Case Study

WHR Achievements

  1. WHR has established 140 single women's groups with an ever expanding membership base of over 14,000 single women (widows) in 38 districts of Nepal. These single women (widows) are organized and trained to act as agents of change in their respective communities.
  2. WHR played an important role in highlighting the plight of single women (widow) of Nepal to CEDAW and UN Commission of Status of Women.
  3. WHR has been able to incorporate the issue of single women (widows) in the 10th five year plan of Nepal. This inclusion has meant the allocation of budgets by His Majesty’s Government (HMG), for the empowerment of single women (widows) in 15 districts of Nepal.
  4. The inclusion of single women (widow) issues in the Tenth Five Year Plan has helped to promote the issue of single women (widows) at national and international levels.
  5. WHR has formed the National Network for Single Women (NSW) which includes the Ministry of Women and 15 other National and International Organizations.
  6. WHR has succeeded in changing some discriminatory laws against single women (widow), such as
    • Property of deceased husband does not need to be returned after remarriage.
    • There is also no need to reach the age of 35 to inherit deceased husband's property.
    • No male consent required while acquiring a passport
    • Women no longer require the consent of their adult sons and unmarried daughters to sell or hand over property ownership.
  7. Aadhar saving credit program of WHR has provided loans to many single women (widows) to start small scale businesses.
  8. 285 children of single women (widows) and 20 young single women (widows) get scholarship support from the Opportunity Fund.
  9. WHR has trained and mobilized over 200 Shahayogi Saathis (social mobilizers), para legal volunteers and para counselors in 38 districts.
  10. WHR organized the "International Conference on Capacity Building of Single Women (widows) which declared "The Kathmandu Widows Charter "on the basis of human rights instruments like CEDAW, CSW 1325 & BPFW. The conference was the initial step towards setting up the platform for the voice of widows to be heard at the international level.
  11. WHR is the Secretariat for SANWED South Asian network for Widow's Empowerment in Development (SANWED). SANWED is a new initiative in the South Asia region to uphold widows’ human rights in all aspects of their lives; an end to their poverty and marginalization; and the elimination of all forms of discrimination against them – legal, social, cultural and economic.
  12. WHR has managed to raise issue concerning the need for social security schemes for single women at the national level, and this has been reflected in the Directive Principles and Policies of the Interim Constitution 2006.
  13. WHR has won many awards from esteemed organizations in and out of Nepal. The latest being the Best Social Entrepreneur Award 2006 from Boss Magazine to our chairperson Lily Thapa.