Kathmandu : Baglung Dhorpatan Municipality-9's Bishesh Vishwakarma was unable to speak in public or even directly in front of his friends. However, they have since changed. He can now communicate with everyone. The WeMen’s Club Juniors are the primary cause of this specific change. Like him, other WeMen’s Club members become interested in social issues, pose inquiries, and offer recommendations."I used to talk to everyone and in public places, but I've changed since then," he said.
Bishesh recalled his mother's criticism for raising awareness of the problem of child marriage while he was in the village. He advised his mother to take the initiative to prevent an underage child's wedding after observing the neighborhood's wedding preparations. "However, the mother stated that the son did not interfere in other people's private affairs and was surprised to hear such a reaction," he said."If my mother were educated, she should not have said this," he said, rather than disciplining his own mother for speaking out in public. "Illiterate people are not permitted to speak."
This specific character merely serves as a metaphor for the transformation. Teenagers from various Lalitpur schools, such as Suresh Thapa, Suyog Kafle, Samir, Ranesh Chaudhary, and Om Pandey, have also experienced similar positive changes in their lives as a result of joining the "WeMen’s Club Juniors," which is run by the "Hami Dajubhai" organization. Like Suresh Thapa of Dullu Municipality-2, Dailekh, he was reticent to speak in front of others, was unable to discuss the negative aspects of society, and behaved differently. He spoke without thinking. He also behaved differently when he was angry and spoke. In addition, Suresh no longer believes that women should handle all domestic duties.
Suresh started to open up and listen more after attending the WeMen’s Club Junior sessions. Conversations about issues like consent, gender equality, and respect enabled her to examine her own behavior and convictions. He started to reconsider slowly. He realized that regardless of gender, everyone deserves to be loved and respected. "In the past, I believed that my mother and sister were in charge of cooking, cleaning, and other household duties," says Suresh. "But that isn't the case anymore; my perspective has changed significantly." This change occurred after we joined the sister-run WeMen’s Club Juniors. I want to thank the WeMen’s Club in particular.
Suresh, a ninth-grade student at Lalitpur's Tika Vidyashram Secondary School, recalled an old friend's incident. His voice was muffled as he said, "The friend changed schools and was forced to return to his native place after being judged on the basis of his caste and geographical identity for liking a classmate." "A person's honor and dignity are not diminished by their birthplace, color, or physique," he continued. Everybody has red blood. According to him, research of this kind must to be carried out all over Nepal, not just in Lalitpur.
"My mother, Karnali, and the entire country truly need the knowledge we have received," he stated. "This knowledge must be conducted in the districts of all seven provinces of Nepal."
However, Suyog Kafle, a ninth-grade student at Mahendra Adarsh Secondary School, also believed that men shouldn't handle domestic duties that belong to women. He also changed when he joined the Juniors of the WeMen’s Club . He remarked, "WeMen’s Club Juniors has opened my eyes," and "I now do all the household chores I can."I assist my mom. Additionally, I've discovered that women and men should collaborate on all tasks.
According to Samir, a ninth-grade student at Unnati Secondary School, "I used to get angry easily and act harshly in the past." Attending the WeMen’s Club sessions caused me to undergo a significant transformation; I now treat everyone equally, listen to others, and think and speak in a different way. The value of consent was the most significant lesson I took away. Samir, who has always been loud, angry, and harsh toward girls in particular, is now regarded by his friends and teachers as helpful and calm. Samir, a ninth-grader at Unnati Secondary School, did not experience this change overnight. This is the outcome of the principles, way of thinking, and conduct she acquired from the WeMen’s Club .
I initially said what I thought. "I'm just thinking," Samir uttered. Samir thought that being a man meant not crying, not doing housework, being tough, and looking strong before he joined the WeMen’s Club Junior. Our society is full of such notions. Their behavior is affected by this as well.
