Social issue: Gender inequality.
In Nepal in general, but in the rural area’s in particular, there is a huge gap between men en women. Ranging from opportunities for education and paid jobs to social status in general. Domestic violence is a recurring issue that has its basis in this perceived inequality.

Project: A women empowerment project by the name FEM (Female empowerment, Educational opportunities and Male involvement.)

Target group: Women and girls in several local communities. Married women are often organized in so called mother groups of 25 to 40 women. Teenage girls of the same age are easily reached in or through school.

Activities: ISW students are encouraged to design and conduct workshops for women on different topics to increase awareness and to help them develop new skills like sewing, using a smart phone / ICT or even basic accounting. Maya also runs a microcredit program with these mother groups and ISW students can assist in many ways. ISW students can teach classes to teenagers on topics like sexual education and menstruation.

Supervision: Is being carried out by one of our three qualified senior members of the different mother groups, each holding a bachelor or master’s degree in social or pedagogical studies. They all have many years of experience supervising foreign students from different countries and studies.