Women in Politics

Capacity Building Program for Women Involved in Politics:

The capacity-building program for women in politics program was initiated by Jagaran Nepal in October 2006 to enlarge the participation and representation of women in politics. The political parties are the foundation for women to enter in the state governance, and legislative body. Therefore, to promote women in governance, the program endeavors to increase women in political party committees.

The envisioned outcome of the organization is that the central and district level leaders will play an prominent role at the party committees, in due course to increase the number of women at different party committees, and formulate pro women policy to increase women in politics. The major components of the program are training of women leaders at central and district level, advocacy, research for baseline preparation, media mobilization etc.

The ongoing program covers central level and eleven selected districts of five development regions as a pilot project. The selected districts are Doti, Dadheldhura, Surkhet, Dailekh, Kaski, Tanahun, Kavre, Sindhupalchowk, Morang, Sunsari and Khotang.

The continuous interventions have brought about some tangible changes in women leadership development and women in politics. The central level leaders, parliamentarians, and district level leaders of different political parties feel solidarity on women's issue irrespective of political disparity. They are participant of central level and district level capacity building program. They are participating regularly on computer and English language training at central level and different packages of training at district level. As a result of the influential role of the women leaders, participating in the capacity-building program, the number of women in party committee of the working district increased from 152 to 264 during the year.

The program has also been able to enhance the capacity of 293 district level leaders on constituent assembly, social inclusion, gender, advocacy, human rights, women rights, leadership and effective public speaking. The capacity of 31 central level women leaders/parliamentarians has been enhanced on English language, computer skill, email and internet. The district level leaders are on track to transfer skill and knowledge received at training to the other women leaders at village level.

The media has a vital role in promoting women in politics and raising women's issue extensively. Therefore, 23 media personnel in Kathmandu trained on women's movement, women's issues, international women's instruments, role of media enlarging the women's issue and women's leadership. The sensitization program at district level also played a vital role by raising women's issue through media largely.

A research book, 'status of women in politics' was published as a baseline of status of women in politics. The research shows that there are only 9.5% women at district party committees and 9.1% women at party central committees.

The advocacy on women's participation in politics was based on the research of 11 districts and at the central level. The advocacy program was able to create pressure and sensitization to the politicians at central and district level. More than 50,000 signatures from different districts were handed over to honorable speaker of parliament Mr Subhas Newang, in witness of 7 political parties. These advocacy programs were able to project an image of Jagaran Nepal as a watchdog for safeguarding women's agenda and issues at district and national level, a real role of civil society organizations.

The political parties (representing at parliament) participating in the capacity-building program are –
1. Nepali Congress
2. Communist Party of Nepal (UML)
3. Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)
4. Janamorcha Nepal
5. Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandidevi)
6. Rastriya Janamorcha
7. Rastriya Prajatantra Party
8. Nepal Workers Peasants Party
9. Nepal Communist Party (ML)
10. Nepal Communist Party (United)
11. Rastriya Janashakti Party
12. Communist Party of Nepal (Unified)

Name of the District Level Trainings to the Political Women Leaders:
1. Women Rights
2. Human Rights
3. Gender
4. Constituent Assembly
5. Advocacy
6. Leadership/Public Speaking
7. Civic Education
8. Conflict Transformation
9. Party System
10. Personality Development

Central Level English Language and Computer Class:

For the first time in Nepal Jagaran Nepal started English Language and Computer Class for Central Level Women Leaders & Parliamentarians of different political parties (as per the existence of interim legislature). The classes were scheduled from 7 to 9 AM for 100 hrs as per the need. A total of 30 women leaders took part in the classes with their keen participation. The classes were conducted as per the scheduled task of “Capacity Building Program for Women Involved in Politics” of Jagaran Nepal.

The English Language:
This course was designed for senior women leaders and members of parliament in Nepal. It aimed to improved English language proficiency of the participants so that they would be able to express their ideas and communicate through English . In order to provide a ground for participants, the course was primarily based on the contents in which the participants would familiar with and relevant to their political career. The contents were derived from some of fairly well defined subject area, such as social science, politics, economics, civil diplomacy, conflict etc. The course outlined therefore presents themes, sub themes, language functions and language structures aimed to have considerable flexibility for the facilitator as well as the participants. Facilitator, depending upon the participants needs, were chosen, developed and extracted the teaching and learning from various sources.

