Women's Development Service Centre (WDSC)

The organisation aims to raise the capacity of women in Nepal to enable them to participate more actively in the peace process.

Overview

Women's Development Service Centre is a non-profit, voluntary organisation that has been working with disadvantaged women in Nepal since its establishment in 1980. Since the conflict heightened, WDSC has expanded its areas of work to peace and conflict management believing that women should have an integral and equal role in working towards peace.

The objective of WDSC is to uplift the intellectual, social and economic status of rural women by providing skill development training and income generation programmes. It aims to resettle and support conflict victims economically by providing them with income and skills development training. Another objective of the organisation is to build the capacity for peace amongst women, Dalits, and marginalised groups, providing them with training on conflict management and peacebuilding. Its ultimate goal is to empower Nepali women, improve their overall living conditions and ensure their inclusion in the peace process and national development.

WDSC has provided rehabilitation services to the families of conflict victims through income generation activities, conflict management training and awareness programmes for peace. The Centre also runs the same programmes specifically for women and provides literacy classes and skill development programmes for women in the Janakpur zone and its surrounding villages. The aim of this is to improve their economic situation and to support and strengthen their involvement in public issues, including peace activities. In recent years WDSC has provided mediation services for local disputes which have been raised as a consequence of the Maoist War, and has mobilised communities to restore peace. It has been raising awareness for non-violent means of conflict resolution and mobilising communities to practice them. The organisation has developed contacts with almost every stakeholder in the conflict in the Janakpur zone and it is working through its contacts to resolve local problems.

What Services Are Provided?

The organisation has been providing skill development training such as income generation training for conflict victims, conflict management training and peace awareness programmes for women and other victims of the conflict.

Geographical area of operation

Janakpur in the Central Region of Nepal.

Funding Resources

United Nations Development Fund - Support for Peace and Development Initiatives (UNDP-SPDI, Nepal) and local resources.

What Further Information Would You Like?

Details of funding agencies that provide overhead costs and institutional support, information on women and peacebuilding.

What New Contacts Would You Like To Make?

Those who have been working to improve the situation of women (economic, social, political) and those involved with women and peacebuilding.

Associated Organisations

Fair Trade Group (Nepal), NGO Federation, Social Welfare Council.