Working with FEDO

Chameli Pariyar, president of FEDO Pokhara

 
Chance for Change is starting a new project in Pokhara. My work as a project development coordinator is to create the foundation for the work to be done here during next couple of years. Our first partner in this process is FEDO, Feminist Dalit Organization. In the future there will be network of partners in our program and work will be done in various different levels.


I have had an honor to live with Cameli Pariyars family during my first week of my time in Pokhara. She is truly a dedicated and inspiring person and talented speaker as well. Cameli is a president of FEDO Pokhara organization and uses all her time to work for the benefit of Dalit women.

Me and Rajani receiving tikka´s at one of the women group meetings

Women of the group we met

FEDO has been working since 1994 and in Pokhara since 2008. Organization covers almost the whole country and is working with eight priority programs:

1. Economic empowerment
2. Political empowerment
3. Justice and human rights
4. Violence against women
5. Peace-building and constitution
6. Health and sanitation
7. Education
8. Organizational development

VISION, MISSION AND GOAL OF FEDO

 

Vision

FEDO envisions a just and equitable society where Dalit women can live their lives with dignity and self-respect.

Mission

To eradicate gender and caste-based discrimination through the process of social, political and economic empowerment of Dalit women.

Objectives

-To increase and ensure proportional representation of Dalit women in all aspects of socio- political life.

-To improve the access of Dalit women to socio-economic resources, opportunities and services.
-To empower Dalit women to fight against caste-based discrimination and gender- based violence.

The UN´s country analysis 2011 opens the reality of women and specially Dalit women in Nepal. FEDO lists few of the challenges they face when working with Dalit women:

Since 1994 FEDO has worked defending and advocating for Dalit women’s rights. During this time, the organization has witnessed discrimination against Dalits and Dalit women at every level of society; from young Dalit girls being sent home from school for drinking from the same water source as classmates, to the killings of Dalits for marrying outside their caste.

Imprisonment, rape, torture, political intimidation, marginalization, murder and exclusion are just some of the tools of discrimination FEDO has encountered whilst carrying out its work, advocating for the social, economic, cultural and political rights, the basic human rights, which all Dalit women and Dalits are entitled to.

Some of the specific challenges FEDO and those representing Dalit women’s rights may face include:

• Arrest
• Imprisonment
• Slander
• Harassment
• Bureaucratic barriers

Challenges for FEDO will exist as long as Dalit women remain disempowered and lacking basic human rights. Nepal is still largely a patriarchal society upheld by rigid social structures, norms and values which support the unequal caste hierarchy. The patriarchal nature of Nepalese society and the caste system makes Dalit women especially vulnerable to discrimination.

Challenges to Program Effectiveness

• Low public awareness of the low status of Dalit women
• Low literacy rates and education opportunities for Dalit women
• Lack of mainstreaming of Dalit women’s issues in the government and state institutions
• Patriarchal cultural values
• Caste-based system
• Transitional phase for the government and consequent unstable political system
• Delay of Constituent Assembly elections
• Frequent bandhs (general strikes) which means the closure of public amenities making FEDO program delivery and communications difficult at times, particularly to more remote areas of Nepal

 Despite these numerous challenges, FEDO continues its advocacy for the elimination of caste and gender-based discrimination, in order to achieve its vision of a just and equitable society. 

I am looking forward to meet more groups, get to know this amazing work that FEDO does and see where our co-operation leads us!