Chetana Women's Safe House, Pokhara, Nepal
Donation protected
Our project.
We are raising money to renovate an old farm building, transforming it into a safe place, where we can support women and young girls who have been victims of abuse and trafficking. The house is located in a small village near Pokhara.
About the organiser.
Anna is a Paediatrician from the UK, who has been volunteering remotely for Chetana since the beginning of 2023. Most recently, she has been in Pokhara to assist in the renovation of the safe house, alongside introducing her "Mental Health Handbook" to young people in schools, linking into the Sahayatra Health Programme. She will continue to volunteer remotely from the UK as well as annual visits to continue to support Chetana's communities.
She has set up this fundraiser as this platform does not allow a Nepali bank account to be used. ALL funds donated (minus gofundme fees) are directly transferred to the organisations account every month.
About Chetana, weaving for life.
Chetana is a non-governmental organisation, based in Pokhara, Nepal. We currently have three ongoing projects; skills development programme, Sahayatra health awareness programme, and the women’s safe house.
Chetana was founded by Tara who sought to tackle the prejudices against women in Nepali society. She started by selling tea on the streets to fund the first weaving and tailoring lessons. Eventually, she had the financial security to open her own shop, where she sold the hand-made goods. The profit from this has then funded the skills development programme, which offers women a chance to learn weaving, sewing and tailoring skills.
Since 2018, Chetana has been managed by Pabita, Tara’s daughter, who returned from her nursing career in the UK and set up the Sahayatra health awareness programme. She travels to remote villages to provide educational workshops on several taboo topics such as mental health, women’s health, sexual health, sexual and domestic abuse, and trafficking.
Pabita’s dream since returning to Nepal was to open a safe house. Through hard work and dedication, particularly through financial hardship of the pandemic, she has been able to secure the property. However, there is a lot of work that needs to be done.
About the project.
Women in Nepal who have been victims of domestic violence and abuse, and young girls who have been trafficked need a safe space. The safe house will provide this environment for 3-6 months to give them time and space to process and learn how to deal with their trauma. They will have access to basic medical care and mental health support. During their stay, we will also offer individual guidance to support their future education and life goals. Some may choose to go back to their families, and some may choose to start a new life somewhere else. It is important to us that young girls can complete their education and live as socially and economically independently as they wish to.
Our current needs for the property are:
-Safety measures around the house and land
-Plumbing
-Electricity supply
-New windows and doors
-Refurbish flooring
-Internal walls to create separate bedrooms, kitchen and living space
-Renovating an external collapsed building into a bathroom
-Painting exterior
-Internal decoration
-Furniture
-Kitchen equipment
-Landscaping around the house and cultivation of a small area of land behind the house
Other requirements for the successful running of the safe house include:
-Basic first aid supplies
-Financial support to meet health needs
-Educational resources
-Mindfulness activities
-Support and resources to complete the skills development programme
-Gardening equipment to maintain land for growing food
For more information
Instagram @chetana_weavingforlife
Organizer
Anna Duffy
Organizer
England