Confident and empowered marginalized Nepalese women

Introduction: Literacy and numeracy rates of women in Nepal are below global targets. Work opportunities for marginalised women in Nepal are very limited. Education is regarded as foundational for increasing women’s agency within social and political structured organisations. This research reports on a literacy and skills program run by minority women for minority women in Nepal for the purpose of increasing women’s opportunities for empowerment and self-determination thereby enabling participation in the Nepali workforce. Method: Aligned with core objectives the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, themes were developed and framed within an ecological systems model of power and agency. Discourse analysis methods were applied to semi-structured interviews obtained in Kathmandu from eleven participants involved in the Seven Women NGO education program. Findings: Analysis revealed that the program is viewed as a significant social good within the context of education and emancipation of women and girls in Nepal. The women discussed a range of personal and social impacts. Highly valued social goods included personal safety, collaboration, stability, giving back, develop skills and knowledge required to enter the workforce; and, supporting their families. As a gateway to agency and self-determination, participants outlined the combination of literacy and skills such as sewing and cooking training, as foundational to their aspirational plans to further their economic and social success. Conclusion/implications/recommendations: Seven Women’s literacy program has an observable impact on participants’ abilities to make independent choices toward economic gain. To empower Nepalese women from complex disadvantaged backgrounds, our research found that respecting and considering individual agency in decision-making; rather than prescribing a set of predetermined program outcomes, allowed for participants to experience self-determination immediately and thus contribute to several SDGs in positive ways.