The facilitator of the language course was renowned English instructor, who has a very wide knowledge on Human Rights also from ………… Besides, during the course period, visiting lectures from British Council and other diplomats facilitated to make leaders more interactive in English language, so that the application of English language seemed possible. The international scenario and the English speaking environment were created by providing different manuals and courses related English documents to the leaders. Besides, the teaching process was an interactive one by using media means as multi media presentation, cassettes, VCD, Television and means of media to make the class more result oriented as well as discoursive one. During the course period, British Council English Language Chief, Richard Cox visited the women leaders and he facilitated the leaders on;

a. Effective public speaking with projection of words on pace and pitch
b. Speech preparation under appropriate time setting
c. Vocal collaboration with effective gestures, postures and eye contact
d. Presentation skills by avoiding mannerism

Similarly, senior journalist and civil society member, Kanak Mani Dixit visited the women leaders and shared his media field experiences. He also facilitated the leaders on how to adopt with the current media scenario, media friendly atmosphere and media discourses.

Computer Course:
This computer course was also designed for senior women leaders and members of parliament. The 100 hours course aimed to familiarize the participants on computer with its basic as well as the multimedia application tools. In regards to the weightage of the course, the participants were expected to engage on basic as well as need based application of the computer. It was also expected that about the computer, functions, its application on political fields and the participants efficiency on know how of the computer with their expertise on writing articles in computer, its placement on required addresses, email checking, web browsing and other functional as well as practical knowledge in computer.

Upon the context of participants' variation in computer proficiency, the facilitator arranged the suitable materials to the participants. The teaching process of computer class was an interactive one by using media means as multi media presentation, cassettes, VCD, television and means of other media. The voice chat facility, email, internet and other functional process were chosen to facilitate the women leaders.

Success Stories of English Language and Computer Class:

Parbati Chaudary is a Lawmaker of CPN- UML and she is the participant of Jagaran Nepal for English language and computer classes. It's been around 3 months that she has regularly been participating for the classes and she feels that she is now able to write something on computer, browsing her favorite sites, checking her emails, attaching the files to be sent for, chatting with acquaintances, making table for some budgetary transactions etc. Moreover, she loves to speak in English whenever at Jagaran Nepal. As of her, she tries to make conversation with the party political leaders at party also. During the class period, all training participants have to speak in English at the premises and they make discourses in English without hesitation and that can be said our major achievement in real sense. Such progress cannot be viewed with Parbati Chaudary's case only but with all the participants have had a similar type of progress. Now, Parbati has decided to buy a computer for her home-town-party-office, being influenced the value of computer and its applicability for political party.

Similarly, another CNP- UML Lawmaker Kunta Sharma has already bought the computer at her home after being involved into the training classes for making her comfortable in writing poems, stories, and other articles. Her writing regularity has been augmented because of easiness in writing in computer at flexible time. Nowadays, during her free time she used to write a lot of her literary and official work in the computer and she feels that it is all because of Jagaran Nepal that she feels comfortable working on the computer . Moreover, she feels that her English language was quite good previously also but after being involved into the language class she can now use the terminologies of some technical terms of the subject matter (political, human rights, women rights, gender etc) very nicely and easily, that is what she feels is the progress in her that Jagaran Nepal gave away through English language.

Effective Initiation for skill transfer

Bhagiratha Sitaula, CPN- UML district committee member of Morang, has regularly been participating in the training program given by Jagaran Neal since the program has been implemented. In the training, eight major political parties’ district committee women leaders have been attending the classes and we have been enjoying the proper understanding of women/human rights, gender, advocacy, social inclusion, constituent assembly and other women related issues’ concept.

Feeling the importance of women issues, she has initiated a campaign program with the formation of 13 members’ inter-party committee in almost nine wards of Indrapur, Morang through our training attainders’ initiations. The campaign was started on June 4 and ended on June 12, 2007. It was happened to address and make aware on the common issues of women, to amplify the voices of voiceless women and to bring solidarity upon the violence and exploitation against women. After the campaign initiated, the participants expressed their happiness with the suggestions of bringing such campaigns in regular manner.

Besides, similar type of two- program was happened in the constituency 4, Morang and in Langtang area on June 14 and 16 respectively. There was the presence of intellectuals circle as participants. When we asked them about the program, they seemed happy with the initiation made by the women group but they suggested having the programs’ grip at VDC and Ward level also for its praiseworthy results. This is very good example of initiation of skill and knowledge transfer after the capacity-building program.

Women's effort for creating space in governance

Each year the District Development Committee (DDC) will allocate the budget for the programs relating to women in Khotang district. Previously, nobody knew whether the budget of local governance used properly. But this time, our six-party training participants from Khotang district got information about the DDC budgetary program for women and they collectively took initiation in finding out the budgetary amount status and it was found about to be Rs 50,000. Knowing the budgetary amount status, they took collective initiation and used the amount in establishing “Mahila Ekata Adhayan Kendra” literally “Women’s Alliance Study Centre”. The contribution and initiation has been made for the first time by the collective women group in the district. The women's group of eight party formed the group and now thinking for the sustainability and effective use of the group for women’s development.

Major Achievements of the Program: