Nepali Footprints: A Waking Life

Every young child dreams of being something. Whether that is a dentist, a dancer or a wrestler!

In the Western world these dreams are achievable realities. My ten weeks in Nepal highlighted that more often than not children here are born into poverty and hardship. There is no escaping it, they are struck by the inadequacies of the society they live in and are pre-destined to a life of subsistence living. Their dreams become memories...

This truly devastating critique of rural life in Nepal take nothing away from the rich tapestry of the Nepali people. A country covered in colour, in beautiful prayer flags and a true belief in the family which made me feel exceedingly humble.

'There is no escaping it, they are struck by the inadequacies of the society they live in and are pre-destined to a life of subsistence living. Their dreams become memories...'

One social factor that suppresses the dreams of the Nepali people is the tradition regarding gender equality. I spoke to the conflict and disaster officer at DFID Nepal who stated that coupled with the political chaos in Nepal, gender inequality is being addressed, but everything moves very slowly in Nepal and everything is entwined within political bureaucracy.

Stigmatisation is rife in parts of Nepali society. The daughter Deeraj of Ram Sunar was banished to their mountain house as she was the daughter of a past husband. Born into this situation, her life is set to follow a course of working in the fields and at home. Within her small mud house she told me how she wants to be a singer in Kathmandu. Her dream is not a feasible reality. She has been born into a society where women are not equal and traditional values are still strongly active. These traditional values are not written law but overthrowing them is a tough task. 

Shree Shrestha, the wife of my Nepali brother Prakash told me how she was hidden in a dark room for 12 days when she began to menstruate at age 15. This medieval tradition can result in malnutrition, fatigue, depression and sometimes death. Shree continued to say that she felt humiliated and was overwhelmed with guilt-as she was seen as dirty.

It is difficult as a Westerner to not see this as a truly barbaric act and a clear case of human rights abuse. She tried to assure me that it is Nepali tradition and not to view it through a Western peep-hole. Personally I feel it is a very unfair and unjust system, and often is based on old traditional values, much like the caste system which depicts a societal hierarchy based on family origin. They are both unjust nuances of Nepali life, but it is hard to imagine a turn around any time soon.

Nepal's economic growth was 2.5 in 2007 [1]. Over 100,000 female migrant workers go to India every year [2]; many of whom fall risk to human trafficking, as they do not need travel documents or work visas - and the government has not been doing enough to intervene in this migration process or attempting to identify traffickers or trafficked people. These morbid figures paint a grim picture of Nepal, and in my opinion, highlights the discriminatory manner of the laws in operation.

However, what is truly inspiring is the willingness of local people to facilitate change. Those who are educated particularly have strong feelings on the subject of gender inequality and want to see a positive change. My Nepali brother Sudip Shrestha, whilst listening to Dubstep on my Ipod told me he has no intention or desire to visit the UK or the West. He wants to become a tour guide in Nepal to show people how beautiful his country is. This really touched me as it highlights his desire to see Nepal improve. His dream may become reality, but ironically is controlled by his sex and the proportional wealth and open mindedness of his Buwa (father), Ram.

Never the cynic or the pessimist, I feel that a lot of people are awakening to the idea of gender equality, and institutions like Maiti Nepal are actively protecting and promoting the rights of women. It will be a long and drawn out process but there is evidence of positive change. For example in some families, couples are now allowed to meet before marriage and decide if they are happy to marry.

Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries with a population of over 28 million [3]. It would be nice to see a larger proportion of these 28 million's dreams become reality in the future.

Words and photos: Dave Bull

Dave went to Nepal as part of the Platform2 overseas volunteering programme. For more information please visit www.myplatform.com [4]