Our Journey

1991-1995

Genesis: Women Rising & Grassroots Awakening

  Fighting Trafficking from Day One  Named trafficking as a human rights violation — built rehabilitation hostel- seed and foundation of future safe houses architecture

  Women’s Health as a Right  STD/AIDS prevention, maternal health, bodily autonomy — framing health not as charity, but as a fundamental right

  Animation Education  Rights literacy at grassroots — teaching women to read their rights, understand their bodies, organize collectively

1996-2000

Roots & Resistance: Rights, Health & Survivor Power

  Shakti Samuha (1996), South Asia’s first survivor-led anti-trafficking organization, survivors become the vanguard of the movement

  AATWIN (1997)  National anti-trafficking alliance and People in Black movement – transforming issue into a national campaign

  Saypatri Journal  Quarterly journal on women’s health – framing reproductive and sexual health as rights, not taboos

  Human Rights Framework Adopted  Formally embedding human rights and social justice as the core institutional framework

  Book: Girl Trafficking — Hidden Grief in Himalayas. International-level documentation of trafficking realities, shifting global narrative

  Women’s Groups & Federations  Scaling community organizations into networked federations — the architecture of a grassroot movement

2001-2005

Building Systems: Livelihoods, laws & Collective Power

  76+ Community Organizations  An extraordinary network of marginalized groups ensuring women’s organizing reaches every affected community,  from the mountains to the plains

  Bio-Intensive Farming as Practice  Right to food meets women’s agency — through Krishak Pathshala (Farmer Field Schools), women become seed preservers, ecological stewards, and providers for their families

  Micro-Enterprise Programs  Dhaka weaving, herbal farming — linking economic autonomy to reduced vulnerability to trafficking

  BIRAT Declaration  Feminist response to conflict — regional dialogues on displacement, migration, and peace

  16 Days of Activism — Institutionalized  Annual national moment of feminist resistance embedded in Nepal’s civic calendar

  Citizenship & Legal Identity  Support for women to secure citizenship documents — because women without papers are women without power

  Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN)  Linking bio-diverse farming with food sovereignty and women’s economic rights

  Community Radio Program PRAYASH (2005)  Giving women a literal voice on the airwaves in a country where women are spoken about, not listened to

2006-2010

2006-2010

Building Systems: Livelihoods, laws & Collective Power

  76+ Community Organizations  An extraordinary network of marginalized groups ensuring women’s organizing reaches every affected community,  from the mountains to the plains

  Bio-Intensive Farming as Practice  Right to food meets women’s agency — through Krishak Pathshala (Farmer Field Schools), women become seed preservers, ecological stewards, and providers for their families

  Micro-Enterprise Programs  Dhaka weaving, herbal farming — linking economic autonomy to reduced vulnerability to trafficking

  BIRAT Declaration  Feminist response to conflict — regional dialogues on displacement, migration, and peace

  16 Days of Activism — Institutionalized  Annual national moment of feminist resistance embedded in Nepal’s civic calendar

  Citizenship & Legal Identity  Support for women to secure citizenship documents — because women without papers are women without power

  Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN)  Linking bio-diverse farming with food sovereignty and women’s economic rights

  Community Radio Program PRAYASH (2005)  Giving women a literal voice on the airwaves in a country where women are spoken about, not listened to