate the extreme need for programs that equip women with the education, life skills, and financial independence to break free from these constraints. VIN’s Women Empowerment programs are designed to solve challenges by empowering women through education, entrepreneurship, microcredit, and trafficking prevention in alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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Women’s Empowerment Programmes conducted by VIN
1. Women’s Education and Life Skills Program
A fundamental aspect of the VIN Women’s Empowerment Program is the Women’s Education and Life Skills Project. This project aims at equipping women with the skills they need in order to be self-reliant and resilient. Education is a key driver for change and VIN takes all reasonable steps to guarantee that women in disadvantaged groups are able to access quality education and life skills training for future socio-economic and civic involvement.
Current Situation:
In Nepal the gender education gap is high. Girls, in particular, living in rural areas lack the chance to go to school. Based on the latest data, only 1 in 4 women are pursuing higher education, and most Dalit women are illiterates. These challenges are further intensified by socio-cultural practices that value family chores over education for girls.
Project Goal:
The Women’s Education and Life Skills Project seeks to fill this gap by providing programs related to educational and life skills development. The training aims to equip women with knowledge about their rights, their health and hygiene, stress management techniques, leadership skills, and time management. By 2030, VIN aims to guide at least 80% of women in its target communities to acquire knowledge of their rights and gain relevant life skills.
One example of this initiative is the English and Nepali literacy classes held in communities like Kavresthali and Devishtan. In these communities, VIN volunteers, including international and local educators, have helped women of varying ages and educational backgrounds build basic literacy skills. From learning to read and write basic sentences in English to improving math, this type of classes has been able to give women increased confidence in themselves. The women who attended these classes have demonstrated their commitment to studies.
2. Microcredit Cooperative Support
Another key initiative under VIN’s Women’s Empowerment Program is the Microcredit Cooperative Support project. In Nepal, women are especially disadvantaged in rural and marginalized communities with regard to access to credit. Without access to financial resources, women are unable to invest in businesses or improve their livelihoods.
Current Situation:
Almost two-thirds of poor households in Nepal do not have access to microcredit, and the female to male-earned income ratio is only 0.51 for the same labor. This financial deficit prevents women from achieving their full economic achievement and makes them dependent on men.
Project Goal:
The Microcredit Cooperative Support project is designed for the empowerment of women to achieve financial freedom through community-based, autonomous microcredit cooperative projects. Through these cooperatives, women have access to credit, which, in turn, they use for business, crop investments, or household purposes. By 2030, VIN plans to ensure that every woman living in our beneficiary communities has access to microcredit services, enabling them to break the cycle of poverty and attain economic freedom.
One of the representative case of this work is the Jitpurphedi Women’s Agricultural Cooperative, an organic farming integration program that empowers rural and marginalized women with the means required to invest in sustainable agricultural production. VIN has played a key role in supporting the cooperative by offering training in organic farming and business management, empowering women to contribute to their local economy. The cooperative helps women save money, earn interest on savings, and access low-interest loans for business expansion or personal use.
3. Entrepreneurship Development
Entrepreneurship is a key engine for women’s empowerment, enabling women to secure stable incomes and eventually become financially independent. The Entrepreneurship Development project aims to develop the entrepreneurial abilities of women. It particularly focuses on building the entrepreneurial skills of women in marginalized communities, so they can start and run their own businesses.
Current Situation:
Although entrepreneurship can enhance the socioeconomic position of Nepali women, they often encounter constraints like low capital availability, low access to training, and low access to market outlets. Moreover, gender stereotypes usually do not allow women to own and run their own enterprises autonomously. A practice known as surrogate entrepreneurship, where businesses are registered in a woman’s name but operated by a male relative, is still common in Nepal. As a result, only about 1 in 5 working-age women in Nepal are employed, and many businesses that appear to be women-owned are not run by women in practice.
Project Goal:
The Entrepreneurship Development project offers training and mentoring to support women’s entrepreneurship. Including agricultural and non-agricultural businesses, VIN also provides training in organic farming, livestock raising, cheese production, etc. By 2030, VIN plans to achieve an increase in at least 15% of its target group engaging in entrepreneurship and for one Women’s Business Centre to be established in each target community.
A successful example of this is the Creative Women’s Jewelry Project, where VIN supported 12 women from Kavresthali to start their own jewelry business. Using training in jewelry making and connecting them with local shops, these women went on to start up Creative Women’s Jewelry, an enterprise that attends local festivals and provides its products as a source of income through the sale of festive jewelry. This project not only provides a source of income but also helps women overcome societal expectations that often limit women to household duties.
4. Women Trafficking Prevention
Human trafficking is a terrible problem in Nepal and thousands of women/girls are trafficked to our neighboring country India each year. Unemployment, poverty, and lack of knowledge are the main reasons for trafficking. Traffickers take advantage of such vulnerabilities, luring women and young girls with false promises of emigration work.
Current Situation:
On average 70% of women in Nepal face verbal abuse, and 30% face emotional abuse. In particular women with deep rural roots are at risk of being trafficked. Law enforcement data indicates that trafficking cases are occurring at a much greater rate than the publicly reported number.
Project Goal:
VIN’s Women’s Trafficking Prevention initiative seeks to educate about trafficking and empower women with the knowledge and ability to be safe. VIN, through life skills training, equips women to withstand trafficker’s snares. The project further aims at fostering gender equality and self-sufficiency of women by supporting them to lead more self-sufficient and safe lives. By 2030, VIN aims to empower women to be more knowledgeable about trafficking and better equipped to protect themselves and their communities.
Challenges and Future Goals
Although the Women’s Empowerment Programs of VIN have brought about considerable improvements in the lives of women in rural areas, there are still obstacles to be overcome. Gender-based discrimination, lack of access to resources, and cultural constraints are often setbacks. Nevertheless, VIN is still committed to its mission to help women and continues to work on innovative solutions for these issues.
Concluding Remarks
VIN’s Women’s Empowerment Programme lights the way for countless women in Nepal. VIN is making a difference for women who are trapped in the poverty and discrimination cycle by using education, entrepreneurship, microcredit, and trafficking prevention to help them break free. With continued support and expansion, VIN aims to empower even more women, creating a brighter, more equitable future for women and their communities in Nepal.
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