Strength TogetHER - Session 6(Closing Ceremony)

 



May 1, 2023


On May 1, 2023 we conducted our closing session of Strength TogetHER at Chaitanya Secondary School, Banepa. Continuing our collaboration with Zonta Club of Kathmandu from 2022, where we joined hands to provide virtual sessions of Strength TogetHER, a safe space for girls to share their stories and learn from each other at Jumla. It was a successful session with immense impact stories. 


Likewise, with an effort to give continuity to creating impact, we started our Strength TogetHER session for the girls from grade 11 at Chaitanya Higher Secondary School, Banepa. It is a public school established in 2017 B.S. We conducted the session for a total of 20 girls. While interacting with them, we got to know that most of them were there for their high school studies and came from different parts of the country. Majority of the students had completed their school education in their villages where they rarely got opportunities to come to explore their interests nor got any platform to speak up and build confidence. 


On the first day of the session, the girls were shy and nervous. They were shy to talk to us and also asked someone else to talk and share their stories before them. We had to coerce them to talk and share their stories. They did it by force. 


But, on the second day, we didn’t have to coerce them as much. They were willing to give it a try as they understood that it was a good opportunity for them to try and build their confidence. In the preceding sessions, the girls started participating with more enthusiasm. They started to freely raise their hands and then shared their stories. This was a gradual process of growth.


Coming to the closing ceremony, the girls were more confident than the first time we saw them. To boost their profile and add credit to their CV, we prepared certificates to acknowledge their participation. Ms. Ava Shah, president of the ZONTA club of Kathmandu, Ms. Nivita Pradhan, Ms. Moon Pradhan and Ms. Situ Pradhan represented Zonta Club of Kathmandu and handed the certificates to the participants. Ms. Ava Shah also provided the girls with a golden opportunity, a one day bakery training and an exposure to the students including counseling. 


All the participants also shared their experience in Strength TogetHER including a description about their favorite session. They shared how they now believe that not just sons but daughters can also achieve great heights breaking the existing stereotypes in the society. They also shared how they now are able to express their heart out in front of the mass which they were not able to do before and are really grateful towards Zonta Club of Kathmandu for this opportunity.


Ms. Subha Lakshmi Manandhar - Chairperson of Ward 8, Ms. Nisha Manandhar - Principal and Ms. Prabha Manandhar- Coordinator, were also present for the closing ceremony. They all shared their perspective of the program and commented on the growth of the students. 


Ms. Prabha, the coordinator shared her personal story of the growth of the students. She mentioned how when teaching the students the girls used to be hesitant to do presentations but the students had started to confidently share their presentation. It was a good insight for us too as we heard and learnt of their growth out of the session too. She mentioned how students have started to become interactive during the class hours.


It was overall an amazing session and an intimate closing ceremony that will be memorable for us and the students as well. The previous closing ceremony for the sessions at Jumla had happened virtually so meeting with the members of Zonta and being able to thank them on a personal level for making all these sessions possible.

 

We, Team Lokopakar, would like to express our gratitude to Zonta Club of Kathmandu for supporting us to expand Strength TogetHER at Banepa. It has been a wonderful experience for us.





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