Anita Das, 26, from Siraha district in Nepal is one among many Dalit women in the community where caste system prevails deeply and discriminates people from their rightful opportunities. Due to the challenging financial conditions at home, Anita’s spouse has been struggling in the gulf country while Anita until sometime was facing difficulties on meeting her livelihood demands, which included educating two growing children.
As soon as Anita heard about detergent making training by Ensuring Rights through Skills and Voice Project (ERSVP) from the British Council Nepal funded by European Union, Anita enrolled herself in the week-long training. Ever since then, lifestyle of Anita has changed for better. Anita has been selling her home made detergent at the nearby market in the district, out of which she earns NPR 15,000 (approximately $150) a month. This has enabled her to maintain a decent lifestyle at home. She now also works as a trainer of the project to train fellow Dalit women in her area.
Anita shares, “In absence of my husband, I initially felt that I am left without a guardian. With the skills I earned from ERSVP, I have filled that vacuum. Now I have spoken to my husband and have requested him to come back to Nepal to work together and make a better living.”
Anita is grateful to the project and extends, “Thank you to your initiative. I see my dream coming true and I believe that this project will contribute largely to many others like me.”
About the Project
Ensuring Rights through Skills and Voice Project (ERSVP) is a British Council Project, implemented though local NOGS and funded by European Union. Overall goal of the project is to contribute to combating the discrimination of the Dalit population, and to promote their access to economic, social and political rights.
A total of 1148 (as of September, 2016) Dalit women from two districts of Nepal have benefited from the project.