I am very aware that there hasn't been a blog post now for two weeks, but don't worry, I haven't died.
We've been in community now for almost three weeks and the volunteers are well underway with their projects. I've had days with lots to do and days with little to do, but I'll blame that on the amazing efficiency of the volunteers. The group I am working with are really great, and I'm not just saying that in case they're reading this. Everyone has come up with so many good ideas and have overcome the numerous issues we've had to deal with that are out of our control. I'm feeling ever so proud already.
The work we are doing is focussed on two areas: sexual and reproductive health and livelihoods. Most of the work has focussed on the former although many of the volunteers are now looking at agricultural projects too. Unfortunately the schools we are supposed to work in are shut for at least half of the time we have been placed here, so the volunteers have had to look for alternative projects to work on. They've done well though and have found a number of new communities that former volunteers hadn't identified. I'm hoping that after the next two weeks we'll be able to get into the schools.
Last weekend one of the counterpart pairs organised a litter picking day for one of their Community Action Days (CADs) which was really successful and the whole community were really keen to get involved. I was genuinely surprised by this because the local people don't seem to worry too much about litter, it just gets thrown into the street or burnt. Some of the other groups have also been leading sessions about menstruation and puberty to school children who would not usually get these kinds of lessons. In Nepal, girls don't get any education about menstruation despite the fact it is in their textbooks as it is a taboo subject. All of the volunteers in my group will therefore be going into schools to teach girls about these important lessons. (I have suggested they design a leaflet called "It's Not the End of the World: A Guide to Your First Period". Genius, I know).
Although I am not directly involved in the work of the volunteers, I get to see a lot of them in action and I'm excited to see what they're going to come up with next. A lot of them are in planning stage soon but some of the things they'll be doing include:
- painting schools and redecorating toilets with hygiene advice
- homemade footcare remedies (the feet of Nepali women are not a pretty sight)
- sessions in schools about stress, mental health, gender equality, contraception, STIs and hygiene
- pap smear testing camp
- general healthcare camp: checking blood pressure etc
There's plenty more but you get the gist! Each group has to do a minimum of 3 CADs but I know that many of my group plan on doing more. In their pairs they each have to complete one Active Citizenship Day (ACD) too, which involves leading a workshop on a global issue to the rest of the team. We have the first one tomorrow and I'm excited to see it.
When I'm not helping the volunteers with planning, myself and my counterpart Rahul go out to visit the volunteers in their host homes or in their work placements. We also have to deal with a lot of financial paperwork which makes my brain ache and I end up asking a lot of questions like "isn't there an easier way?!". The answer is always no and I've come to realise that in Nepal there is never a straightforward solution or answer. It's something I'm gradually coming to terms with though.
I had to leave community for a few days to go up to Kathmandu and it hit me then that I actually missed being in my community. Despite a few days where I've been feeling totally negative, on the whole I am enjoying it here. My host family are very sweet and although I can only communicate with the little sister (who rather kindly gave me a French manicure tonight, HELLO!), they seem to be very nice and they always give me lots of cups of tea which makes them good people in my book.
I've got one week left in community before I go on a few days leave and immediately after that it's our Mid Phase Review (MPR), with just five weeks in community after that. Although some days it seems like everything moves very slowly, the time is in fact going very quickly and I know from experience that once MPR is done, time moves even quicker. It's going to be nice for the volunteers to take some time out and reflect on their experience so far, but it does make it hit home that half the programme is over already.
This week I'll be doing more host home visits and going to see some of the volunteers carry out their CADs. More on that, plus my time off next time!
Lizzie x
Saturday, 28 March 2015
Saturday, 14 March 2015
The First Week
It dawned on me yesterday that I haven't actually written about anything that has happened since the volunteers arrived, so here you have it, an overdue update.
The UKVs arrived on the evening of the 28th and it took them a record breaking 2 hours to collect their bags and get out of the airport, they are now at the top of the leaderboard for bag-collection time, not that there are any winners in this competition. Anyway.
The UKVs and ICVs (In Country Volunteers) then had three days of In Country Orientation (ICO- prepare yourself for many acronyms) which included language lessons, health and safety briefings, learning about the strategy of VSO Nepal, etc etc. I unfortunately had to miss one session as I finally got hit with food poisoning, although I did have a glorious 3 and a half weeks without getting it. Sadly we lost one of the UKVs during this time due to personal reasons, but it was all dealt with very well by VSO.
