I am NAMITA GHIMIRE, I am a 29-year-old woman from Nepal. I was born and raised in the countryside in a remote village named Jitpurphedi, located demographically at the western slope of the Northwest hill that forms the Kathmandu valley. As the second child out of four in my immediate family, I was born and introduced to this world on September 18, 1991. My family, an ordinary and culturally Nepali bound family, I was fortunate and forever grateful to my wonderful endearing mother and father for giving me the foundations and the meaning of love, harmony, and the unconditional understanding and warmth of ?richness of the soul?! I thank dearly, with absolute love and gratitude, my mom Chandra Kumari Ghimire and Durga Prasad Ghimire for the underlying beauty of life and the joyous blessings they have granted me! To my parents, I love you unconditionally with all of my heart and for guiding me to be a woman and person of the community, our country, and love for the people globally!
My Hardship of Childhood and Life
Since the very early days of my life and childhood, I had faced social and economic problems because I was the daughter of the community. I have seen the hardships of my parents and my neighbors and the community village. We had to depend on very small quantities of food grains from our fields and a few domestic animals for everything, as my parents had no other options for generating income and poverty was common. Conditions included no electricity, no proper supply of safe drinking water, the danger of wild animals and potential harm to playing children and members of the community, lack of literacy education, educational supplies, etc...These were just a small fraction of challenges and elements pushing our village and quality of life to a miserable condition; However so thankful we kept peace in our souls and hearts with prayers! My grandfather, father, and mother all strongly believed in educating children and wisdom for the future for future generations, community, and family. I was the first female child in the whole village to fight and persevere for all my own Rights, my gaining of resources to educate myself, and to dream of one day passing on these characteristics to the much less fortunate! After struggle and perseverance, I gained experience and education linguistically and the ability to speak clearly and cognitively. At that point, I then began to fight for my all Human Rights, even with my family. I imagine vividly one story that my siblings and I had about food:
My father was a farmer and dairy cow tender and he used to sell the milk in Kathmandu city early in the morning. After he unloaded all his daily supply of milk in Kathmandu, he would always bring home cookies for us every day! What kid do you know who doesn?t love cookie treats?! Beforehand, my father would divide the number of cookies equally between the 3 of us. In the packet of cookies, there were 10 pieces of biscuits and my father would start to divide equally, but 10 pieces of biscuits wouldn?t be equal and our eldest sister and I would receive 3 biscuits. My brother was just 3 years old and I was 5 years old, so my dad thought our brother, being the youngest, should receive the 4th biscuit! After our father gave one extra biscuit to our brother and my sister and I received the 3 distributed biscuits, suddenly I started to fight because my father gave 4 pieces to his youngest child and son! Basically, my sister and I felt discriminated against, being the older daughters and not the youngest child and son. I expressed my feelings and animosity towards our father and discussed his discrimination towards us for the unbalanced equal sharing. At that time, my father studied my face very deeply and said to me, ?One day you will fight for all discrimination?. My grandfather laughed at me and I didn?t eat any biscuits because I wanted to feel equal to my brother and not to my sister!
Although my father and mother knew that all children are equal and they sent us to school, perhaps the 4th cookie could have been split as well!! I was very smart, clever, talkative, and honest with my teachers and my family. My study routine and habits grew very strong and with determination, so I excelled very well in the school ranks where I attended. I always came in first or second place/rank in the class, and my extracurricular activities were super innovative and creative. With this, in any programs attained, I was always first or second place and was rewarded gifts and awards from my schools. These achievements and perseverance with education is also the reason I was able to speak on the stage in front of 1,500 people or more in a room-filled audience when I was just 10 years old.
Apart from going to school, my brother, my sisters, and I also had some duties to be performed every day at home, such as fetching fresh drinkable water, looking after the cattle, going to the nearby forest called Salkoteban for the fodder (dried hay and straw) for the livestock, cooking, and a multitude of more daily chores. My parents were often busy working in the fields, sometimes ours, and sometimes in the field of fellow community villagers. We also used to go to work in others? fields as members of a team community. The parents were always happy with our work, effort, and performance. I can remember the great smile on their faces!
Education
I gained and achieved my primary level of education from Shree Kalika Sharan Primary School. I joined Nagarjuna Thulagaon Higher Secondary School where I completed my SLC (grade 10). I passed my higher secondary level education from Jitpur High School and also as a secondary worker. It was my dream, passion, and drive that pushed me for my Bachelor's Degree. For that, I got admitted to Manmohan Memorial College of Finance and completed my ?Learning is a lifelong process? understanding. ?Be a student of life all the way to the finish line?!! Learning has no boundaries or limitations. Attending university, school, and with my own satisfactory result, I achieved and believed anything and my dreams were possible! My study was my passion! My dream was to be a social worker upon graduation and to give back and help my culture, heritage, and people. I have decided to pursue an education in law in the near future and I am honored and looking forward to the challenges and rewards ahead!
My Jobs and Duties; Experience
I started working with the women of my village. After school, we used to be gathered and organized in different groups to discuss adolescents' problems, environmental sanitation, solid waste management, community and the environmental concerns regarding the vicinity of Okhaldhunga; as a volunteer to work for women empowerment, reproductive right (birth), gender equity and equality, and various of other matters related to social settings. I was 20 years old and by that time I had realized that I can harness my own happy mental health, have an understanding and powerful mentorship on gender-based violence within our community, aid in maternal and child health care, and focus on many other issues that were seen in the village. Later on, during my Bachelor's level of education, I started volunteering in the local organization. Amongst other volunteers and myself, we had to do various work such as painting walls, construct toilets and renovate schoolhouses, educate and provide awareness classes, etc... Through the organization, I moved a fair distance away to another district allowing myself and ensuring that I would have the gift to see smiles on the faces of others. The tremendous love and support from the people in the community encouraged me to work for the community, the people, work for overall empowerment to help others, give back, and thrive for aiding my country as a whole! I believe in the happiness and opportunity needed and provided for a global well-being society. I always reflected on the courage and drive of MOTHER TERESA, she was a role model that always gave me hope!.
After returning to my village I thought of working with the local women of the neighboring village KAGATI GAUN, as they were facing a multitude of problems according to my parents. Also, I knew that village since I was a child. I could see the women walking on the road near my home. With many relevant situations, I would also see small children dressed up in traditional Nepali attire and married under the age of 15 years old. When I would see them, that would depress me and I felt very sad. This would sadden me, especially because in my village and my friends within my village, would go to schools and be given at least a bit of hope, but in the community of KAGATI GAUN they would have to get married and lose the privileges of ?Freedom of Choice?. That was a big inequality that I found and comprehended by myself through witnessing, learning, and education. After that, I left all my opportunities and facilities within my birthplace and I decided to work for their village. I could see the young people who wanted to move to Europe, America, and Australia with dreams and the hope of opportunities for furthering their education and the possibilities of studying abroad, see the world! Also, at that time, I was given a big opportunity to volunteer and work elsewhere, but I did not apply for it because I was already passionate about working in the village for KAGATI GAUN their problems. I started my social work when I was 16 to 17 years old from my village and volunteered with other organizations until 2014. After I left all my jobs and social work volunteering obligations and work, I move to KAGATI GAUN by myself, collected women to speak about women's rights, premature child marriage, and started an English Language Center for children. I found that most of the women were facing polygamy dramatic problems, and even the children and women would share their problems with me. After these happenings, I started making a video profile of their village. I found all the men, children, and women, and discussed all the issues and problems. They opened up and told me many of the problems that the village faces and the desire of curing the problematic issues.
In 2015 there was a big earthquake in Nepal. My house and my village were totally destroyed by a powerful earthquake and multiple aftershocks. I posted and shared the devastation caused and everything on Facebook. I had some foreign friends on Facebook from other organizations globally. They saw everything and they started to ask me how to send help and supplies needed for my family, community, and me. I said, ?yes, it's ok?. They transferred money to me, but I asked my family to build our house, but my dad refused my purpose to take my money. My father wanted me to focus on helping others and start fulfilling my dreams to be a social worker! At that time, my family built a cottage rather than take my money to build a beautiful house. Then, I happily moved to KAGATI GAUN to work again and started to buy some copy pens for children to provide better opportunities for literacy and writing. I also bought chocolate for children who dropped out of school to encourage them to return to school and find the importance in education and the rewarding future that can come with it! I could push them to continue attending school!
During that time, I started to send and post all my work to my Facebook Page for my foreign friends so they could see my work. They asked if they could send some volunteers for me to support. I said, ?yes, please!? Then, day by day, I received volunteers for my purpose, and it was a true blessing to have so many friends that believed in me and the purpose of charity and bettering people?s lives! After 20 months, I felt that receiving volunteers and taking small increments of money from donors without informing the government was illegal. Then, in 2017, I made one committee! I finally registered my organization with the government!
