Empowering Women

In Nepal

Nepal is a traditional, male-dominated culture that oppresses women in education, the workforce, and government. A 2016 survey reported high rates of physical abuse and sexual violence, yet the laws don’t go nearly far enough to protect women or improve their standing in society. In the end, many girls have no choice but to marry young, bear children, and serve their husbands.

The Lydia Vocational Training Centre teaches practical skills that help women start a business and provide for themselves and their families. When Shanti came to the Lydia Centre, she couldn’t even express herself in public. When she graduated in 2012, she’d built up enough confidence to open a tailoring shop and teach other women what she’d learned at Lydia. Kalpana Tamang, the program director, describes her as

“an amazing lady, caring mother, successful wife, advocate, God-fearing child, and one of the strongest pillars of her local church.”