Kathmandu, June 15, 2017: Ending of May was a lot of introspection and knowing each and every change maker in the EmpowHER cohort this year. As we entered June, we realized it was time for us to bring some shape to our projects.
June 10th was the 6th session of EmpowHer which started with an inspirational and energetic speech by our big sister who was a participant of the first cohort, Samata Bajracharya. Her speech motivated each and every individual in the room and taught us that failure is not the end and that it is required. She claimed out of her experience that if we do not stop finding on what actually we are capable of or where are interest lies in. The one thing that hit us was we must first change ourselves if we want to bring change in others.
Pumped up and enthusiastic cohort slowly moved to the second session which was about NiDARR, a mobile app brought into action by Ujyalo Foundation which helps to protect girls and provide help from harassment. The session coordinators Ms. Yajaswi Rai and Ms. Amuda Mishra introduced the NiDARR app and its use. NiDARR means ‘fearless’ in Nepali. Installing the app in our phones makes us fearless and gives your safety in a distressed situation. The app is useful to aware the girls and for their security. The app not only makes you feel secure but also informs to the people in your contact. This app is helpful for the girls who travel around alone especially in night times or those who become victim of harassment in the public. Use of this app surely minimizes the rate of crimes in the society.
Similarly, the third session of the day started with the introduction of Claire Naylor from Women LEAD. Women LEAD is a non-governmental organization that provides women’s leadership development training and advocacy in Nepal. She dealt with the key points that are required for a project management. She also introduced the urgent and important things that comes in our way and which we can keep in our top most as well as least priority. She helped us introspect and taught us that it is important to celebrate all the happy moments and overcome the sad, disturbing moments. We all realized life is made of a combination of ups and downs and we all need to be ready for it. We all need to be motivated and passionate about our projects and not let the sad moments overtake it.
EmpowHER cohort is formed of people belonging to different sectors. So, it was important to let them know the use, need and power of social media. The last guest speaker introduced this concept with interesting examples. Digital marketing forms the world and involves each and every country into its periphery. Right after the lunch, we had our another session by Amun Thapa, founder of Sasto Deal. He emphasized the digital world that we compete today has a huge scope. He explained how we have to tackle each and every problem that we might face in the world of click and screens. “We should have the proper knowledge about our customers and their needs & choices as well,” he said explaining the effective use of social media.
The last session of the day was conducted by Ms. Amuda Mishra. She explained how budgeting needs to be done for the project wisely. She also taught us about administrative cost and the project-based cost (PCB). Also, the concept of return on investment was introduced which gave a practical and feasibility check. This was the end of the day with learnings and shaping.
By Nancy Agrawal, Surakshya Shrestha, and Sarita Purkoti
Over the course of four months, the EmpowHER cohorts will go through various activities related to leadership development, and get involved with the community. Glocal Khabar, as the official online media partner, will bring out regular updates about the programme throughout the project duration.
