Insight on Conflict » Seto Guras Bal Bikash Sewa

Seto Guras Bal Bikash Sewa

This Nepali organisation works to ensure peace through the elimination of caste and gender discrimination, and through the development and education of children as future peacebuilders.

Overview

Seto Guras Bal Bikash Sewa (SGBVS) was established in 1997 to work in the Bara District of Narayani Zone in the sectors of gender and children. SGBVS has some partner organisations, and sometimes works in partnership with government agencies. SGBVS focuses on promoting gender development and gender justice, creating social justice, improving education, and supporting children and peace.

SGBVS works through a rights-based approach, mainly working in the sectors of capacity building, awareness raising, children and gender. It has provided training (gender awareness training, gender mainstreaming training, gender and peace training, human rights and children's rights training), conducted informal education classes and developed early childhood development centres.

SGBVS has formed groups at the community level and has also many partner organisations to help implement the programmes and achieve the following aims:

To make people aware of gender discrimination and to minimise gender-related violence;
To establish itself as a gender, child and peace resource centre;
To develop human resources in the sectors of gender, children and peace in Bara district;
To promote a culture for respecting human rights, women and children rights;
To make children aware of peace and to develop them as peace workers/lovers from the school level; and
To make people aware about peace.

Almost 200 people in the district working at the community level have participated in gender mainstreaming training and SGBVS has established four child peace groups. The organisation has reserved the rights to select the people involved.

Children in the groups have taken peace and leadership training. Furthermore, 171 women have taken a package programme on peacebuilding, women's rights, income generation and saving and credit. SGBVS has noticed that women in the programme areas have become really empowered and have got involved in public performance and peace activities.

SGBVS has recognised that the present peace process will not be successful unless gender discrimination and the caste system are eliminated. Furthermore, it has viewed that to ensure a lasting peace in the country and to prevent potential conflict in the future the people should make their children aware of peace from an early age, and to develop them in a proper and peaceful environment.