“No country prospers without the engagement of women. We need women’s representation that reflects all women and girls in all their diversity and abilities, and across all cultural, social, economic and political situations. This is the only way we will get real societal change that incorporates women in decision-making as equals and benefits us all.”~ Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive director of UN Women, for the International Women’s day 2021
A bias is a preconceived judgment about someone or something which is formed according to certain personal criteria and which then influences the mind either positively or negatively with regard to this person or thing (translation from Larousse dictionary). Many people are confronted daily with prejudice, towards their work, their appearance or their capacities to play an important role in society.
“As human beings, we all have 
prejudices, but we also have the capacity to free ourselves from them by training our minds. It is not a question of wiping the slate clean, but of understanding the logic behind it, of being aware of it and of being able to discern between what we really know and what we think we know.” ~ Matthieu Ricard – Training the mind to free ourselves.
Karuna-Shechen supports women by giving them access to the means and training they need to become independent. One example of this cooperation is the implementation of programs to support women’s entrepreneurship, allowing beneficiaries to become financially independent from their families and practice a trade. Literacy courses and solar panel installation also allow women to develop and regain confidence in their abilities, while opening up new professional avenues.
Agricultural training programs offer women and their families greater food autonomy thus reducing the pressure they feel as mothers. Furthermore, these women benefit from a fresh perspective from their peers, which helps to further transform their daily lives themselves.
Celebrating women’s achievements!
Let’s take action for equality in India and Nepal.
In India, as in Nepal, castes still play an important role in the organization of society. This traditional hierarchical structure contributes to separate populations and exacerbates their differences. In addition, there are other sources of discrimination such as disability, modest origins, age, and familial pressures based on disagreement over life choices, which is especially common and problematic for women.
Article
One day with Putul
“In the beginning, my family and village didn’t support my decision to work. My neighbors judged and ignored me because I had to leave my home everyday. This made me really sad, but it never discouraged me!” Read Putul’s full testimony in our article here !
Videos
They share their testimony
“Karuna taught me how to drive a rickshaw. They then hired me to drive patients to the Shechen clinic. This allows me to have a real income! Here, there are only men driving the tuktuks.” Gurubari and other inspiring women testify in video here.
Social media
Discover Radha’s story
“In my time, people did not send their girls to school. They said it was a waste of money, because they already spent a lot on their wedding“. Today, Radha takes one of our literacy classes, and she is a very diligent student! You can read all about it on Intagram & Facebook.
Women around the world are the most vulnerable, this is why they demand and deserve an equal future free of prejudice, stereotypes and violence; a sustainable and peaceful future with the same rights and equal opportunities for all. To achieve this, women must be present at every level of decision-making: positive results are seen when women are in leadership positions. For example, in the context of the pandemic, some of the most effective and exemplary interventions have been led by women. Beyond the political world, women and especially young women are mobilizing every day to claim their rights, fight for social justice and inclusiveness, and work every day for the environment and equality in the world. However, women under 30 years of age represent less than 1% of parliamentarians in the world.
International Women’s Day official website
Gender stereotypes – Human Rights High Commission
Article : Women leaders of change – Karuna-Shechen
Sexist bias explained with 5 numbers – CARE France
Women leaders are better at fighting the pandemic – World Economic Forum
Facts and figures: Women’s leadership and political participation – UN Women
May 6 2022
We believe that education is a tool for development, which should also help everyone to cultivate their inner qualities. Indeed, Early Childhood Development (ECD) is a major axis of intervention for K...
April 28 2022
This year, all the donations collected by Action For Karuna finance our food security program in India which supports more than 53,000 families: organic vegetable gardens, fruit trees, drip irrigati...
April 19 2022
"When altruists join forces, they can generate a tremendous power for good. (...) Everyone can mobilize in his or her own way and cultivate an altruistic state of mind to become a link in the immense ...
March 31 2022
Since June 2021, Karuna-Shechen has been supporting Calcutta Rescue in its intervention in the slums of Nonadanga and Canal West, in Calcutta, India. This sister association was created by Dr. Jack P...
March 14 2022
"In this current era, we face many challenges. One of our main problems is to reconcile the demands of the economy, the pursuit of happiness and respect for the environment. These imperatives corresp...