However, Samir gained new knowledge by questioning the conventional notion of masculinity after he began to participate in the WeMen’s Club . He started to ask himself, "Am I really doing the right thing?" after talking about topics like consent, respect, equality, and responsibility. Am I attempting to comprehend the emotions of another person?
Ranesh Chaudhary, a resident of Siraha's Lahan Municipality-12, is a ninth-grade student at Patan High School. He supposed his mother and sister to handle all of the housework while on vacation. According to him, women should handle all domestic duties rather than men. But now, that way of thinking is different. He assists with every household task he can when he returns home for the holidays. When her mother noticed the change in the house, she was taken aback. He claims that even in his free time, he spends a lot of time neglecting household duties, and his family members are surprised when he works from home in these days.
"After taking 23 classes, I realized that women are not in charge of cleaning, housework, or anything else." I'm now beginning to put it into practice. According to Chaudhary, being a man is a mix of responsibility, understanding, and sensitivity rather than a set of outwardly displayed behaviors.
Respecting others, embracing your flaws, and advancing without compromising your self-worth are all part of being a man in the modern era. "At first I didn't know what masculinity was, but weMen club taught us a lot about masculinity." Many members of the WeMen’s Club Junior, which is run by "Hami Dajuvai" in collaboration with DKA Austria, have developed positive attitudes and behaviors. Rosen Maharjan, the facilitator, claims that 216 pupils from 12 different schools in the same club have experienced this transformation.
According to Rosen, "Teens who were once shy about speaking up now ask questions, respond to inquiries, and discuss the village." Their confidence is increasing. They stay in contact and update us on their activities even after 24 class sessions. These days, adolescents are also participating in social services, which is strengthening their path to becoming engaged citizens. This program is currently being implemented in Godavari Municipality, Mahalaxmi Municipality, and Lalitpur Metropolitan City hosted the WeMen’s Club Juniors' inaugural year.
In the second year, the WeMen’s Club Juniors Project Coordinator, Barsha Thapa Magar, announced that the next phase will continue in the days ahead in Mahalaxmi Municipality-4 and 8 and Godavari Municipality-8, and 11 and Lalitpur Municipal-2. She claims that 12 schools in the Lalitpur district hosted the program.
Pandey claims that the club has provided a chance to discuss gender equality and participation. He stated, "The WeMen’s Club taught the idea that not only women but also men should do housework."By taking part in 22 classes run by the WeMen’s Club , he has come to understand that men can play a significant role in the home as well. According to Om, "such things were not in our consciousness earlier, but now we have the confidence to convert negative thoughts into positive ones."
Since the WeMen’s Club Juniors project started to benefit students, parents and teachers are also thrilled. The junior members of the WeMen’s Club mention teachers who have noticed significant positive changes in the children's past and present behavior. Even though the school had a lot of different organizations in the past, the programs were only for girls. However, according to Prabhat Secondary School teacher Narayani Devi stated that "only adolescents were trained, not teenagers," but that "in the past, the majority of the institutions used to come to our school, but those programs were mostly focused on adolescents." Later, by involving teenagers, the weMen club operated differently.
"It was evident that raising awareness among men has a direct positive impact on young girls as well." According to Narayani Devi, "teenagers themselves are now conscious, and the shift in their perspective will be crucial in advancing gender equality in society."Teenagers' conduct and speech have changed significantly in recent years, according to Chandra Shrestha, headmaster of Balvikas Secondary School.
At the school, I also instruct health education. "Adolescents' conduct, behavior, and speech have improved recently," he stated. There are a lot of useful lessons to be learned from the club, including a positive outlook on society, a sense of responsibility to the family, and a habit of accepting responsibility.
Parents are now also stating: "Our sons and daughters feel more responsible than before."
Numerous issues were addressed while working on the WeMen’s Club project, including mental instability, a lack of confidence in one's ability to express emotions, an underdeveloped society, a lack of empathy, protection, etc. According to him, the weMen’s Club project has done a fantastic job of comprehending the opinions of the students in particular and inspiring them to adopt the behavioral changes that have been observed in them.
