#odafoundation

[theprojectroom-pb]

Together we are stronger, we have so many bright, beautiful faces to protect. #covid19 #fellingit #globalhealth #togetherforever #photographyforgood #harnessthepower #togetherathome #reallifedocumented #womensupportingwomen #photojournalism #odafoundation #authenticitymatters #homestorytellers #thisiswhatido DM to start a conversation (at Kalikot, Nepal) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-pvRC2lkqk/?igshid=uiixuurw0qz4

[ujyaloinnepal]

Mitini Encouraging Cultural and Knowledge Exchange

On July 13-15 of 2018, EmpowHER conducted Mitini, a special session for the changemakers of the program. Mitini is a cultural and leadership exchange program, run as a subset of EmpowHER since 2017. This year, in Mitini 18 changemakers from Kathmandu and 9 changemakers from Kalikot district came together to exchange their knowledge, culture and to learn about leadership from each other’s experience.

As one of the core themes of this year’s EmpowHER is diversity, the Mitini program has truly helped make the platform a more diverse and unique one for the changemakers to engage in. The 9 young women changemakers who came from Kalikot, one of the most underdeveloped districts in mid-western Nepal, attended various sessions on leadership skills, problem analysis, advocacy, sexual and reproductive health rights.

As the name goes Mitini, which means sisterhood in nepali also engaged the changemakers from Kalikot and Kathmandu valley in various bonding activities including homestays at Mitini’s house (changemaker from Kathmandu valley), site visits, and a dinner bonding event.

Below is an excerpt from a conversation with the women about the program and their Mitinis.

Gaumati Shahi is a 19 year-old student of Grade 11. Some of the problems that she wants to solve in her community is to improve the roads and help people in need.

“I am very happy with the Mitini program as I am learning things through Mitini that I had no way of learning otherwise and I got to be a part of relevant trainings such as leadership, sexual and reproductive health. The most important session for me was learning how to make reusable sanitary napkins which is good for our bodies. Some of the things that I expected to get from Mitini was a sense of respect and to learn about women leadership and now I do consider myself a leader. I would also like to teach and provide the information I have learnt here to my community.”

Nanda Singh is an 18-year-old student. She wants to become a teacher and is also working on her skills to become a better leader.

“Mitini has been a fun experience for me. We met new people and learnt new things. We learnt about reproductive health of women, about menstruation and reusable sanitary napkins and the Chhaupadi ritual that we practice. We built friendships with our Mitinis as we stayed at their house. I liked the program thoroughly.”

Jaukala Sunar is a 30-year-old resident of Kalikot. She is involved in farming but wants to learn stitching and sewing in order to open a tailoring shop.

“I didn’t know a lot about the program before coming to Kathmandu. However, after attending the sessions, I have received a lot of useful information. I liked learning how to make reusable sanitary napkins. We also stayed at our Mitini’s home which was nice. They were very friendly and hospitable towards us. Overall, I was very glad to be a participant of the program. Everyday we are involved in farming and agriculture but attending the program and the sessions was a new experience for me.”

Mitthu Kumari B.K. is an 18-year-old student of Grade 9. One of the problems she wants to solve in her community is untouchability.

“I heard about the women empowerment program and got to be a part of it immediately. We came here the next day. Coming from Kalikot and meeting other women of Kathmandu has been a fun experience and Mitini provided me with immense happiness. The knowledge I received here was quite practical and I would definitely exchange them with the women in Kalikot as well. The session on reproductive health, sightseeing at Swayambhunath, were especially informative and fun. Similarly, the session on menstruation and Chhaupadi ritual was also thought-provoking for me. I now consider myself a leader as I do take a lead and complete the work.”

In their words:

“Yes, I do consider myself a leader. As long as you have confidence, trust, knowledge on necessary things, you are a leader.” - Gaumati Shahi

“I want to consider myself leader as I will teach what I learn here when I return back.” - Mitthu Kumari B.K

“Yes, I am a leader now. I will focus on removing Chaupadi,teach others to make pads.” - Nanda Singh

[theprojectroom-pb]

#evacuationday 💔The last 3 years my son has dedicated his work to the #odafoundation, a life changing organization, bringing sustainability and rural development to Oda, a remote region of Nepal, part of our developing world. Because of #covid19 , today the U.S. Embassy evacuated the American citizens in Nepal, 2 of them being my son and daughter. 🙏I am grateful and proud to be a #uscitizen 🙏. Following are a few images from the time I had the opportunity to visit this beautiful , strong village. Witnessing firsthand A day in the life in this village is truly remarkable and a critical education for all. Now, Oda village needs to prepare for the potential arrival of #covid19 , global health affects all of us. As this crisis continues our developing world will need us too. #proudmama #thankyouhealthcareworkers #globalhealth #odafoundation #nepal #usembassynepal #usembassy #fightthepandemic #weareallinthistogether #evacuationday 📸@itsmesamkraft (at Kathmandu, Nepal) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-a9jpPFMWk/?igshid=el8qdxhtn6hx

[ujyaloinnepal]

Mitini: Connecting Women Across Regions

EmpowHER conducted Mitini, a special session for the changemakers on 13-15 July. Mitini is a cultural and leadership exchange program, run as a subset of EmpowHER since 2017. This year, in Mitini 18 changemakers from Kathmandu and 9 changemakers from Kalikot district came together to exchange their knowledge, culture and to learn about leadership from each other’s experience.

As one of the core themes of this year’s EmpowHER is diversity, the Mitini program has truly helped make the platform a more diverse and unique one for the changemakers to engage in. The 9 women who came from Kalikot, one of the most underdeveloped districts in mid-western Nepal, attended various sessions on leadership skills, problem analysis, advocacy, sexual and reproductive health rights.

