Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) Training Nepal Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) Three-Day Training on Understanding Dalits and their Situations, and Engaging Them in the Peace Corps Development Approach Peace Corps Nepal Rachel Holtzman July 2016 i Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) Training Acknowledgements First, it is important to acknowledge and thank the trainers from the Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO), located in Lalitpur, Kathmandu. Next, it is important to acknowledge and thank Sacha Maniar (N201 volunteer and GAD member) and Celine Smith (N201 volunteer and IDC member) for their leadership with organizing this training by writing the grant, connecting with FEDO, helping to craft the agenda, and coordinating with PC staff and interested PCVs. Without their dedication, this training would not have happened. Finally, it is important to acknowledge and thank the PCVs who attended and actively participated in this three-day training. ii Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) Training Table of Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... ii Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Caste System 101 .......................................................................................................................................... 2 Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) ............................................................................................................ 3 Activities Conducted at FEDO Training ....................................................................................................... 5 History of the Dalit Caste and the Human Rights Movement ...................................................................... 6 Using PACA Tools to Understand Dalit Communities and their Needs ...................................................... 8 CBDU in the New Constitution of Nepal ................................................................................................... 10 Nepali Language ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Helpful Contacts in Nepal ........................................................................................................................... 13 Additional Resources .................................................................................................................................. 17 iii Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) Training Introduction This toolkit is intended for Peace Corps Volunteers in Nepal, as well as their community partners, who have an interest in understanding the needs of, and working on projects with, Dalit communities across Nepal. If you are interested in partnering with FEDO for a future training, please contact them at: Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) Kupondol, Lalitpur, Nepal G.P.O. Box. No.: 4366, Ktm. Tel: +977-01-552-0982 or +977-01-554-3986 Fax: +977-01-552-0982 Email: [email protected] Website: www.fedonepal.org 1 Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) Training Caste System 101 • Caste system is more political than societal: The caste system is used as a tool to exclude marginalized people mainstream society, and thus prevent them from revolting. • Family caste is designated through marriage. • In the caste system, there is no upper movement: Once a family moves down in the caste system, that family (and their offspring) cannot move back up. • The caste system was made by political rulers and legally enforced. • The caste system was written into the religious scriptures: It became written that untouchable people performed something bad in their past lives, and therefore deserve to be punished. It was also written that if an untouchable person tries to read or write, their tongue would be cut. And if he/she should listen to religious scripture, then liquid lead should be poured into his/her ears. • Untouchable people are considered impure: Even if you come across an untouchable person’s shadow, you are considered to become “impure.” After becoming “impure” from any interaction with an untouchable person, you must perform a purifying ritual – you would have to go to a religious priest and explain what you experienced, the priest would decide on the purification method, and you would have to pay a few rupees or bathe yourself in pure water (from the Ganges River). • The Dalit human rights movement began at the same time (1947) as the Democracy movement in Nepal. The Dalit human rights movement was led by Bhagat Sarbajit Vishwakarma, from Baglung, who was an untouchable who read all of the Hindu religious scripture and who knew that there was no religious base of the caste system – so he led a movement to reject it. 62 Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) Training Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) “About” section from FEDO’s website: FEDO is a national level Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) founded in 1994 to establish the rights of Dalit women by organizing and empowering them for their mainstreaming into national development. It has been working to promote the Dalit’s rights and to eliminate caste and gender based discriminate and promote justice and equality in Nepalese society since its establishment. FEDO works at four levels (grassroots, regional, national and international levels) to promote Dalit women’s advancement and participation at the decision-making level and to campaign for the economic, social, civil and political rights of all Dalits and Dalit women in particular through Economic Empowerment, Political Empowerment, Justice and Human Rights, (An End to) Violence against Women, Peace Process and Constitution Building, Health and Sanitation, Education, Humanitarian Support, and Organizational Development to live with self-respect and dignity in society. FEDO has its 56 district chapters in all the developing regions of Nepal with 2,154 women’s groups with 53,850 group members united, organized and mobilized to fight against caste and gender based discrimination at all levels. FEDO has also been working with several alliances and expanding its network to strongly lobby and bring Dalit issues to the forefront at both the grassroots and national levels. Coordination, collaboration and networking are the major working approach of the organization. 1. Personal History of FEDO Founder, Durga Sob: She faced a lot of discrimination while growing up as a Dalit girl in the Far West Region of Nepal. She was kept in a goat shed for 21 days after her first period. And while, from a young age, she was lucky enough to be encouraged by her mother to go to school, she realized that a lot of her friends weren’t in school. So she conducted daily morning literacy classes for girls in her village who were 10 years old and above. And in the evening she would teach her family members how to write their names (so that they didn’t always have to rely on using thumb prints). In her village class, only 7/65 students passed their SLC exams. She got her Bachelors Diploma in Political Science, and then her Masters Degree in Sociology. 2. Suggestion from FEDO to PCN: Before placing PCV in ethnic/Dalit families, PCVs need to be trained on how Dalits are often marginalized. 3. Social Structure Background: Nepali society is based on a patriarchal, hierarchical social structure. The pyramid is ranked from Brahmins (Priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaisyas (herders, farmers, merchants, craftspeople), and then lastly Sudras (farm workers, servants, laborers). 4. Who are the Dalit Women in Nepal? They are 7% of the total population of Nepal, and they experience three types of discrimination: caste, gender, and social class. These women face extreme poverty and food insecurity. 42% of Dalits live under the poverty line (aka: earning less than $720/year), 63.8% of Dalit families do not have sufficient food, and 70% of Dalits suffer from malnutrition. 5. Dalit Women and Girls and Education: The literacy rate for Dalit women is only 34.8% compared to 54.5% for the total population of women in Nepal. Only 11.8% of Dalit girls are enrolled in secondary or higher level education. 6. Dalit Women and Girls and Violence: Dalit women face more Gender-Based Violence (GBV) than other women. About 49.1% of Dalit women encounter violence, and only 4.4% of the incidents are reported to the police. 63 Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) Training 7. Dalit people and Agriculture: 75% of landless people in Nepal are Dalit. 8. About FEDO: It was established in 1994 in order to work towards: A just and equitable society where Dalit women’s rights and opportunity to life, equity, dignity, development and participation are realized. The objects are: to increase and ensure proportional representation of Dalit women in all aspects of socio-political life; to improve the access of Dalit women to socio- economic resources, opportunities and services; to empower Dalit women to fight against caste- based discrimination and gender-based violence. 9. FEDO’s Presence around Nepal: FEDO is located in 56 Districts, working with 2154 women’s groups and more than 53,850 women members and 519 women (volunteer) activists. FEDO works on advocacy through lobbying at a local and national level, providing trainings and education for Dalit women, and promoting and protecting civil and political rights of Dalit women. The topics that FEDO