Women’s Christmas in Nepal…
Network
Christmas and evergreen trees have somehow become a part of Christmas tradition. In a 99% Hindu country first of all Christmas is only synonymous with the jolly fat man in a red suit and white bread. Sometimes Santa may even arrive riding on the back of an elephant. Reindeers! Which Nepalese child has heard of reindeers?
As is my Christmas ritual, December 1st I went “a Christmas tree shopping.” Simple! No! Finding a Christmas tree in Kathmandu is literally like finding a needle in a haystack. And the haystack is huge!
Frustrated and exhausted, I settled for a 5 foot green stick with protruding skinny green branches. It came cheap at $30.00 Canadian dollars. Luckily the Chinese manufacturer knew that Christmas trees have the shape of a pyramid.
The worse was over I thought! In my innocence, I assumed that buying lights for my green stick would be a breeze. Nepalese homes are literally draped with strings of lights when celebrating a wedding. Simple! No!
Six attempts at putting lights on my precious green stick nearly resulted in suicidal depression. My string of lights, flickered, dimmed, sang tinny Christmas carols, crashed and died. The problem? A steady electrical current coming from an outside electrical pole into my home is not necessarily an assured reality in Kathmandu. ‘Spliced wires would attach the string of lights together,’ said the nice man at the store. ‘Jiggle the plugs if the lights don’t go on at first,’ was another suggestion. My Nepalese is not quite up to that standard of understanding.
Solution! Duct tape! Of course, how silly of me not to think of that! Now off to find duct tape. Simple! No! But I was not about to give up on my precious green stick.
So duct tape now covers the wall plug. Three out of four strings of lights duct taped mercilessly to an extension cord assure a somewhat steady electrical current. Adjusting the duct tape, and adding more duct tape is part of the ritual of flicking the switch.
Christmas ornaments! I spare you the ordeal! Simple! Yes! Cotton balls! Well why not? Simple solution to having no budget left for ornaments.
My green stick looks rather nice adorned with 2 packages of skin cleanser cotton balls. They are pretty well all the same size and, of course, white. This helps my need for the illusion of control.
My Nepalese friends are delighted with my green stick! Actually as I sit and marvel at the flickering lights, the near suicidal depression was well work the effort.
- Michelle Bonneau, Nepal Country Director.
…and in Canada
IWEN is a work in progress, constantly changing and evolving. Since the AGM in September, a new Board of Directors has been formed. Introduced by Michelle Bonneau, our beloved Director-at-Large, at her October 30th presentation at the Kelowna Community Theatre, the Board is made up of: Victoria Oppertshauser (Chair), Alexis Costello (Vice-Chair), Diane Wiebe (Secretary), M. Louise McKenzie (Treasurer), Mark Walker (Fundraising), Rod Torgerson (Scholarships), Anita Zittlau (Membership), and of course, Michelle.
As IWEN’s momentum sweeps across Canada, we have appointed regional representatives for our far-flung members. We hope to see more and more join in from communities across the country!
Thanks to the support of all members, IWEN is able to reach an important goal. Every year at the festival of Maghi, daughters are sold into bonded labor (read more about this practice on the next page). Michelle asked one of the middle-men of these transactions how much money it would take to free 100 girls. The sum he came up with was $7000. In January, Michelle travels to the festival to give more young girls a future. We are so close to our goal! IWEN will inform you in the Spring Newsletter exactly how many indentured daughters were freed with your donated funds. Thank-you so much for your part in this miracle!
We have new brochures, new membership and donation forms, and a website that is constantly evolving to keep you up-to-date. Keep your ear to the ground for information about our next fundraiser. If you would be interested in volunteering, please contact Mark Walker at the address in this newsletter.
- Alexis Costello
Poverty and a simple tradition twisted to the advantage of greedy middle men have, over the last 75 years, made the selling of female children in five districts of Nepal an occasion of festival celebration. Annually, in mid January during the festival of Maghi, middle men bargain with fathers on the price that their daughter is worth.
Once a female child is sold, she becomes indentured and is literally the property of the owner to do with as he pleases. The payment is renewed annually at Maghi. Most daughters never return home. Education is not part of the agreement. It is estimated that in Nepal there are at least 20,000 bonded females.
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Membership in action!
Scholarships for 07-08 school year thus far:
Victims of Conflict: 10 Mentally Challenged: 8 Dalit – Untouchable Caste: 32 Rescued Street Females: 10 Indentured Daughters: 23 currently sponsored, plus January’s freed daughters.
As you can see, there are areas where we are doing well, and areas where we could use a little more help. This table represents young girls and women that are receiving an education, and a real chance in life!
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Why sell daughters? The reasons are many! She can eat and there is one less mouth to feed. With little or no ownership of farmland, there is no other source of income. Rich land owners do not give any piece of land even for shared farming so there is danger of the entire family starving or families are threatened if they do not cooperate with the middle-man who visit their villages. Employers prefer to have girl servants. Also females are considered of less value than males in Hindu society. In Hindu society a female when married lives in the home of her husband. This provides for an extra worker for his extended family.
IWEN partners with Friends of Needy Children [FNC] to provide educational scholarships for freed bonded females. FNC has won a 3-year court battle to denounce this practice of selling children as illegal. In actuality, it will take years to change the system. At least a law is the beginning of hope to these young females.
Questions? Comments? Burning desire to send money? Membership and donation forms are available on the website: www.iwencanada.com Inquiries, donor stories, completed forms, or information for this newsletter can be sent to:
IWEN
#3-1890 Ambrosi Rd.
Kelowna, BC
V1Y 4R9
Educate a woman! Educate a family!