 We would like to thank all of you for supporting Project Didi and our partner Asha Nepal through the purchase of tickets for the screening of I AM BELMAYA. We sold over 70 tickets and raised more than $1,600! Belmaya and her daughter will also receive a portion of your contributions. We hope you enjoyed the film produced by this inspiring young woman who was determined that her daughter would be able to ‘walk the right path’, through education. Her determination and resilience, along with the courage to challenge tradition and pursue the opportunities of filmmaking, has made her an amazing role model for other young women. Here is what you thought of the film:
If you missed Project Didi’s Q&A with Director Sue Carpenter, you can access the recording at the link below.
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In the last week, Nepal reported almost 30,000 new cases. The lockdown in the Kathmandu Valley has been extended to mid-June. Despite the challenges, the Asha team is remaining positive. "In our part of Kathmandu the first initial panic of the second wave has calmed a bit. One of our staff member contracted COVID-19 but is recovering well. Many of the families we support in the community, who were showing symptoms of COVID-19, but hadn't been tested due to the cost and fear of overcrowded testing centres, have improved. However, with multiple family members sharing one room it is impossible to quarantine. Most families are unable to work. The lockdown has been very restrictive with significant police presence on the streets and we generally only go out once or twice in 10 days to buy groceries. Some families are experiencing a food crisis. Last week we are distributed food rations to 10 families in the community, who are unable to access government support. It has been difficult to to provide regular counselling with lockdown restrictions. Our social workers and counsellors are doing phone call sessions but some of the women and girls are struggling without in-person sessions. Schools have just recently started back and it's positive to see the girls continuing to study virtually.”  There are very few options for long-term, trauma-informed care for survivors of trafficking and violence in Nepal. The Nepali Police typically refer trafficking survivors to government-run, one stop emergency centres located within hospitals. These are often impersonal and lack the holistic care survivors need. Family Based Care provides an alternative. For Mother's Day, we spoke to Bina, one of our local partner's Family Based Care housemothers. Bina provides a safe, caring home for children who have experienced significant trauma. Through her calm, consistent parenting, and the support of our partner's social workers and counsellor, children rebuild their wellbeing, confidence and hope for the future. While some children are unable to return home, due to stigma, family instability or financial challenges, our partner works to strengthen children’s biological families to eventually transition them from Family Based Care to safe, happy lives within in their own communities.  What is your favourite time of day in your family based care home? I like to spend time with children. I like to listen to them and I enjoy to see them play and the way they share their activities with me. My days passes well listening to them. The greatest strength of the children in my home is they are fearless, they feel comfortable to share with people they trust, they can share their problems and difficulties. What do you think needs to change for women and girls in Nepal? There is a need to change the education system in Nepal. Children from many parts of the Nepal still do not have access to education. Equality between girls and boy is still a big issue in Nepal. Boys have more priority in comparison to girls.  What allows you to stay positive when you are facing challenges? When I feel difficulty, I share with the Social worker or House Manager and I conduct a house meeting to find solutions to problems. When I am stressed and angry due to children’s behavior I use anger management techniques to manage my anger issues. What hopes do you have for the future for women and girls? Regardless of various difficult circumstances children have faced, they should focus and prioritise their academics and plan to complete their studies so that they could be capable enough to look after themselves and their family.
We’ve been feeling the fear and despair of our Nepali colleagues and friends as the COVID-19 crisis in India spreads into Nepal. Over 9,000 new cases were recorded on Thursday, compared to a daily rate of a couple of hundred a month ago. The fragile health system is already overwhelmed and oxygen is in short supply. Kathmandu has gone into lockdown so Asha Nepal has distributed supplies and rent support for the next month for the Family Based Care homes and families in the community, who are mostly daily wage laborers and have lost their only source of income. The ladies at Samunnat Nepal, who are near the border with India, are concerned about food shortages and the rapidly decreasing supply of oxygen. They have been doing twice weekly Zoom workshops with an American polymer clay artist. While these have been put on hold for now they were bringing much joy to the ladies!  Kira Osborne, Board Member A person of many quotes, Winston Churchill once said “Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential” At the beginning of 2020 Project Didi had all the plans! Our newly established board were confident in our strategic direction, our Women Empowering Women trips to Nepal had received promising feedback and were gaining exciting momentum with new additions in the pipeline, and our intention for public advocacy and awareness raising was lined up. In February I said goodbye to our partner Asha Nepal and returned to home with every intention of returning to Nepal in October to lead one of our women's trips. This now seems like a lifetime ago, when COVID-19 was still the mystery virus, when hand sanitiser was fast becoming the world’s largest commodity, and when the idea of restricting international travel let alone interstate travel was incomprehensible.  Kira (centre, bottom row) with our 2019 Women Empowering Women group at the Namche Bazaar Monastery, Nepal Maria Kelly COVID-19 disproportionately impacts women and girls. Reduced access to protective services, higher rates of unemployment, and a greater burden of domestic duties leave women at greater risk of violence, privately and publicly. In April 2020, data from the United Nations Population Fund predicted at least 15 million more cases of domestic violence globally this year, as a result of pandemic restrictions. Stress on families has risen, while freedom of movement and privacy have decreased, leaving women already experiencing violence in their home particularly vulnerable. Here in Australia, new data from the NSW Government suggests that domestic violence has risen, with a 10% increase in access to support services in March. In Nepal, despite 1 in 4 women experiencing emotional, physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes, reports of gender-based violence to the police have dropped drastically since lockdown. Disturbingly, this suggests women are struggling to access help, with loss of funding and disruption to support services.  