About The Project!

Helping Young Chepang Women Leaders to Promote Gender Responsive Governance in Nepal.

The lack of gender-responsive local governance in Nepal is due to the inter-related problems of women’s disempowerment, women’s exclusion from decision making process, limited public awareness, and a lack of commitment of local authorities and limited civil society solidarity and engagement on this topic. These problems are particularly acute in the indigenous Chepang communities which are characterized by extreme poverty, lower literacy, inadequate access to decision making and planning, lower access to basic services and harmful practices like child marriage, alcoholism, gender-based violence, etc.

Therefore, this project aims to realize gender-responsive democratic local governance that respects the rights of marginalized and indigenous women in two municipalities — Icchakamana and Kalika — of Chitwan situated in Province No. Three of the country. Expected outcomes of the project are:

• Strengthened capacity of young Chepang women leaders for exercising their civil and indigenous rights and influencing local governance.
• Increased awareness and capacity of local governance officials and male community members to create a supportive enabling environment for the participation of Chepang women.
• Enhanced civil society for and engagement in promoting accountability for gender responsive democratic local governance.

The project will be implemented jointly with Nepal Chepang Association, Chitwan. Additionally, the Development Exchange Center will collaborate with other like-minded organizations such as the South Asia Partnership Nepal for capacity building and national influence, as well as with other local civil society organizations and media partners.