As the name goes Mitini, which means sisterhood in Nepali also engaged the changemakers from Kalikot and Kathmandu valley in various bonding activities including homestays at Mitini’s house (changemaker from Kathmandu valley), site visits, and a dinner bonding event.

Below is an excerpt from a conversation with some of the women about the program and their Mitinis. 

Chhaila Shahi is an 18-year-old student from Kalikot. She has recently finished her Secondary Education Examination and wants to continue her education by joining a campus. She shares her experience as follows:

“I learnt from a local organization, the ODA Foundation about a women empowerment program in Kathmandu and got interested to come here and participate. After coming here I came to learn more about the Mitini program. We have definitely learnt a lot of things from the program. We learnt about discrimination and why it is harmful, about women’s reproductive health and also learnt the value of keeping Mitinis. We made friends with girls whom we had never met. They took us to their homes and made us feel welcomed and comfortable. The most enjoyable part of the program was when we went out for sightseeing with our Mitinis. We went to Swayambhunath where I loved to see all the big statues and all the monkeys.

After I go back, I would like to get back to studying but also share my knowledge with the women in my community. One of the most interesting and useful sessions for me was the one on reusable sanitary napkins. We learnt about their uses and most importantly we learnt about how to make cheap reusable sanitary napkins with clean clothes that are easily available.”

Dharma Kumari Singh is 20 years old and is studying in Grade 11. She would like to share the learning she received from Mitini with the women in her family and community.

“I joined Mitini because I was informed that it was a women empowerment program. The program has been very good so far. We didn’t know much about health. We learnt a lot of things about how one needs to take care of their reproductive health.  

The most important thing I received from the program were from the training sessions. The information we received from these sessions are valuable to us and I would also like to share it with the women in my family and community.”

Shanti Singh is also a student of Grade 11 in Kalikot and is excited about all the new things she has learnt from Mitini.

“We came here for the women empowerment program and till now it has been an amazing journey with us learning new things. We learnt about the opportunity to be a part of this program in Kalikot. I am very happy to receive this learning opportunity. Kalikot is a very remote place and we do not have a lot of knowledge about women’s issues there, especially women’s health. The session on reproductive health was very useful for us. The session clarified a lot of things for me personally.”

Munkala Singh is a 19-year-old student who studies in Grade 12. She loved to play all the team building games she played with her mitinis along with the sessions.

“The Mitini program has been going very well for me, I am learning a lot of new things that are useful for women. In the villages, there is culture of discriminating women on the basis of menstruation. We don’t usually talk about it. We have to stay in the Chhau (a segregated shed for menstruating women) for 5 days during our periods. So I believe whatever we have learnt here for example about reproductive health or reusable sanitary napkins, I will take it with me and share with the women in our village.

The most memorable moment for me throughout the program is when we played team building games with our mitinis. I liked the places we went for sightseeing with our mitinis especially Boudhhanath and the Kaal Bhairava temple in Basantapur. I also enjoyed the session on reproductive health and making reusable sanitary napkins from cloth.”

Bishna B.K. studies in Grade 11 in Kalikot. She enjoyed going out with her mitinis the most in the program.

“My name is Bishna B.K. I live in Kalikot. I study in Class 11. I found the program very effective as we learnt a lot of new things. One of the most interesting session for me was the one on Chhaupadi, since we also have to stay in Chhau in Kalikot. Similarly, the session on leadership informed me a lot about who can become leaders. We also went out to see some of the famous places of Kathmandu with our mitinis. The temples, stairways and statues were very interesting. I am also glad that we got to become mitinis with the girls from Kathmandu as we bonded very well.”

[theprojectroom-pb]

In honour of #internationalwomensday , I pay tribute to all the strong, vibrant, inspiring, incredible women I photographed in #oda #nepal #sheinspiresme #shematters #womenempoweringwomen #letgirlslearn #mom #representationmatters #socialdocumentary #familyphotojournalism @theprojectroompb #bellaluca #odafoundation #iwd #wonderwoman #champions watch for @theprojectroompb #outreach #contribute #arteducationmatters (at Kalikot, Nepal)

[theprojectroom-pb]

Incredible Journey to Oda, Nepal @odafoundation , bringing #arteducation to the village . Gorgeous people , inspiring land , so grateful to connect with the life changing #odafoundation #healthyfuture #nepal #education #art #socialgood #causes #charity #kalikot #brightfuture (at Kalikot, Nepal)

[theprojectroom-pb]

The Threads That Bind Us All This is the Pariyars Family, #proud #strong #inspiring #sustainableliving #community #love Sagar Pariyar is the tailor in #oda #opportunityiseverything thanks to the @odafoundation we can see and learn more & more about the beauty and resilience of the people and land of rural Nepal #reallifedocumented #thisiswhatido #dayinyourlife #fotostories #captureemotion #deeplyauthentic #blackandwhitephotography #thesincerestoryteller #proudmama DM to start a conversation (at Kalikot, Nepal) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9FuNSSF36M/?igshid=8n1oofer8179

[theprojectroom-pb]

In a remote village in Nepal, Thanks to the time and efforts of @odafoundation , A classroom fills with a magical glow and gives Benita and her fellow classmates brighter days and hope for tomorrow Photo by @theprojectroompb @rippleeffectimages #education #arteducation #photography #nepal #humans #womenandgirls #inspiring #smile #portrait #magic #goodkarma (at Kalikot, Nepal)