After spending four days in UWC-USA and giving a presentation at the Global Issues program, on April 20, I flew to Grinnell College where in the course of the next week or so, I had a few different engagements. One of them was as a speaker at the Rosenfield Program.
At 4:15 pm Wednesday, April 23, 2014, I gave my talk on “Human Rights and Education of Marginalized People of Nepal”. A presentation describing the plight of groups such as Dalits, women, Tharus and Tamangs in the country and abroad and what COMMITTED is doing about it all.
Dalits are the untouchables, the lowest of the low castes. Women in the highly patriarchal and predomiently Hindu Nepalese society are treated in many parts of the country as second class citizens. Tharus in the South, for the entire modern history of Nepal, have pretty much been living enslaved lives! And Tamangs, the indigenous population of Sindhupalchok District, where Thangpalkot VDC, COMMITTED’s project site is located, have not fared much better either.
The discrimination they face, on a daily basis, prevents them from realising their dreams and living their lives to the fullest. They are instead made victims of trafficking to destinations both within the country and outside for financial and other gains of those in powerful and influential positions.
Education, the one thing that could make a difference in their lives, education which made a difference in my life, is a privilege and as such generally not available to them. When it is available, it is of poor quality. COMMITTED strives to provide high quality education to such groups in the communities we serve.
Click on the play button below to listen to a recording of the presentation. It’s a little over an hour long.
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