After the ICO we headed off to Besi Sehar which is the administrative capital of Lamjung, the district we are working in. With a lot of persuasion we managed to get a great deal on the best hotel in Besi Sehar, which was one final bit of luxury for the volunteers but has now ruined us for the next 10 weeks. In Besi Sehar the volunteers had 4 days of InCO (In Community Orientation) which was led by yours truly and my counterpart, Rahul. The InCO mainly consisted of learning how to facilitate, setting goals and preparing for life in the community. I really enjoyed leading the InCO and it has given me plenty of experience in training and facilitating sessions, which I 100% would not have been able to do this time last year. Thanks ICS.
There were lots of mixed emotions over these few training days as the reality of the programme kicked in for the volunteers. Having never seen the community before there were lots of questions about the toilets and electricity, as well as some doubts as to what we are going to do for the next few weeks. I've spent a lot of time recently reassuring the volunteers about how much they will get out of this project and how beneficial it is to the community. I have no doubt that in a few weeks time they will be wondering what they were ever worried about.
On the last night of InCO, myself and Rahul put everyone into their counterpart pairs and told them where they would be living and working for the next 10 weeks. This was by far the hardest task I've had to do yet as it is such a crucial part of the programme. If you mess up the counterpart pairs you could really affect the way the volunteers work for the duration of our time here. So no pressure...
After InCO training it was finally the big day to leave for our communities. The bus, as always, was very late and completely unsuitable for the roads it was about to travel down. It was a long and emotional day dropping all of the volunteers off at their host homes, and even I felt a bit overwhelmed when I first came into my new room, completely bare concrete walls with two pieces of furniture. Fortunately my counterpart came in just as I was about to have a meltdown and we drank tea on the roof looking out to the Himalayas. You can see Annapurna from where I live, no biggie.
The first night wasn't the easiest. In Duipiple, where I live, there was no electricity, so we sat all evening in torchlight. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted my new eight legged roomie who was roughly the size of my hand. Neither of us wanted to remove it so he just lives in my room now. I half expected to wake up with spider on the face, but the odds were in my favour. He has since disappeared and I've emptied my entire suitcase to make sure the cheeky bastard isn't trying to get a free ride back to the UK. I can picture the headline now (in The Sun, of course) "British volunteer brings home killer spider from Nepal, mass panic ensues".
On our first full day, Rahul and I walked up to Sami B, the highest community at 800m. Because we are absolute warriors we managed to do it an hour and I'm almost certain I'm going to lose some toe nails as it turns out my trainers are a bit too small. It also turns out that almost everything I've packed is completely useless as I was expecting cold weather when in fact it's absolutely boiling. Somebody is going to be awfully smelly within a week or two. Or now.
After an entire day of walking around the hill, we returned home to dahl baat, my number 1 most hated thing about Nepal. Dahl baat is rice and lentils and is served like clockwork everyday at 9.30am and 7pm. There are no exceptions to dahl baat. Dahl baat is life. My 8 legged friend was still missing as was the power so we embarked on the first of many, many card games. I have no doubt that I will be an absolute boss at sh*t head by the time I get back to the UK.
We've spent the last couple of days in the office and visiting two of the other communities which included a 10k walk in flip flops no less. I currently have the most disgusting traveller feet and I can't see that changing in the near future. To get to Rambazaar we took a bus which turned out to be an experience in itself. On the way home a huge argument erupted between the guy that collects the money and a passenger. I obviously had no clue what they were shouting about but it ended with the money collector getting a huge pole from the back of the bus and going for the passenger with it. Fortunately my counterpart/bodyguard helped to diffuse the situation and everyone was ok. It escalated quickly, as Ron Burgundy might say.
The first week is coming to an end and I am off to a team meeting shortly to see how everyone is getting on. More updates will follow soon.
Lizzie x
The UKVs arrived on the evening of the 28th and it took them a record breaking 2 hours to collect their bags and get out of the airport, they are now at the top of the leaderboard for bag-collection time, not that there are any winners in this competition. Anyway.
The UKVs and ICVs (In Country Volunteers) then had three days of In Country Orientation (ICO- prepare yourself for many acronyms) which included language lessons, health and safety briefings, learning about the strategy of VSO Nepal, etc etc. I unfortunately had to miss one session as I finally got hit with food poisoning, although I did have a glorious 3 and a half weeks without getting it. Sadly we lost one of the UKVs during this time due to personal reasons, but it was all dealt with very well by VSO.
After the ICO we headed off to Besi Sehar which is the administrative capital of Lamjung, the district we are working in. With a lot of persuasion we managed to get a great deal on the best hotel in Besi Sehar, which was one final bit of luxury for the volunteers but has now ruined us for the next 10 weeks. In Besi Sehar the volunteers had 4 days of InCO (In Community Orientation) which was led by yours truly and my counterpart, Rahul. The InCO mainly consisted of learning how to facilitate, setting goals and preparing for life in the community. I really enjoyed leading the InCO and it has given me plenty of experience in training and facilitating sessions, which I 100% would not have been able to do this time last year. Thanks ICS.
There were lots of mixed emotions over these few training days as the reality of the programme kicked in for the volunteers. Having never seen the community before there were lots of questions about the toilets and electricity, as well as some doubts as to what we are going to do for the next few weeks. I've spent a lot of time recently reassuring the volunteers about how much they will get out of this project and how beneficial it is to the community. I have no doubt that in a few weeks time they will be wondering what they were ever worried about.
On the last night of InCO, myself and Rahul put everyone into their counterpart pairs and told them where they would be living and working for the next 10 weeks. This was by far the hardest task I've had to do yet as it is such a crucial part of the programme. If you mess up the counterpart pairs you could really affect the way the volunteers work for the duration of our time here. So no pressure...
After InCO training it was finally the big day to leave for our communities. The bus, as always, was very late and completely unsuitable for the roads it was about to travel down. It was a long and emotional day dropping all of the volunteers off at their host homes, and even I felt a bit overwhelmed when I first came into my new room, completely bare concrete walls with two pieces of furniture. Fortunately my counterpart came in just as I was about to have a meltdown and we drank tea on the roof looking out to the Himalayas. You can see Annapurna from where I live, no biggie.
The first night wasn't the easiest. In Duipiple, where I live, there was no electricity, so we sat all evening in torchlight. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted my new eight legged roomie who was roughly the size of my hand. Neither of us wanted to remove it so he just lives in my room now. I half expected to wake up with spider on the face, but the odds were in my favour. He has since disappeared and I've emptied my entire suitcase to make sure the cheeky bastard isn't trying to get a free ride back to the UK. I can picture the headline now (in The Sun, of course) "British volunteer brings home killer spider from Nepal, mass panic ensues".
On our first full day, Rahul and I walked up to Sami B, the highest community at 800m. Because we are absolute warriors we managed to do it an hour and I'm almost certain I'm going to lose some toe nails as it turns out my trainers are a bit too small. It also turns out that almost everything I've packed is completely useless as I was expecting cold weather when in fact it's absolutely boiling. Somebody is going to be awfully smelly within a week or two. Or now.
After an entire day of walking around the hill, we returned home to dahl baat, my number 1 most hated thing about Nepal. Dahl baat is rice and lentils and is served like clockwork everyday at 9.30am and 7pm. There are no exceptions to dahl baat. Dahl baat is life. My 8 legged friend was still missing as was the power so we embarked on the first of many, many card games. I have no doubt that I will be an absolute boss at sh*t head by the time I get back to the UK.
We've spent the last couple of days in the office and visiting two of the other communities which included a 10k walk in flip flops no less. I currently have the most disgusting traveller feet and I can't see that changing in the near future. To get to Rambazaar we took a bus which turned out to be an experience in itself. On the way home a huge argument erupted between the guy that collects the money and a passenger. I obviously had no clue what they were shouting about but it ended with the money collector getting a huge pole from the back of the bus and going for the passenger with it. Fortunately my counterpart/bodyguard helped to diffuse the situation and everyone was ok. It escalated quickly, as Ron Burgundy might say.
The first week is coming to an end and I am off to a team meeting shortly to see how everyone is getting on. More updates will follow soon.
Lizzie x
Monday, 9 March 2015
Independent Women (Part 1)
So glad I could use a Destiny's Child song for a blog title. SO GLAD.
Today is International Women's Day and it seems only fair to make this all about the sisterhood, am I right?! I've been incredibly busy during the last week as the volunteers have finally arrived and we have moved down to Besi Sehar (main town of Lamjung) and have started our training. Although that has been fantastic, it does however mean this isn't going to be as well researched as I would have liked. But here goes.
Now, I'm no expert in International Development or gender issues, but I sure have met and heard about a lot of inspiring women. For me, it doesn't take making global change to be inspiring, but to do something empowering, unexpected or to achieve something up against the odds. For whatever reason I'd never really thought of myself as much of as a campaigner for gender equality but that has all been slowly changing over the last couple of years. Having now worked in two countries where there is an extreme difference between life for men and for women, I have opened my eyes to the situation for women around the world.
Here's some fast facts from the UN for you about the global situation:
- 60% of chronically hungry people are women and girls
- women hold only 21.4% of the world's parliamentary seats
- globally, every 3 in 10 women report having experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner
- approximately 800 women die every day from preventable diseases during pregnancy and childbirth
Over in Britain we are currently 26th in the world rankings for Global Gender Gap, falling from 18th, the lowest ranking we've had since 2008. It's certainly not the worst, but definitely not good, as we should be improving, not slipping further down the ranks. If you'd like to know more about the growing gender gap, this is a pretty good article.
That's a pretty bleak scenario, especially as all of the above is preventable.
Now as much as all of that is very depressing and absolutely must be changed, this day is all about celebrating women, so let's look at some positives eh?! I might have cheated and taken this list from somewhere else, but you can find the original here, or you can read on to find out about some amazing human beings. The list was originally compiled by VSO, so as one of their representatives I think it's only fair that I help shine a light on these amazing individuals. So here we are:
Ganga Adhikari: it seems only right that we start with a Nepali woman. In Nepal there is an extreme caste system, but despite this, Ganga married a man from a higher caste. His family refused to accept her and wouldn't even let her serve them food. Through the VSO partner Women's Empowerment Action Forum (WEAF), Ganga became and advocate for women's rights and worked to get girls into school. She gave women a voice and eventually acceptance from her in laws.
Hon. Esther Murugi Mathenge: a Kenyan MP and former minister. Esther was the only female politician in Kenya when she started. She says "Kenyan politics is still seen as a man's world and you are a trespasser. You learn to have a thick skin. I can assure you that becoming a minister was not easy. I was a lone ranger". Once Esther was elected she built 11 health facilities in her constituencies for women who had previously had to walk long distances to reach healthcare facilities and collect water.
Samira Hashi: a campaigner against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) who was born in Somalia and grew up in London. She actively campaigns against this shocking practice at the same time as being a model and VSO ICS volunteer.
Rute Manave: Rutes husband died 15 years ago and she found out she had HIV. With the help of a VSO project supporting widows she was able to open a shop in Mozambique and can now support herself and her family.
Binti Ali Kiza: Binti was always told "women can't lead because they have periods...how can they lead when they are bleeding?". She then went on to create her own women's organisation Sauti Ya Kinamama (Voice of Women) who work to end the discrimination of women in Kenya.
Habiba Hashimu: Habiba is former sex worker from Tanzania. She was discriminated against and denied basic rights such as housing and medical care purely for being unmarried. Habiba then formed a support group that gives a voice to women born into poverty and forced into a challenging way of life. The group is registered with government authorities and free to advocate for their rights as commercial sex workers.
Well done to those ladies!
As I mentioned above, it doesn't take changing the world single handedly to be an inspiration. I myself am surrounded by women who inspire me everyday. I was brought into this world by an incredible woman also known as Mummy Sue, who is an actual angel and has given me so much support over the years and continues to do so (this day is all about women, but of course Padre you are equally as admired and loved). I can't imagine how hard it is to be a mother (especially to me!), so thank you madre. I've got great friends who are all out their doing their own thing because they can and they will. Friends who raise family whilst also building a career, showing the world that it doesn't have to be a choice of one or the other. I've met fantastic women overseas who battle daily gender inequality and help support those without a voice. I've worked with talented and ambitious women, all with hopes and dreams of their own. And of course I wouldn't be where I currently am (a Team Leader in Nepal just in case you didn't realise) without being supported by an amazing programme supervisor, but more importantly, friend, who has continued to inspire me to take on new, and to be honest terrifying, challenges. Speaking of my team, I have a very female heavy team full of exciting, enthusiastic and strong young women who are no doubt going to do incredibly well on this project.
So, on International Women's Day 2015, here's to you, inspiring women!
Lizzie x
p.s
You may have noticed that the title says part one. There will be a part two as I have been meaning to write more about the situation for women in Nepal. I think this deserves (and definitely needs) it's own post, so that will be coming once we have started our work on sexual and reproductive health work in community. So sit tight on that.
Today is International Women's Day and it seems only fair to make this all about the sisterhood, am I right?! I've been incredibly busy during the last week as the volunteers have finally arrived and we have moved down to Besi Sehar (main town of Lamjung) and have started our training. Although that has been fantastic, it does however mean this isn't going to be as well researched as I would have liked. But here goes.
Now, I'm no expert in International Development or gender issues, but I sure have met and heard about a lot of inspiring women. For me, it doesn't take making global change to be inspiring, but to do something empowering, unexpected or to achieve something up against the odds. For whatever reason I'd never really thought of myself as much of as a campaigner for gender equality but that has all been slowly changing over the last couple of years. Having now worked in two countries where there is an extreme difference between life for men and for women, I have opened my eyes to the situation for women around the world.
Here's some fast facts from the UN for you about the global situation:
- 60% of chronically hungry people are women and girls
- women hold only 21.4% of the world's parliamentary seats
- globally, every 3 in 10 women report having experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner
- approximately 800 women die every day from preventable diseases during pregnancy and childbirth
Over in Britain we are currently 26th in the world rankings for Global Gender Gap, falling from 18th, the lowest ranking we've had since 2008. It's certainly not the worst, but definitely not good, as we should be improving, not slipping further down the ranks. If you'd like to know more about the growing gender gap, this is a pretty good article.
That's a pretty bleak scenario, especially as all of the above is preventable.
Now as much as all of that is very depressing and absolutely must be changed, this day is all about celebrating women, so let's look at some positives eh?! I might have cheated and taken this list from somewhere else, but you can find the original here, or you can read on to find out about some amazing human beings. The list was originally compiled by VSO, so as one of their representatives I think it's only fair that I help shine a light on these amazing individuals. So here we are:
Ganga Adhikari: it seems only right that we start with a Nepali woman. In Nepal there is an extreme caste system, but despite this, Ganga married a man from a higher caste. His family refused to accept her and wouldn't even let her serve them food. Through the VSO partner Women's Empowerment Action Forum (WEAF), Ganga became and advocate for women's rights and worked to get girls into school. She gave women a voice and eventually acceptance from her in laws.
Hon. Esther Murugi Mathenge: a Kenyan MP and former minister. Esther was the only female politician in Kenya when she started. She says "Kenyan politics is still seen as a man's world and you are a trespasser. You learn to have a thick skin. I can assure you that becoming a minister was not easy. I was a lone ranger". Once Esther was elected she built 11 health facilities in her constituencies for women who had previously had to walk long distances to reach healthcare facilities and collect water.
Samira Hashi: a campaigner against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) who was born in Somalia and grew up in London. She actively campaigns against this shocking practice at the same time as being a model and VSO ICS volunteer.
Rute Manave: Rutes husband died 15 years ago and she found out she had HIV. With the help of a VSO project supporting widows she was able to open a shop in Mozambique and can now support herself and her family.
Binti Ali Kiza: Binti was always told "women can't lead because they have periods...how can they lead when they are bleeding?". She then went on to create her own women's organisation Sauti Ya Kinamama (Voice of Women) who work to end the discrimination of women in Kenya.
Habiba Hashimu: Habiba is former sex worker from Tanzania. She was discriminated against and denied basic rights such as housing and medical care purely for being unmarried. Habiba then formed a support group that gives a voice to women born into poverty and forced into a challenging way of life. The group is registered with government authorities and free to advocate for their rights as commercial sex workers.
Well done to those ladies!
As I mentioned above, it doesn't take changing the world single handedly to be an inspiration. I myself am surrounded by women who inspire me everyday. I was brought into this world by an incredible woman also known as Mummy Sue, who is an actual angel and has given me so much support over the years and continues to do so (this day is all about women, but of course Padre you are equally as admired and loved). I can't imagine how hard it is to be a mother (especially to me!), so thank you madre. I've got great friends who are all out their doing their own thing because they can and they will. Friends who raise family whilst also building a career, showing the world that it doesn't have to be a choice of one or the other. I've met fantastic women overseas who battle daily gender inequality and help support those without a voice. I've worked with talented and ambitious women, all with hopes and dreams of their own. And of course I wouldn't be where I currently am (a Team Leader in Nepal just in case you didn't realise) without being supported by an amazing programme supervisor, but more importantly, friend, who has continued to inspire me to take on new, and to be honest terrifying, challenges. Speaking of my team, I have a very female heavy team full of exciting, enthusiastic and strong young women who are no doubt going to do incredibly well on this project.
So, on International Women's Day 2015, here's to you, inspiring women!
Lizzie x
p.s
You may have noticed that the title says part one. There will be a part two as I have been meaning to write more about the situation for women in Nepal. I think this deserves (and definitely needs) it's own post, so that will be coming once we have started our work on sexual and reproductive health work in community. So sit tight on that.
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