So, instead of pursuing my higher education studies (Masters Degree), I started my work as a social worker in the village. I thought I was living my dream. I always wanted to choose my career in a noble profession and that?s what I am involved in now. It was the greatest achievement of my life to work as a social worker. After a few years of working, I thought of legal registration! As a result, of which an NGO (Non-Government Organization) called HUMAN HARMONY NEPAL was given birth, my dreams were my reality!
My Organization and what I'm Doing
After I registered my organization, HUMAN HARMONY NEPAL, the beginnings were always a mess and a rush. We collected a small amount from our organizational members to set up an office. In the initial phase, it was really difficult with no means of transport, a shortage of pocket money, and so on. But after the phase of the struggle, I was able to establish a cordial relationship with the locals and I got much support and love from them! And I am grateful for these moments every day I awake!
The inspirational stories of my father, the patience of my mother, and the dedication of my 2 sisters and brother always motivated, guided, and pushed me for my work, which I am doing through my heart. As a unit of society, I think everyone should bear social responsibility. On my part, it has become my passion and only goal in life!
Since then, gathering funds from a small number of members as the main source of income, a small booklet was prepared for routing resources appropriately, the many issues needed to tend to, and unmanaged solid waste, Every house of the community and members were verified and consulted for basic information of the family related to daily livelihood, presence of toilet or not, a number of children, source of income, etc...All information was collected in the small booklet, which in turn ended up as a giant booklet and several others, due to the many issues! Definitely poverty, lack of health and educational facilities, child marriage, and domestic violence were vivid and clear issues.
Our initial days were separated for waste management and orientation to the villagers regarding personal hygiene and environmental sanitation by the foreign volunteers. Youths and school children were given English language classes and were also involved in the decoration of classes that included wall paintings. Different festival oriented programs and competitions of singing, dancing, art, debate, quiz, poem recitation, etc; were amongst many events concerning the motivation for learning and educating that proved very well. From classroom teaching to the supply of essential educational materials were systematized. English language classes by foreigners were present by entertaining the school children.
Educational basic needs like pens, colored pencils, notebooks, erasers, sharpeners, school bags, and other related supplies were gifted to the students that encouraged them to be present regularly in their classroom. Gender-based violence and child marriage had deteriorated the life of women in the village. Females have been made aware of monthly cycles, community members, and the children were educated on human and child rights and the consequences of unhealthy habits like smoking and alcoholism.
To initiate women empowerment, we registered a co-operative called "Balami Mahila Krishi Samuha". Women of the VDC were divided into 12 subgroups and certain responsibilities were assigned, which eventually made them feel better. Training like clothes stitching, sanitary pad making, knitting bags and purses, soap and detergent manufacturing, and other trade skills were conducted. The confidence level of the women lifted up while working in groups and we could achieve that happiness by the smile on their faces! Similarly, agricultural machines like tractors and sewing machines were handed to them, and training the women in operating these machines and production was run. For the promotion of health and prevention of diseases, a health campaign was launched, like leadership training and classes for youths as the orientation of social values and norms, good social behavior, and social responsibility, were given. Art and English language classes were fun and opened such an astounding difference. Social service is a journey and we are in the process; continuously, every moment, every day, the dream and work must go-on for success and fulfillment!
My Achievements
For my work, I have been time and again encouraged by the different governmental and non-governmental bodies. The Government of Nepal provided me with a letter of appreciation from Taluwa VDC of Okhaldhunga for my five months of training as a volunteer. Similarly, Kakani Municipality of Nuwakot District handed me the letter of appreciation for my work related to women empowerment, maternal, and child health care. Alike, I was awarded the Inspirational Impact Award by HELP NEPAL APPEAL for my work and dedication to society. RULA AWARDS honored me with the ASIA?S LEADERSHIP AWARD AND ASIA?S BEST WOMEN ICON IN NEPAL AWARD. These rewards, the smile of those children and women, and the blessings of my family and friends have always inspired me to this path of social service up to now. I am on my way and have a long way to go!!
My future plans
As a unit of society, I think everyone should bear social responsibility. On my part, it has become my passion and only goal in life. Nepal is a developing country and I'm just 7 km from the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu. Although I could find a lot of discrimination, I can only imagine how women are struggling in the far remote villages of Nepal. Now I have plans to support women and children in different districts and villages too across Nepal. Also, my organization is extending to Africa in Ghana to work for women and children too. I have a deep passion for supporting women who are facing problems like education, child marriage, and polygamy in Nepal. I also support the well-being of all human life, and for everyone to give a little bit of their heart to those in need! I fully support a better, brighter, and humanitarian lift in spirit and encouragement!!
Thank you dearly and sincerely,
Namita Ghimire
HUMAN HARMONY NEPAL!
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