July 2025
Warm greetings to everyone,
First of all, on behalf of myself, Dudh Kumari Gurung, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all the respected members of the WAWCAS Team. Thank you for bringing such a meaningful program to our remote village. I also want to express my heartfelt thanks to Sunita , who embraced our village as her own and treated us—uneducated women here—with the same love and care as if we were her own sisters. She has shared so much valuable knowledge with us in a simple and understandable way. I am truly grateful for that.
Today, after participating in a discussion on women’s rights, I felt a strong desire to share what I learned and how I felt. I must say, my heart is filled with joy and inspiration. Until now, I had no idea that the state has ensured so many rights for women. I was unaware that Nepal upholds the principle of equality between men and women.
I learned that women, like men, have the right to equal access to education and employment opportunities. I used to think it was normal for us women to be paid less than men, even if we worked just as hard or even more throughout the day. But now I know that the law ensures equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender.
Furthermore, I discovered that the state has granted specific rights to women, such as mandatory representation: either the leader or deputy leader in local government must be a woman, ensuring at least 40% participation. I was also happy to learn that in every primary school, there must be at least one female teacher. Women can apply for government jobs up to the age of 40, which is another great opportunity.
In the health sector, I found out that maternity leave is legally granted during childbirth, and during body searches or arrests, it is mandatory that they be conducted by female health workers or female police officers, which I think is extremely thoughtful and respectful.
One part that really struck me was learning about laws to combat gender-based violence. For example, if a woman is raped, she is legally entitled to half of the perpetrator’s property as compensation. This made me feel hopeful and supported. I also came to know that two seats are reserved for women in public transportation, something I had never paid attention to before.
Honestly, I used to believe that women’s responsibilities were limited to household chores and managing the kitchen. But now I realize—that’s not true at all. The government has provided us with powerful rights. We can go into any field with confidence. We now have positions and authority—we can proudly say, “Yes, this is within our right.”
Learning all of this has brought me immense joy.
Thank you for reading. That’s all for today—see you in the next blog!