At the starting of the club, Uma Bajracharya, the chairman of the Child Rights Committee and ward member of Lalitpur Municipal Ward No. 6, expressed her happiness at hearing firsthand accounts from the boys and girls. She pledged to offer every assistance she could in the days ahead.
"This program should make all of us public representatives very happy," she said. "I ask that all corresponding government agencies to provide the funding for such a program in all 29 of our Mahalaxmi, Godavari, and Lalitpur wards."
Teenagers' education through the 'WeMen’s Club Junior' project is highly praiseworthy, according to Shobha Devi Kharel, head of the Women's Development Branch of Lalitpur Metropolitan City. "I am thrilled to learn that the weMen’s Club is teaching gender equality, reproductive health, and social values," she said. She claims that historically, only women were typically taught these subjects. "Men and boys were kept out of such subjects," she said, adding that "since the 1980s, such subjects were taught only to women."However, it is now vital and highly beneficial to make an effort to reach teenagers and turn them into "change agents," or leaders of change.
Such programs should be expanded to other schools as well, according to Kharel, who also expressed confidence that the participating teens could spread the word about positive social change.
Teenagers today have undergone significant change, according to Rukmini Maharjan, a ward member of Lalitpur Metropolitan City-18. She claims that although the adolescent-targeted program was successful, it would have been preferable if adolescents had received the same instruction. "If both adolescents were in the same location, they would better understand each other."
"In the past, men would say," "This is what women do, not us." Maharjan, a ward member, stated, "But now that thinking has changed."Everyone is now starting to realize that qualifications, not gender, should determine employment. It is encouraging to see that today's youth are starting to exhibit equality and a collaborative spirit.
"This time, I got to be actively involved in the program, but I didn't get to participate in the first phase." "Now I think it's really a serious issue that both young people need to learn, understand," she stated."
Since joining the weMen’s Club Junior, the teenagers have been very active, according to Suresh Gupta, a teacher at West
Wing Secondary School. He states that they are "more than ever, starting to have an open mind," "beginning to take an interest in social issues, and leading others to be aware." Since the WeMen’s Club started operating, things have changed for the better. According to facilitators, thinking has changed significantly since then.
Weekly meetings with trained facilitators are held in schools through clubs under the program, where teenagers talk about issues like gender equality, childhood, masculinity, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. By educating youth, parents, and educators about gender discrimination and violence, this weMen's Club Junior initiative, led by us brothers, seeks to help create a more inclusive society.
Therefore, by educating young people, parents, and educators about gender discrimination and violence, the "weMen's Club Junior" initiative is significantly advancing the development of an inclusive society. Many households in rural Nepal still rely on women to handle household chores. However, the practice of such clubs appears to be highly successful in changing such social norms.
Prabhat Madhyamik School in Lalitpur Municipal Ward No. 17, Bal Vikas Madhyamik School in Ward No. 6, Patan Madhyamik School in Ward No. 11, Nirmal Secondary School in Ward No. 18, Shree Shanti Madhyamik School in Ward No. 8, and Shree Shramik Shanti Madhyamik School in Ward No. 9 were the locations for the first phase of the program. Likewise, Godavari Municipality's Ward Nos. 8 and 11 are home to Sri Ganesh Secondary School and Kanchan Secondary School.
"I didn't get to participate in the first phase, but this time I was able to be actively involved in the program." She said, "Now I think it's really a serious issue that both young people need to learn, understand."According to Suresh Gupta, a teacher at West Wing Secondary School, the teenagers have been quite active since joining the WeMen’s Club Junior. They are "more than ever, starting to have an open mind," he says, "starting to take an interest in social issues, and leading others to be aware."
The situation has improved since the WeMen’s Club began operations. Since then, facilitators say, thinking has evolved dramatically.
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