Building Young Agents of Change in Nepal

May 21, 2007—Twenty-one percent of girls ages 15-19 in Nepal are already mothers or pregnant with their first child. One out of every two women believes that her husband has the final say in her health care. And, almost two-thirds of Nepali women are illiterate.

But, a new group of young Nepali women have dedicated themselves to overcoming these barriers and improving the health of their peers.

“I suggested how to avoid sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS and if in doubt to go to a health post for a check up or blood test,” said 17-year old Asha (pictured above) from the Udayapur District of Nepal. “Community people now look at me with respect.”

She was describing her experience as a new peer educator under CEDPA’s Putting Learning into Action program, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program improved reproductive health knowledge and increased leadership and self-confidence among adolescent girls in three conflict-affected districts: Baglung, Mahottari and Udaypur.

Putting Learning into Action helped build a cadre of confident, skilled adolescent girls and young women to educate others and increase community support for youth leadership. It included training for 510 peer educators across different ethnic castes who in turn educated 1,537 girls and reached over 20,500 community members on topics including girls’ empowerment, family planning and HIV/AIDS.

The Putting Learning into Action dissemination event gave community and government leaders an opportunity to meet with the peer educators.

Peer educators also began to confront an issue that has presented a huge barrier to their health and well-being: menstrual taboos.

Menstrual taboos are deeply rooted in the culture of some Nepali castes, prohibiting women and girls from fully participating in daily life and inhibiting their education. During menstruation, some girls and women are not allowed to enter a kitchen, touch water, attend religious functions, and in extreme cases, are not allowed to drink cow milk, eat fruit or sleep in a bed.

“From the [program] discussions, I understood that menstruation was not a sin but a natural body process. As I understood more, I gained the courage to talk to my family about menstrual taboos and other health issues,” explained Sabitra, a 15-year old from Baglung District.

Peer educators like Sabitra joined 60 leaders from Nepal’s government, community organizations and the U.S. Agency for International Development at a May 15 event to release results from the Putting Learning into Action program.

A program evaluation, released at the event, concluded that the program was a success. It increased confidence of adolescent girls and young women that they could improve their health and help others do so as well. Results showed that peer educators successfully promoted basic health-related knowledge and behaviors among a larger youth audience in the communities where the project was implemented, and engaged communities to confront harmful traditional practices that hamper the lives of young women.

Learn more about CEDPA’s work in Nepal and other country projects.

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