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mother SPOTLIGHT:

ganga debi

My name is Ganga Debi Chaudhary. I am 32 years old, I am a member of Yakata MG Goberdihaya. There are 4 family members in my family. I have 2 daughters, elder daughter’s name is Manikiya Chaudhary she is 13 years old, she study in grade 6 ("class 6") and youngest daughter Mahima Chaudhary she is 8 years old,  she  study in grade 4 ("class 4"). 

 

My husband is an alcoholic so my mother-in-law and father-in-law they separate us, but he never stopped to drink and beat me too. Five years ago, I joined in the Mothers' Group without permission of my husband. At that time he did electric work, he earned little money but never give me money, he used the money to drink more alcohol and he loves next women outside.

Ganga with her pigs

Ganga with her pigs

Before joined the Mothers' Group it’s too difficult for me to send my daughters for school. When I joined the Mothers' Group I took a loan for Rs 6000 ($73 CAD) and I started my pig farm.  Form the pig farm I a got profit and I started a small  shop. Now I payback loan and again, I took loan for 50,000 Nepali Rupee ($611 CAD) from the Co-op (a credit union started through the combined efforts of the Mothers Groups who wanted to grow their savings and borrowing opportunities). I increase my (shop) business. Now a day I am doing pig farm and small shop too.

Ganga Debi smiles as she looks over her shop

Ganga Debi smiles as she looks over her shop

It helps to manage my family’s needed things and also makes me easy to send my children in good school.

The shop and pig farm is main source of income and Mothers’ Group meeting is made as a sharing place of sad and happy moments.

I am literate so that I can manage my business easily and I learned easily how to keep record the monthly saving money of mothers group. Some time I help mother’s group meeting too and I share my inner feeling with mothers group.

The mothers group also give me suggestion and inspire too.

(Transcribed by Nepali staff)

Recording the payments at the monthly microcredit meeting

Recording the payments at the monthly microcredit meeting


Student SPOTLIGHT:

sunita

Sunita

Sunita

We at Her International are thrilled to introduce you to Sunita! Sunita is our Empowerment Through Education (ETE) program’s first university graduate. Sunita has just completed her 4 year nursing degree. We want to share her story with you because her triumph is also your triumph because you made her dream to learn, to reach for her potential, and to give back to her community possible. Meet Sunita….

When Sunita turned 5 years old she was sold to a rich family who lived several hours away for $15 per year. Sunita worked for this family for years without being able to return home to visit her parents because the distance was too far and travel was too expensive.

Celebrating Maghi festival in her traditional Tharu attire

Celebrating Maghi festival in her traditional Tharu attire

Then when she was eight years a simple slip changed her life. Sunita fell and got her foot caught in the outdoor toilet. She remained stuck there all day before someone found her. The injury to leg was severe enough that she had to be taken to a hospital and they discovered it was fractured. She stayed in the hospital for a week feeling scared and lonely as nor her own family nor her employer were there with her. It was only the nurses who were kind to her. In fact, she hardly saw the doctors at all. The nurses seemed to run the place and know what to do. This impression stayed with her. 

Though she was released from the hospital, the injury caused permanent damage to her leg and she could not walk nor work properly. Not willing to keep Sunita anymore, she was sent home and the family was not paid for her last year's work to repay Sunita’s medical expenses. 

However, once Sunita was home, staff met with her family and they agreed to offer Sunita a scholarship to attend school. A possibility her parents had never been able to consider before. 

In her nurising uniform

In her nurising uniform

Once in school Sunita worked hard. Each year she took the opportunity she had to study and applied herself fully….but she often thought of her youth and the nurses who cared for her as a young and scared eight year old girl. She dreamed of being a nurse - of helping others just like she had been helped. A university education, let alone one so expensive as a nursing degree. When Her International founder, Michelle Bonneau, and several passionate donors heard of Sunita’s nursing dream, they pooled their resources together to make it happen. Sunita then became Her International’s first university scholarship recipient. 

In 2015, a young three year old local girl named Unako passed away due unnecessarily to inadequate local medical care. Her International, under the guiding hand of president Kevin Edgecombe and the support of many outstanding and generous individuals who fiercely believe in education for women and girls and that through them, they will bring about lasting and sustainable change, the Unako Memorial Medical Scholarship was founded. This scholarship now offers two annual scholarships to young women in Dang who wish to pursue nursing, midwifery, or being a community medical practitioner. This generosity and global vision ensures that Sunita will not be last Her International nursing student - but the first of many!

Graduating class

Graduating class


HER: THE THARU WOMEN'S JOURNEY TO FREEDOM

Our book has landed!

The beautiful book, featuring pictures from Julie Gascon, and writing from our Founder Michelle Bonneau, turned out better than we could have ever dreamed. A phenomenal addition to any kitchen table, it will inspire awe and admiration along with great conversation. 

You can buy a book for $30 directly from us (email info@HerInternational.org) or order one online for $40 (shipping included) at Unako.ca.

Stay tuned for our Book Launch coming this Spring.


GATHER YOUR TRIBE: WOMEN EMPOWERMENT POP-UP

with

The Okanagan Handywoman

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Join us for the next Mamas for Mamas collaborative pop-up featuring the Okanagan Handywoman who is teaching women all over the Okanagan how to empower themselves to take care of their homes and families by doing everything from changing a faucet to building a deck.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to watch for this announcement.

Why Gather?

The Gather series is designed to build tribe and is open, inclusive and free for anyone who needs to learn that life skill.

Her and Mamas for Mamas share the united goal of supporting marginalized women and children in the Okanagan.


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HOPE in Her eyes

When: Feb 9, 2018
Where: Laurel Packinghouse
What: Networking, delicious Nepalese food and an art auction featuring local artists work who have depicted their own interpretations of women’s struggles through the part of the soul that we can see: their eyes.

This event is sponsored by KelownaNow and will be a magical night to support marginalized women in the Okanagan and in Nepal. We have teamed up with H.O.P.E. Outreach and House of HOPE, a local charity that provides nightly outreach for homeless and exploited women in the Okanagan, and also offers a safe house for women wanting to exit street life to draw parallels and create compassionate awareness of the trials and tribulations of being a marginalized woman, both locally and globally.

Join us as we raise funds to give back to these women who need us. Women who could be your mother, sister, daughter or aunt. 

Table Sponsors needed

For $1000 you get social media promotion, name recognition at the event, signage at the event and included in our video. 
Tickets can be purchased on Facebook or Eventbrite here. Email info@herinternational.org for invoices.

PLATINUM SPONSOR:

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Uploaded by KelownaNow on 2017-12-15.

her International brand launch featuring unako JEWELLERY

On December 14th, dozens of Kelowna-ians gathered to officially welcome Her International after years of operating as IWEN Canada. Our new Unako Jewellery line was featured here with beautiful earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Stay tuned to see our jewellery available online at Unako.ca! 


Feb 21, 2018
We will be a vendor at the Global Marketplace at the Kelowna Community Theatre.

March 8th, 2018
Mark your Calendars for International Women's Day
LEAVE NO WOMAN BEHIND
(hint: See a bunch of passionate speakers at noon at the sails downtown Kelowna)

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

 

 


Thank you for being along for this journey and blessings to all!

Namaste.

 

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