Sowing seeds of change
In places where tradition runs deep, a young social mobilizer working under the Empowered Women, Prosperous Nepal programme is helping adolescents break down barriers
Rukum West, Nepal: For generations, age-old beliefs – including those related to menstruation – have shaped the daily lives of women and girls across Nepal, restricting their roles and agency in society. When Purnima Budha first started out as a facilitator for the Rupantaran life skills programme in Simta, in Surkhet District in western Nepal, challenging these outdated norms was one of her top priorities.
“For a long time, it’s been common in our society to repress women and children, treat them like subordinates,” she explains.
“Women are expected to do all the household chores, face ill treatment, and sometimes even physical abuse. Even the way people talk about women can be demeaning. All this amounts to gender-based violence.”
Purnima’s entry into advocacy began when she took part in a Rupantaran facilitator training organized through the Empowered Women, Prosperous Nepal (EWPN) programme. “The training gave me a lot of confidence in my own abilities. I felt like I could do something,” she says. Soon after, she began working as a facilitator, leading Rupantaran sessions for adolescents in Simta.
“I made sure that everything we covered went deep into the topics,” she shares. “Role-playing helped students understand the importance of not getting married too young, and why menstruation should not be surrounded by stigma.”
The experience of running sessions in schools not only helped the adolescents but also strengthened Purnima’s own skills. “If the training gave me 80 per cent of what I needed, actually facilitating sessions gave me the remaining 20 per cent,” she says with a smile.
Now, having since taken up the role of social mobilizer for EWPN in Sanibheri Rural Municipality in Rukum West, Purnima’s focus has expanded further.
Among her team’s recent accomplishments has been working to train educators in using complaint boxes, which allow students—especially girls—to voice their concerns, without the fear of speaking out directly.
“Students might find it hard to talk about some topics face-to-face, but it’s much easier to drop a note in the box,” she explains. “And the teachers who have received training have been doing their best to address these complaints.”
Purnima is proud to already see seeds of change starting to sprout in her community, and she reflects on the impact it has had.
UNICEF Nepal/2024/MMalla
"On one hand, I’ve been able to contribute to positive change in society, and on the other, I’ve also developed my own personality and skills."