When girls in Nepal fight for their rights, you’ll see tangible change—but it might look a little different than you expected.
“We can say society has changed. We all went to the VDC and asked for our rights. Seeing our boldness, nobody said no. We should not let our rights be deprived. There was also no toilet in our village. But we did a rally and made toilets for everybody. We all did a meeting at the VDC and demanded it in the meeting, and then toilets were made. Every toilet nearby is from that. We all use the toilets, our families, our communities.” That's from a girl in CARE's Tipping Point project in Nepal, telling people what looks different after 4 years.
Phase one of the Tipping Point project ran in Nepal from 2014-2018 with $1.5 million. It’s currently in a second phase that will run until 2020. Phase 1 reached 1,391 people. CARE partnered with Dalit Social Development Committee (DSDC) and Siddhartha Samudayik Samaj (SSS).
What have we accomplished?
- Girls have more hope for the future: As one girl said, “We had no idea how to dream or think about ourselves, but since the start of Tipping Point and its activities, we have realized that we also have a say in our own lives.”
- Girls are more willing to speak up: “I gained this knowledge and ability to speak up only after getting involved in this [Tipping Point] group […] In the beginning, I could not speak up in my family and in society, but now I can.”
- Girls are starting to influence their communities: In 3 villages, adolescent girls who were in the Tipping Point project were invited to annual planning sessions with their local government, which had never happened before. In one village, girls petitioned their school to provide sanitary pads, and they got them.
- Parents are starting to change: “The rally against child marriage has done great work. It has raised awareness among children and their parents. Now parents are aware of the disadvantages related to child marriage, they know the possible future harms, and this has reduced the incidence of child marriage.”
- Boys are starting to support their sisters: One girl said, “Earlier boys did not help in household work, but since the boys have joined [Tipping Point group] discussions, they have started helping at home.”
How did we get there?
- Help girls build solidarity: The project organized girls groups where they could talk, ask questions, and support each other. These groups talked about all kinds of issues that preoccupy adolescent girls: menstruation, child marriage, staying in school, etc.
- Work with men and boys: The project set up boys groups, and hosted public events where men and boys do “women’s work”—like boys competing in a cooking contest in front of the whole village.
- Help girls stay in school: The project set up scholarship funds for girls to stay in school.
- Get creative: the project used community events, street drama, songs, and other creative events to spread messages about girls’ rights and child marriage.
- Connect with the whole community: The project worked with parents, School Management Committees, teachers, and local leaders to spread the change beyond what girls can do by themselves. According to one local leader, “The best thing about Tipping Point is parents' involvement, as no change is possible by children only.”
Want to learn more?
Read the Phase 1 evaluation.