Peacebuilding and Human Rights Awareness Through Democracy and Community Empowerment

This initiative has moved into areas previously inaccessible due to the Maoist conflict, to work with those women most affected by the conflict. It focuses on mobilising them to raise awareness in their community about the rights of women, children and untouchables, to avoid future conflict.

Description

JJA developed this initiative in 2006 to raise mass awareness of the impacts of the Maoist armed conflict at the local level and to address those impacts through local efforts. The initiative further focuses on empowering women to address those impacts themselves and to involve them in the current peace process in their respective areas.

The project area consists of nine Village Development Committees (VDCs) within Bara District. These VDCs have been selected because in the previous climate of conflict, NGOs were unable to work there due to the heavy Maoist presence and activity. Because of this, people living in those VDCs are some of the worst affected by the conflict.

Aims / Objectives

The overall objective of the initiative is to identify women from the most marginalised communities, those vulnerable to the effects of conflict, and to get them to engage in community strengthening and peacebuilding initiatives. JJA then forms these women into groups for mobilisation.

Specific objectives are as follows:

• To build awareness through social mobilisation of local communities on the issues of gender discrimination, violence, socio-cultural traditions, untouchability, children's rights and maintaining the peace;
• To empower women through confidence-building initiatives to encourage leadership for community development and for peacebuilding; and
• To strengthen the position of women in agricultural production to benefit peaceful and sustainable development.

How it is Articulated

• Selection of women members;
• Formation of women's groups;
• Mobilise the groups to develop local efforts to address the impacts of the Maoist conflict;
• Awareness raising;
• Income generation training and programmes;
• Non-violence teaching;
• Human rights, leadership, conflict resolution and peacebuilding trainings;
• Awareness campaign through rallies, interactions and discussions;
• Social mobilisation programmes; and
• Children's rights training and children's clubs formation.

Achievements / Learning Points

JJA has again selected women as its target group; it has formed and mobilised 15 women's groups in nine VDCs. Each group has generally about 25-30 women but some of the groups have about 50-60 women due to the demands of the programme. The women's groups have included those who are poor, vulnerable and affected by conflict.

The groups have received training on group dynamics, gender inclusion, women's rights and leadership. After that the groups have been mobilising in the communities to raise mass awareness on the impacts of the Maoist conflict, how to address those impacts at the local level, and how to address other relevant issues such as domestic violence, gender and caste discrimination and so on. They have further made people aware of the issue of untouchability to prevent potential local conflict.

People in these communities have really experienced the advantages of this initiative over the last year.

Geographical Area of Operation

Nine VDCs of Bara district in Narayani zone.

Funding Resources

British Embassy.