Community radio empowering rural women in Nepal

Kapilvastu: Women in Dhanakauli Village Development Committee (VDC) of Kapilvastu district who were otherwise confined to the household chores and collecting fodder for cattle are now coming forward to spread the awareness in their neighbourhood.

This new light of awareness has been spread after the local women started to organise themselves in cooperative groups.

The local women's groups have gradually started to assert themselves and thanks to their mediation in local disputes that now there are very less number of disputes.

The women have stepped up their campaign against the production and consumption of liquor in the village. They have prohibited the production and sale of locally-brewed liquor by reaching the conclusion that that was the reason for many disputes in the community and family.

A majority of the families in the village who lived off by brewing liquor and selling it have now taken to vegetable and crop farming for livelihood after the prohibition of liquor in their village. This has sent a positive message to the neighbouring villages also.

Besides this, the women of the cooperative groups also conduct various awareness programmes on the rights of women and children, legal rights, human rights, the constitutional provisions as well as the constituent assembly in the village.

A lot of women have benefited from the civic education and awareness programmes conducted by these women's groups, according to the local people.

In Gajuri, radio sets have been distributed among Chepang families in Gajuri Bazaar of Gajuri VDC in Dhading district.

Community Radio Dhading that has been run under Rural Communication Cooperative Organisation distributed radio sets to 40 Chepang families. Chepang families from Thakre, Goganpani, Pinda and Kumpur VDC received the radio sets.

In Dhading, construction of canal has been started with an objective of generating electricity in Ripdanda of Budhathum VDC Ward No.9 in the northern part of Dhading district.

Dandu Upadhyay Duwadi, 90, a local elderly lady, initiated the work of generating electricity from Manapang river.

Energy Development Office Dhading, Budhathum VDC and Dhading DDC have provided assistance; the remaining amount of Rs 500,000 was raised by the users themselves.

The project, worth Rs 2.3 million, will produce nine kilowatts of electricity, and the rest of the cost will be borne through voluntary labour equivalent of Rs 700,000.

Source: i4d and Gorkhapatra

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