Many of the skills Saraswati needs for her role as a
leader and voice of a marginalized segment of society she is getting from the
PEER project. Saraswati understands that although she finds herself in a
position of influence, without the technical skills and the confidence to be an
effective leader, she risks letting down her community. “Expectations in my community
are very high, especially in the Dalit community which I represent in
my ward', says Saraswati.
“Unless a child cries, a mother does not know it is
time to feed her. Likewise, our federal system does not act unless we demand
solutions to our problems,” says Saraswati Pariyar Nepali, an elected Dalit
women representative in Butwal, Rupandehi in Nepal.
Along with more than
13,000 women across the nation, Saraswati was elected to the ward committee. “People
need to raise their voices and ask questions of representatives like me,
because people are the most powerful drivers of social development. Unless and
until people bring their problems to us, we can't help them promote social
development” she says.
The PEER project, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation (SDC) in five districts in Province 5, aims to give voices to
women and marginalized communities by providing training to newly-elected Dalit
women representatives. Saraswati was one of 300 women getting training through
the Center for Dalit Women Nepal, a national non-governmental organization that
works towards eliminating gender and caste-based discrimination.
supported her decision and
encouraged her to run.
"I was practicing my
speech in front of the mirror every night at my house,” Saraswati recalls. “I moved
my hands a lot to get the attention of people, so I could make an impression on
the audience. My daughter told me she was going to shoot a video of me while I
was practicing because I looked like a dancer in front of the mirror,” she goes
on. “That comment really made me smile, and I kept practicing my delivery,”
Saraswati remembers.
But the changes her new
role has thrust upon her haven’t always been easy. As a Dalit ward member, Saraswati remembers
those early days were quite challenging for her, having to balance the needs of
her family with her new responsibilities to the community. Previously, Saraswati
had had a reputation for being skilled seamstress, and she made her living sewing
dresses for women. Women would often come to her house and give her fabric to
make nice dresses for them. “But now, she says, “they also come to ask me about
road construction, health issues and education.”
It used to make her nervous when people came seeking
her advice, but she has embraced her new role, handling all manner of community
issues. “People have a lot of expectations of me. I listen to them and try to
find solutions,” says Saraswati. “My life has been transformed since I was
elected,” Saraswati says. “Suddenly I have a lot of responsibilities to the
whole community. My family has accepted that reality.”
Many of the skills Saraswati needs for her role as a
leader and voice of a marginalized segment of society she is getting from the
PEER project. Saraswati understands that although she finds herself in a
position of influence, without the technical skills and the confidence to be an
effective leader, she risks letting down her community. “Expectations in my community
are very high, especially in the Dalit community which I represent in
my ward', says Saraswati.
The Center for Dalit Women Nepal, through the PEER
project is helping women like Saraswathi become informed and effective leaders
in their community. “It was really difficult in the beginning,” she says. Without
the necessary skills, she felt out of place in her new role, but she devoted
herself to learning about her roles and responsibilities. Now, along with 300 other recently-elected
Dalit women representatives, Saraswati is attending a series of trainings that
teach them the ins and outs of local governance, including planning and
budgeting, persuasive speaking and how to write articles.
Already she feels more comfortable. She learned about
budget planning and allocation through trainings provided by CDWN, a subject
that was completely new to her. “All women should know about budgets and
planning,” she adds. “It’s a really good
skill that all women should have.”
This new knowledge helps her set aside a budget for
women-related programming every year. Although shy at first, she now actively
participates in local planning and budgeting. Last year, for example, she managed
to allocate a significant portion of the budget for education for Dalit women
and an awareness program that highlights issues facing Dalits in the community.
Saraswati is particularly proud of this last program. “It is so important to
make more people aware of inclusiveness and development,” she says.
Saraswati has so far attended five rounds of training through
Center for Dalit Women Nepal. She even went to a series of writing workshops
where she has been learning about how to write articles and stories. She is
particularly excited about creating her own stories and advocating for women’s
and Dalit rights through her writings in the future.
At the same time, Saraswati realizes that she needs support.
Speaking generally about women representatives, she raises the issue of how to
deal with political struggles and problems within the ward. "There are
times when representatives need to debate and compromise with other ward
members,” she says, and she isn’t yet confident navigating political bias and
other hurdles while dealing with other political leaders.
The new constitution and
federal system is an important step in developing Nepal, but it is not enough.
Real transformation will only happen when we bring changes into
people's lives in a way that improves their day-to-day lives. As Saraswati
says, women's representation in local government alone is not enough. Women
need to be leaders, not only in wards and municipalities, but at all levels of
government. They should aim to run the central government and the nation!