Founded in 2004, Samabikas is a grassroots organization based in Nepal. The organization’s mission is to advocate for and uplift women and children, people with disabilities, and other marginalized communities. Samabikas focuses on protecting and preserving the rights of these groups and has worked with more than 5000 girls in Nepal since its founding. The organization’s activities include girl-focused programs and campaigns to end harmful practices like child marriage. Samabikas also runs a Safe House in the Achham district, providing temporary shelter and counseling services to survivors of gender-based violence. In 2019, Samabikas was recognized at the With and For Girls Awards for its work in promoting girls’ socioeconomic development.
The Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund will support Samabika’s project to change harmful gendered social norms and attitudes. Nepal currently has the third highest rate of child marriage in Asia, with an estimated 5 million girls who were married before age 18. As a result, many girls are unable to exercise their agency or access basic rights like education. Samabikas will address this problem and interrelated issues like limited healthcare access and economic opportunities. The organization will engage in advocacy to end child marriage, offer counseling services, and organize educational training workshops on sexual and reproductive health, professional development, and menstrual health management. Additionally, Samabikas will hold leadership seminars to enable adolescent girls to become advocates for change in their communities.
Samabikas’s project will reach an estimated 500 girls. Upon completing the project, Samabikas hopes to reduce the rate of child marriage in its community, improve knowledge of sexual and reproductive health, and promote economic and leadership opportunities for adolescent girls. In turn, Nepalese girls will have the opportunity to advocate for themselves, pursue their dreams, and reach their full potential.
For more information about Samabikas, please visit the organization’s Facebook page.
See more projects: Asia, South Asia, Child Marriage, Gender-based Violence, Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights