In Nepal, the consequences of ten years of domestic conflict (1996 - 2006) are still seen in our society, and it has deeply affected the people within it.

The youths who grew up with the war always present, look upon conflicts as an accepted part of life.

In a society that has been ruled by autocratic leaders for more than 240 years, democracy is something new and not yet rooted.

Focusing on the next generation to develop society in a sustainable way – with human rights and democracy as sacred values, is therefore essential in the work of RUWON.

Creating awareness among youth for women's, youth and children's rights, gender equality, and democracy is the first step to make that reality.

Educating our youth in leadership skills, showing them opportunities to influence and change society encourages them to actively participate in the development of the country, and giving our youth good values and capacities is of the highest priority in RUWON's work, since they are the future of Nepal.

Children from marginalized communities – especially girls, are often deprived of their natural child rights of having the light of education.

Lack of education reduces the chances of children to improve their standard of living. By keeping girls from going to school in the traditional pattern, gender disparity is maintained.

The conflict between 1996 and 2006 caused a large number of families to move to the urban areas of the country, and to Kathmandu in particular.

In addition, the war caused a lot of damage around the country. Not only were roads and buildings affected, but also schools and hospitals.

This, together with very limited economic resources, makes the quality of the education poor, in government schools. Big classes (on average around 100 students per class), bad facilities, and minimal resources make the education far from satisfying.

Enabling Rural Women to Fight for their Rights

Gender disparity is prevalent among women in Nepal.

Women’s deprivation is partly associated with social-cultural factors under our male-dominant patriarchal system, which has further generated gender inequality.

This results in low-rate opportunities in poverty, education, health care facilities, job procurement, property rights and gender dissemination disparity. Due to these prevalent adverse situations, women are socially and economically deprived from receiving the same opportunities as men.

For Nepalese women, these harsh conditions not only violate their human rights, but also thrust new challenges against the overall development process of the country.

When half of the population of the country – women - are marginalized, our society is unable to smoothly propel forward.

Because of this, RUWON identifies its aims towards enabling a generation of creative awareness among rural women to fight for their rights through various programs.

Education and awareness and exchange of information on women’s daily issues are important tools in our work.

Not only this, we have set specific objectives of running various programs involving the necessary skills as required at the local level, targeted for unemployed women who wish to make themselves economically independent.

Special efforts have been made to bring forth uneducated, poor, downtrodden women from marginalized communities of backward classes and indigenous women into the national mainstream.

For this purpose, an efficient, gender-related network system has been created in order to channel forth the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the conscious and empowered woman to those living in socio-economic deprivation.

Our Women's Literacy School

In February 2010. a school for illiterate women was started by RUWON in Saraswatinagar and Kapan, Kathmandu.

The school offers courses in Nepali, math, and English for illiterate women of all ages. Currently the students are between 20 and 79 years old.

Classes are free and held for two hours, six days a week. Around 200 women are participating in the project.

The women are divided into five classes and taught by teachers who provide their services voluntarily.

Our Women's Literacy School project is supported by The Ministry of Education, Nepal, with books and stationeries for some students. A new potential partner in the project is The Raymond Williams Foundation, UK.