Mitini: Connecting Women Across Regions
EmpowHER conducted Mitini, a special session for the changemakers on 13-15 July. Mitini is a cultural and leadership exchange program, run as a subset of EmpowHER since 2017. This year, in Mitini 18 changemakers from Kathmandu and 9 changemakers from Kalikot district came together to exchange their knowledge, culture and to learn about leadership from each other’s experience.
As one of the core themes of this year’s EmpowHER is diversity, the Mitini program has truly helped make the platform a more diverse and unique one for the changemakers to engage in. The 9 women who came from Kalikot, one of the most underdeveloped districts in mid-western Nepal, attended various sessions on leadership skills, problem analysis, advocacy, sexual and reproductive health rights.
As the name goes Mitini, which means sisterhood in Nepali also engaged the changemakers from Kalikot and Kathmandu valley in various bonding activities including homestays at Mitini’s house (changemaker from Kathmandu valley), site visits, and a dinner bonding event.
Below is an excerpt from a conversation with some of the women about the program and their Mitinis.
Chhaila Shahi is an 18-year-old student from Kalikot. She has recently finished her Secondary Education Examination and wants to continue her education by joining a campus. She shares her experience as follows:
“I learnt from a local organization, the ODA Foundation about a women empowerment program in Kathmandu and got interested to come here and participate. After coming here I came to learn more about the Mitini program. We have definitely learnt a lot of things from the program. We learnt about discrimination and why it is harmful, about women’s reproductive health and also learnt the value of keeping Mitinis. We made friends with girls whom we had never met. They took us to their homes and made us feel welcomed and comfortable. The most enjoyable part of the program was when we went out for sightseeing with our Mitinis. We went to Swayambhunath where I loved to see all the big statues and all the monkeys.
After I go back, I would like to get back to studying but also share my knowledge with the women in my community. One of the most interesting and useful sessions for me was the one on reusable sanitary napkins. We learnt about their uses and most importantly we learnt about how to make cheap reusable sanitary napkins with clean clothes that are easily available.”
Dharma Kumari Singh is 20 years old and is studying in Grade 11. She would like to share the learning she received from Mitini with the women in her family and community.
“I joined Mitini because I was informed that it was a women empowerment program. The program has been very good so far. We didn’t know much about health. We learnt a lot of things about how one needs to take care of their reproductive health.
The most important thing I received from the program were from the training sessions. The information we received from these sessions are valuable to us and I would also like to share it with the women in my family and community.”
Shanti Singh is also a student of Grade 11 in Kalikot and is excited about all the new things she has learnt from Mitini.
“We came here for the women empowerment program and till now it has been an amazing journey with us learning new things. We learnt about the opportunity to be a part of this program in Kalikot. I am very happy to receive this learning opportunity. Kalikot is a very remote place and we do not have a lot of knowledge about women’s issues there, especially women’s health. The session on reproductive health was very useful for us. The session clarified a lot of things for me personally.”
Munkala Singh is a 19-year-old student who studies in Grade 12. She loved to play all the team building games she played with her mitinis along with the sessions.
“The Mitini program has been going very well for me, I am learning a lot of new things that are useful for women. In the villages, there is culture of discriminating women on the basis of menstruation. We don’t usually talk about it. We have to stay in the Chhau (a segregated shed for menstruating women) for 5 days during our periods. So I believe whatever we have learnt here for example about reproductive health or reusable sanitary napkins, I will take it with me and share with the women in our village.
The most memorable moment for me throughout the program is when we played team building games with our mitinis. I liked the places we went for sightseeing with our mitinis especially Boudhhanath and the Kaal Bhairava temple in Basantapur. I also enjoyed the session on reproductive health and making reusable sanitary napkins from cloth.”
Bishna B.K. studies in Grade 11 in Kalikot. She enjoyed going out with her mitinis the most in the program.
“My name is Bishna B.K. I live in Kalikot. I study in Class 11. I found the program very effective as we learnt a lot of new things. One of the most interesting session for me was the one on Chhaupadi, since we also have to stay in Chhau in Kalikot. Similarly, the session on leadership informed me a lot about who can become leaders. We also went out to see some of the famous places of Kathmandu with our mitinis. The temples, stairways and statues were very interesting. I am also glad that we got to become mitinis with the girls from Kathmandu as we bonded very well.”
