Now that we've finished recounting our visit to Nepal, we wanted to take a moment to explain the origins of our project and the direction it's currently headed!
The Nepal Sexual and Reproductive Health Project is a subset of UBC Global Health Initiative (GHI), a student-led program under the Faculty of Medicine that aims to improve health outcomes and quality of life in low resource countries around the world.
Through these outreach initiatives, UBC GHI has formed long-standing relationships with various organizations including Creating Possibilities Nepal (CP Nepal), a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the education and quality of life of structurally disadvantaged women and children in Nepal. In 2020, CP Nepal identified sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of adolescents as an area requiring additional attention and support. The Nepal Sexual and Reproductive Health Project was created to address SRH barriers through empowering and educating adolescents in rural Nepal.
Over the past two years, the Nepal Sexual and Reproductive Health Project has worked in collaboration with CP Nepal to improve the SRH literacy of youth in rural Nepal.
To date, we have created an SRH program of nine educational sessions, with topics ranging from menstruation to gender inequality. Initially beginning with three groups of students, there are now over 450 young girls participating in this well-received program, with plans to continue expanding to nearby rural villages. In May of 2022, three members of our team had the opportunity to visit Nepal and work directly with CP Nepal educators and students. Through the strong relationships formed during their time in Nepal, our team continues to work closely with CP Nepal to optimize the learning sessions and support the development of the program. Our work has created a significant impact in the rural communities of Nepal, and this would not have been possible without our donors, iA Financial and the Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc).
Currently, we are updating the SRH program lessons with content that the educators and students either find difficult or would like to learn more about. Once these lesson plans are finalized, we hope to create a Training-of-Trainers manual, which will serve as a baseline for future educators as the program continues to expand, allowing for consistent and sustainable delivery. With the growing number of students, identifying sources of funding remains an important part of our project. Our goals for this year are to secure funding for a scooter to allow educators to navigate between sessions, as well as support food and transportation costs for students attending the classes.
Thank you for your support of our project, stay tuned to see how the program and our project continue to evolve!
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