Clare Bartram Namaste our friends - how are you? What a question in this unbelievable time. It goes without saying, we’re all adjusting to a new kind of normal. We hope you and your families are staying healthy, navigating the anxiety, confusion and enormity of COVID-19 and finding some social solidarity in the isolation. We’re concerned for our colleagues and friends in Nepal, who like us, are working out how to move forward. Nepal has only 2 confirmed cases, but some say this number reflects a lack of tests. There is a strict stay-at-home order in place, with schools, businesses and government offices closed and domestic and international flights grounded.  Durbar Square, Kathmandu. Image: The Mercury News. Nepal has also closed its land borders with India and China. When one of our co-founders, Sarah, left Nepal over a week ago there were already queues for petrol, gas and cooking oil, with fear of fuel and food shortages, much of which comes from India and China. The women and girls and our colleagues at our partner, Asha Nepal, are all healthy. They have closed the office and are continuing to support the family care homes and families in the community with the team working from home where possible. The family care homes are well stocked with food, toiletries and basic medical care. Asha has purchased induction heating stoves in anticipation of a shortage in cooking gas. With schools closed, the family care mothers are considering creative ways to make the time productive and not too disruptive for the girls. They have been reading, cooking together, playing indoor games, doing art and watching movies. These are heartbreaking times for so many and especially for already fragile communities. For those already vulnerable from violence and precarious livelihoods, unable to rely on an affordable or adequate healthcare system, COVID-19 will be devastating. There are no stimulus packages in Nepal.  It’s also a testing time for our global community and the shared connections we have built across cultures and borders, as we, by necessity, turn to our here and now. After a cooking class with one of our groups in Nepal last year, Mina*, who along with a number of the family based care mothers have set up a catering business, said “I felt really joyful while conducting the cooking class." So in the spirit of finding joy where we can and remembering we are part of a global community, the Project Didi team have decided to cook a number of the mothers’ recipes. We’ve shared a recipe below, so we hope you’ll join in our Nepali feast and find joy in the food and connection to our didis in Nepal. Mixed Vegetable Curry
 *Name changed to protect privacy.
Natasha McDonald Happy International Women’s Day! A day to recognise and celebrate the achievements of women globally. To mark the occasion we caught up with Kusum, who is part of the management team at our partner organisation, Asha Nepal to learn a bit more about herself and Asha's commitment to improving the lives of women and girls, survivors of trafficking and abuse. What inspires you about the work you do? After receiving my Bachelor degree I worked as a literacy teacher in an NGO, where I first met girls who had survived trafficking. This experience gave me a deep commitment to help. These women and girls have experienced so much, return to communities where they face stigma and yet they come together and have the confidence to support others and work hard to build better lives for themselves. They are so hard working, planning ahead to make their life well again. Their will power, that inspires me. I have now worked in the sector for 7 years.  Kusum striking the #EachForEqual pose! This year's IWD theme is about using our individual actions, conversations, behaviors & mindsets to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions and celebrate women's achievements. Let's be #EachForEqual! How does gender inequality make women and girls vulnerable? Girls are born into this world but they aren’t given preference within the family and they are always understood as only temporary. A girl can never think of herself. When she is born she has to think of her family, then her husband’s family and after that she has to look up to her son and depend upon him.  We're in Sydney this week to meet with Marie-Celeste Dagher, our Graphic Designer. Marie-Celeste recently completed a Bachelor of Visual Communications at the University of Technology Sydney. She joined Project Didi after she and a number of other design students worked on our #SomethingForSlavery campaign, as part of a socially responsive design unit with the UTS Community Shopfront Program. We're very excited to share their work later this year! What motivated you to join Project Didi? After having the opportunity to work on the #SomethingForSlavery campaign I realised I could help create awareness for an important issue many women and children face today: modern slavery. I want to use my skills as a designer to inform a wider audience on the topic and create action. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Sydney but moved to Lebanon with my mum for a couple years before returning to continue my studies here in Australia. Moving to Lebanon when I was 17 came with its pros and cons - travelling to Europe without long lay overs from Australia was a pro! Although at the time it was a worrying and tiring process I can now look back and see how much I've grown as a person.  Marie, bottom left, with UTS students, Queenie, Julie, Sonia, Lauren, their tutor, Robert, and Project Didi Board Member, Clare after the group presented their designs for #SomethingForSlavery. This week, join us as we travel to Perth to catch up with Shannon Mony. Shannon is our Communications & Engagement Officer and has been with the team since mid-2019. What motivated you to join Project Didi? I am a strong advocate for gender equality and am passionate about working to ensure that every woman has a voice. As a mother of two daughters, this is a topic that is close to my heart. The sheer enormity of the human trafficking industry astounds me. Project Didi does such amazing work in this space and I was motivated to join in order to help promote awareness of this critical issue. What is the best book you’ve read so far this year? Given it’s only Februrary, I currently only have a very short list to choose from! However, I recently finished Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales. It’s a beautifully written collection of accounts from people who have faced the unimaginable but have found the strength to go on. It includes some compelling research about the way in which the human brain processes grief and trauma. It is an inspiring read and is a wonderful reminder to be grateful for and to find the magic in all those ‘ordinary days’. Where did you grow up? I am a bit of a ‘global citizen’ (and yes, my accent is a bit confusing!). I grew up in South Africa, lived in New Zealand for 12 years, travel on a Canadian passport and have lived in Perth for the last 8 years.  Shannon at the Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, WA. |
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Project Didi Australia is committed to restoring hope, dignity and independence to women and girls in Nepal, who have experienced trafficking and gender-based violence, through trauma-informed care, family strengthening and reintegration, education and employment pathways.
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ABN 68 320 267 277
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