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| Project Name: | Promoting Human Rights and Social Inclusion of Terai Dalits in Nepal. |
| Project Description: |
The project aims to improve quality of life of 105,000 poor Terail Dalits in three rural districts of Nepal by 2009 through improvement in their social status, household income and access to health services and education for children. Terai Dalits, along with other Dalit groups, have for centuries been classified by society in general as the lowest caste in society and ‘impure’ in religious terms, thus making them ‘untouchable’. The notion of untouchability has affected all aspects of their lives. Discrimination dictates the Terai Dalits’ livelihood, where they live, their freedom to use public places, whether the children can attend school, their access to potable water, whether and how they can participate in social activities. It takes away not only their dignity at every step in their life, but also deprives them of any opportunity to come out of the viscious cycle of poverty and indebtedness.
The overall thrust of the project is to promote human rights and the social inclusion of Terai Dalits. By working jointly with Dalit and pro-Dalit organisations, media and the government agencies, the project will foster better understanding of human rights, equality, tolerance and strengthen mechanism to address the need, concerns and rights of Terai Dalits. The project will have special focus on empowerment of women who, in addition to caste based discrimination, also suffer from gender based discrimination and violence. |
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