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"Development goals cannot be achieved by excluding women"

Gender is part of development. Poverty, the major problem in development works, can’t be eradicated as long as gender inequalities persist. Given that Nepal has lager women population than men and also women are the key players in socio-economic development mainstreaming gender is what is needed if the country has to move ahead in the path of progress. Having realized the same, MS Nepal introduced “Gender Pilot Project” in cooperation with its three partner organizations in three districts – Doti, Kapilbastu and Banke. How far will the project be able to address rural women’s problem and ensure that women are involved in achieving development goals? Anne Nissen, a Danish Development Worker at MS Nepal, who worked as short-term advisor during the project preparation phase, shares her experience with MS representative regarding the importance of gender sensitization programs in the overall development of any country or region.

Q. What is MS Nepal’s Gender Pilot project?

Anne: MS Nepal wants to support and mainstream gender in development work. How to include gender when we prepare plan and monitor partnership is an important issue. Three partners – Kalika Self Reliance Service Center (KSSC) in Kapilbastu, Centre for Women’s Development (CWD) in Banke and Ethnic Development Centre (EDC) in Doti worked with us in the gender pilot project. They were selected on the basis of organisational focus of the partners and different target groups in terms of different castes and ethnic groups. It was introduced eight months back. Now we know that development goals can’t be achieved by excluding women. With this experience of eight months, MS Nepal now at least has guidelines for gender sensitization in development strategies for partners. It has also known how to document gender in Nepal and how to combine gender and development in other projects to be implemented in future.

Q. How far has this project been able to address the problems facing Nepali women?

Anne: The project was MS Nepal’s initiative in developing gender strategies and gender sensitive monitoring. However, it has certainly helped rural women in understanding that they can be active partners in development endeavors. Women are interested to solve the problems in their areas. Now they are much aware of the inter-relation between gender and development. Earlier, women in the districts felt shy to come out of their home, but now we can see that they are turning up more outspoken and enthusiastic in helping each other. The MS Nepal staff concerned and partner organizations actively participated in the workshops we organized. The gender strategies were developed by seeking answers to a few crucial questions and following up on the participants’ group discussions. This process helped the participants clarify their perceptions and understanding on gender, identify problems and their organization’s potentials for addressing the problems. The most positive result is people now are committed to development work. But, it is not enough for addressing several issues facing Nepali women. Organizations other than MS Nepal, which are fully devoted to women’s development activities, should bring longer projects to really help women in Nepal.

Q. What do you think is the major hurdle in women’s development in Nepal?

Anne: Illiteracy. Education, which is the key factor of any kind of development, is lacking in Nepali women. Daughters are still not sent to schools and are obliged to learn household chores only. Even if girls are sent to receive primary education the dropout rate is very high. People still do not understand the importance of education for girls to develop. Such ignorance among the rural masses is posing major obstacle to empowering women in Nepal’s context. Women here can’t lead independent life and take decision on their own because they are uneducated and socio-economically dependent. I believe that all girls should be sent to the school so as to achieve sustainable women development.

Q. Will MS Nepal implement more programs for gender sensitization?

Anne: Gender is one of the cross-cutting issues of MS Nepal. My experience regarding gender related program is positive. Indeed the project has been fruitful and has made good impact in Nepalese society. Despite few constraints, we have been able to formulate guidelines— guidelines on gender sensitization workshop, for gender strategy development at partner level, for gender sensitive monitoring, reporting and documenting gender and for introduction of gender and development to Danish Development Workers in Nepal. But I think MS will not have any particular programme for gender issue alone. MS is a development organization and believes gender is a part of development. Therefore it may have more supporting programs for gender in achieving its other major development goals.

Q. How important is international co-operation in empowering women in a least developed country like Nepal?

Anne: Considering my experience, I would say it is very essential for international community to help least developed nations in any field and not just in empowering women. We all share the world and should respect the aspirations of fellow human beings. In my case, I love to work with people and being with poor. For me working with community is more important than working in office. I was a teacher and worked for young handicapped people in Denmark. In course of preparing the gender pilot project we have come up with various recommendations including mainstreaming of gender in MS Nepal’s program based on this process of gathering experiences. This process could be used while working on other cross cutting issues also. Another advantage is that the program staff has been actively involved in the processes in partner organizations, creating the basis for focusing on gender issues in partnerships. This is just an example, but the world’s people should believe in universal norms that the one who is capable should help the poor to make the world a better place to live in.