FRIENDS OF ADWAN NEPAL
Workshops
ADWAN’s workshops are providing accessible education for the first time to Women’s Groups and the community. The Human Rights Workshops provides information about civil and gender rights; the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Program teaches participants about how to practice good hygiene and avoid disease; and the Reproductive Health Program educates local health leaders on pressing maternal and reproductive health issues.
Human Rights Workshops are offered to entire communities for the sake of raising awareness about relevant government programs, policies, and laws that apply to Dalit women's rights and quality of life. In practice, the entire village (including local leaders) is invited to attend the Workshops to raise awareness and sensitize would-be offenders on issues of caste discrimination and untouchability. ADWAN offers additional women’s rights workshops on a smaller scale so that women can enjoy a safe space to air more personal questions that apply to their particular cases.
The Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Program focuses on public health issues. In particular the women learn risk factors in open defecation, shallow wells, and poor hand-washing habits which can lead to the outbreak of diseases like Cholera, Hepatitis E, and Amoebic Dysentery. They also learn to treat polluted drinking water, to recognize signs of disease outbreak, and what to do in a public health emergency.
The Reproductive Health Program educates Women’s Group leaders and female community health workers on topics vital to maternal and reproductive health. In partnership with the Nepali health NGOs Nidan and Marie Stopes Nepal, doctors and facilitators conduct three-day workshops on practices for healthy pregnancies, basic neonatal care, and ways to obtain and use inexpensive contraception among other subjects. The participants demonstrate leadership in bringing this information back to their patients, Women’s Groups, and communities.