Anti-Trafficking Project Start-up
Report to: Rose Charities Canada
Date: February 17, 2009
Activity Progress Report from August 2008 to February 17, 2009
Description of Project: With assistance from the start-up grant from Rose Charities Canada, a group of women led by Kunti Chapagai have formed an organization to work on anti-traffickng of women and girls. The organization is directed by a Board of Directors. There are seven local women on the Board. There are also 22 women who are general members of the organization. In addition, we have a former police officer in the border area, lawyer, social worker, local political leader, school teacher as resource people who help us with the awareness projects. The local women’s micro finance group have offered support for the program.
We have undertaken several awareness programs in a rural community near the border with India. In the rural areas the women and girls are more at risk because they are poor, illiterate and have no rights. The awareness programs that work best are street drama and FM radio. In these areas, people will come out because street dramas are means of entertainment so we can get the message across. The other popular way to inform people is FM radio. We have also talked to girls and boys at the local school about the trafficking problem.
Kunti Chapagi has visited with families living in migrant communities to find out their problems and talk about anti-trafficking awareness.
Activities of group to date with outcomes
July 08
Planning: Kunti Chapagai contacted women and political leaders personally about a meeting to talk about social problems. Rose Charities Canada contacted about small grant as start-up. Kunti went door to door talking with individual women about local social problems.
- Canadian grant from Rose Charities Canada
- suggestion from RCC to apply to Global Fund for Women for on-going funding
August 08
Informal Street Drama: boys and girls from the community wrote a script and put on a drama in Chylia Jungle Village Development Committee.
- 4 girls and 6 boys were in the drama group;
- about 100 people mostly girls who were looking after their animals attended the event
- request from girls for more formal dramas
22 Sept 08
Interaction meeting with women, political leaders, Chief Guest and Speaker - Mrs. Santa Manawi, MP.
Purpose: raise awareness about trafficking project, share knowledge on problem and discuss cultural barriers for women. General discussion on problems of women’s heath and sanitation, sexual diseases, family planning, scholarship for children of poor families, informal education programs, adult education. Among problems need to raise awareness about trafficking first priority.
42 in attendance (30 women in attendance). 75% woman showed interest in the project (20).
Received encouragement to continue project and group members asked Kunti to be Coordinator.
September 08
Formal Street Drama planning: recruit street drama members, write the script by drama group and Kunti with support from ex-police officer from rural area familiar with problem; identification of rural communities: Rupandehi District, Aamuwa VDC, ward no. 6
- drama script written
- communities identified
- date chosen for drama
28 Sept 08Street Drama on girl-woman trafficking and HIV/AIDS. Individual contact with village development committee, village secretary, social workers, leaders about program. Group meeting with village leaders. (1 week process to involve community).
Drama publicized by word of mouth. Held in Rupandehi District, Aamuwa VDC, ward no. 6
- Community leader awareness and support
- 100-200 attend drama are direct beneficiaries of information
- 500-700 indirect beneficiaries who hear information from attendees
- drama actors who receive small allowance and also publicize program to their communities
23 Nov 08
Lecture Program in school and community: message on girl-woman trafficking, sexual diseases, and drug and alcohol. Bhamumadyamik Vidyala School in Rupandehi District, Aamuwa VDC, ward no. 6. Received support from Principal to conduct program
- grades 7, 8, 9 and 10 students (about 200)
- questions asked during program – signs of trafficking, and STDs
- 5 women teachers supportive of program will help if come back ; principal liked program and said to come back
26 Dec 08
Group discussion about program activities, future program and forming NGO: with Board members and general members to tell them about program so far.
Showed pictures and banner of program.
22 women attended meeting (women only)
- pleased with program; thanks; gave advice on program and agreed to program as conducted
4 Feb 09
Advisory Group meeting: After finishing awareness program in border area organized a meeting to discuss trafficking project, grant proposal to Global Women’s Fund, and new awareness programs in local migrant community
- 9 local women attended meeting
- plans for awareness lecture on Saturday through Micro-finance women’s group
- talked about target group of migrants to Kathmandu as high-risk group
6 Feb 09
Sunil Pant, MP meeting: meeting with local activist Politian on trafficking initiatives by government and local groups
- ideas for working with women who have been trafficked
- organizations not working at roots level so our community approach needed
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7 Feb 09
Women’s Micro-finance picnic and AGM: speech on trafficking project by Kunti Chapagai
- support for new group from teachers, health workers in micro-finance
- awareness of new anti-trafficking group to 150 women
What are the differences between the beginning of the project and now? In July when the project first started we didn’t have a group, we had no concrete plans, and we knew about the problem of trafficking in the border areas but didn’t know how to provide services.
Now we have a formal group, we have plans for working in anti-trafficking, we have community support (local political leaders, lawyer, teacher, women’s micro-finance group, former police officer in rural area). We have undertaken several types of awareness programs so we know the cost and effectiveness. We have received support from Rose Charities Canada with the start-up grant and assistance from Rose Charities Volunteer Consultant, Linda Roberts in grant writing and program development.
Plans for the next year: Things we would like to do:
Rehabilitation Program for women who have been victims of trafficking
Small, skill training for women and girls so they have some income and are less likely to be trafficked
Informal education programs for girls ages 10-20 years old, the high risk age, in rural and migrant communities of Kathmandu
More street dramas and more wall paintings (billboards)
Awareness activities like producing a pamphlet, school lectures, and lectures in the community
Advocacy on human rights for women
