My work with DNF Nepal

Well you've heard a lot about Nepal - my impressions of Kathmandu and my leisure time so here is an introduction about my organisation and what I've actually come out here to do!

My placement in Nepal through VSO is with the Dalit NGO Federation (DNF) an umberella organisation with about 300 member organisations whose main aim is to fight against untouchability and all forms of caste based discrimination in Nepal (basically your birth family name determines which level of society you fall into and which jobs you can do - this system of society was put forwards by past kings in Nepal and has worked its way into hinduism - though I believe the religion does not actually support this). DNF aim to raise the collective voice of the Dalit community of Nepal through a process of member organisation empowerment, policy influencing, networking and alliance building. DNF also gets involved in the processing of legal cases against those mistreating Dalits (from denying services, to beatings and murders) and project delivery with its member organisations such as inclusive education - getting Dalits particularly girls into schools - as literacy rates here are shockingly low. Also whilst Nepal is one of the worst countries in the world in terms of human development in the areas of income, life expectancy and literacy rates and many in Nepal are officially classed as poor - there are many more dalits below the 'poverty line' than other castes, they also have a lower life expectancy and a higher childbirth and infant mortaility rate - as they are not benefitting from the few health, education and livelihood services and programmes that do exist.

So my role - I work in an office with about 12 other staff - those delivering and managing projects are a well educated bunch of Dalit's with BA's and MA's or studying for them and they seem very keen and passionate about their work. Their English is also much better than my Nepali - though there are some people in the office I get to speak to in Nepali - I do need to keep practising my language skills for trips out of town. The main current work that DNF are involved with at the moment is preparing a 'Dalit agenda' for the new Constitutional Assembly of Nepal.

My work will include developing an advocacy strategy with DNF and organisational development centrally and in the regions- the idea though is skill transfer - not me doing the work for them.

For starters though we are looking at a few things like planning a head (ie not leaving things to the last minute!) and having diaries - so people know what they themselves and each are doing - just to make working life easier! Also we will need to look at meetings and time management! - Nepali's like to speak a lot in meetings - and everybody usually gets to have their say in the end - this means that meetings can go on for a long long time ! Going back to planning ahead - culturally - the Nepalis do seem to do things at the last minute - for example - new public holidays announced by government the afternoon before they happen. When I suggested organising an important meeting with external people in advance and letting people know say a week or two before - I was told that this was too much notice and that people would forget about the event if they were told too soon in advance! Possibly because they don't keep diaries???! But people do show up to events at short notice - guess this is how they are used to working! So some things I may not be able to change for what we think is a better way of working in our world!

Below is a poem that illustrates what it is like being a Dalit in Nepal.

I AM PISSED AND I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE.[1]

Yes, I am pissed and I am not going to take it anymore.

My forefathers from centuries have given up their lives,
shed their blood, fought your wars, contributed to
your economy, worked in your lands for meagre
food and made you rich. You, your children and
pedigrees have flourished and thrived on my and my
forefathers' sweat and blood. You have deprived us to
practice my own religion freely. You have poured hot
boiling lead in ears of my forefathers if they happen
to hear the sacred verses of my own religion. You
forbid us to enter the very temple that my
forefathers helped build. You have twisted facts of
my own religion to discriminate us. You don't want
us to touch you because it will defile your body. You
have made us walk a different path in my own villages
so that my shadow does not touch your body. You
prevent us from entering your house yet the very
houses you live in were and are built by my own hands.
You do not want to sit or eat with us yet the very
food you cook and eat are produced by my hands and my
labour. You don't want to collect our milk
for processing/ pasteurization because the cows
belong to us. But you accept the milk of my cow if it is milked by you.You make us wash the dishes that we used to eat the food that we
bought from your restaurants. If we refused to wash
our dishes in your restaurants, you come in masses to
beat us and humiliate us. You have taken away our identity.
You have forced us to put a label on our name so that
you can recognize us and prevent us from progressing
in the society. You have forced us to live in the
outskirts of a neighbourhood. So that you can use our skills but not let mix with you.

You redirect drinking waters of our villages to your villages and we have
to walk miles to get drinking water for our families.
We accepted our position in the society to appease
you. But we are not going to take this any more.

You have deprived my fore-fathers from education and you
are continuing to do so. When my forefathers did make
it to schools you did not let him/her enter
the school premise or kept him/her separated from
the other students. You have developed a very
well planned system how to keep us away from
education in the modern era also. You don't let our
young students rent your houses because it will
defile your houses. We have to lie about our identity
to find housing for our young students. When you find
out about our background you beat and humiliate our
young students and throw them out of your houses in
the streets. You have also developed a
well oiled system to keep us deprived from national
and international opportunities.

Besides providing our skills and knowledge to run the local economy

we have equally participated in all political change of Nepal.

Our fore fathers Bise Nagarchi, Latokami and Maniram Gaine contributed in the unification process.

Chandrabahadur Sarki and Maniram Damai got martyrdom in the fight against Rana rule in 1950.

Bindeswar Paswan, Nyaule Bishwakarma, Harkabahadur Sarki and many others got killed in their fight against feudal Panchayat system.

Gyanbahadur Sarki, Rekha Bishwakarma Mohitkrishna Baiju and many more were killed to reinstate multi-parry democracy in 1990.

Highest of all three Dalits Dipak Kami, Setu BK and Chandrabahadur Bayalkoti sacrificed their lives to overthrow the autocratic regime of the King in 2006.

Now Maoist have entrenched their victory over the martyrdom of more than 1000 Dalits.

Despite all these sacrifices you still think Dalits did not agitate as Madheshi and Janjati did.

Our issue were not taken up by Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction stating that there is no unified Dalit movement.

When there was need of Dalit sacrifice to ascend you to the power there was no issue of our unified movement

When there is an issue of sharing power and prestige that became prime issue.

That behaviour reminds us the famous proverb, "Na dine Baraju Budhabar Barchhin" (meaning, one who does not want to give makes several excuses).

OH, YES I AM VERY ANGRY.
Oh, yes, I am angry. I am ready
to fight you NOW.

For more information on Dalits /untouchables www.idsn.org - the international dalit solidarity network is a good site. We also have our own website www.dnfnepal. org but this needs a bit of an update.