Year: 2023 - 2024
Supported by: COREGroup
Major Component: Advocacy, Sensitization, SRHR, Safe Abortion, Family planning, Menstruation, Gender-Based Violence, Disability, LGBTIQA+, Value Clarification, Young People
Empowerment for SRHR (YES) is an initiative that is designed to address the unmet sexual and reproductive health needs of particular groups, such as the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) community and women with disabilities. The project is supported by CORE Group. Through a youth-led initiative in the community and the use of various popular platforms, different interventions at the grass-roots and local government level will be prioritized through this project with the goal of ensuring judgment-free SRHR services to every individual with diverse backgrounds, with shared responsibility from the concerned stakeholder to make SRHR services accessible.
Three value clarification and attitude transformation (VCAT) were conducted in Koshi, Madhesh, and Bagmati provinces targeting the healthcare providers of these provinces. In total 83 healthcare providers were provided with VCAT on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
In order to generate support and collaborate with the provincial government regarding the project, 6 lobby meetings were conducted with the Health Directorate and 6 sharing meetings were conducted to share the outcomes of the project.
We recruited 28 young individuals from all 7 provinces as our Youth champions and were value clarified related to SRHR including contraceptives and safe abortion, gender-based violence, advocacy, and activism tools. Upon receiving the training Youth champions developed their action plan to create awareness in their respective region.
Our Youth champions conducted 69 community and school-based awareness programs. In total 47 individual sessions and 22 group sessions were conducted reaching around 2769 young individuals in their diversities. They had conducted sessions on Safe Abortion, Family Planning, Gender-Based Violence, and Menstrual Hygiene Management along with the introduction of SRHR. These sessions also focused on the need for SRHR services for persons with disabilities, and sexual and gender minorities.
Our Youth champions from Lumbini Province also celebrated pride month with a first-ever pride parade at Nepalgunj. The first-ever Pride Parade was organized jointly by Western Star Nepal along with the Federation of Sexual and Gender Minorities Nepal (FSGMN), Visible Impact, and Yuwa Nepal. The Pride Parade received an overwhelming response from the community, with over 116 individuals actively participating in the event. This strong support reflected the growing recognition and willingness of the LGBTIQA+ community to stand alongside them in their fight for equal rights. Youth Champions from the rest of the province also marked Menstrual Hygiene Day, World AIDS Day, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, and Family Planning Day.
Under the project, we have developed a duffle bag as the visibility material with the message #SRHR4ALL. These materials were distributed to our Youth champions, facilitators, and volunteers. The main aim of this visibility material is to initiate a conversation around SRHR in the community.
One radio PSA in Nepali and 6 regional languages such as Limbu, Maithali, Doteli, Tamang, Magar, and Tharu were created and broadcast through 7 national and regional radio stations. A 6 episode YouTube series where young people in their diversities discussed the different aspects of the SRHR was also developed and released through our social media handles.
611, Shrijanshil Marg, Basundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal
phone : +977 9847697791
Email : mail.visim@gmail.com
Website : www.visim.org
Visim envisions creating visible impact on lives of every girl, every woman and every youth by unleashing the social and economic leadership of girls, women and youth through beneficiary-partnered innovative interventions.