Wednesday, January 11, 2006
An Unstoppable Woman
I had lunch today with two remarkable women: Bishnu Pariyar, a young women's rights activist from Nepal, and Eva Kasell, who sponsored her to come to the U.S. to study.
From a very early age, Bishnu was determined to be educated, and she overcame every obstacle set in her path--and there were many--to achieve her goal. A member of the Dalit (untouchable) caste in Nepal, and a girl to boot, she was lucky enough to be born into a family that respected her fervent desire to go to school, and did not insist, as would be the case with many Dalit girls, that she marry at age 13 or 14. Not only did she learn, but she was consistently first in her class throughout her primary education, despite the fact that she had to work for her family's subsistence by day, and study during the night by light of the kerosene lamp (a precious luxury).
Bishnu stood out, and was helped by her teachers to continue her education through secondary school, then through college in Katmandu. At only 20 years old, she began to put her education to work for others, founding Empower Dalit Women of Nepal, a literacy and micro-credit organization that is still going strong today, some seven years later.
In the interim, she was fortunate to have met Eva Kasell, an American woman visiting Nepal, who was so struck by Bishu's intelligence and charm that she did something impulsive: she offered to sponsor her to study English in the U.S. From this generous gesture was born a partnership: Eva has started a non-profit organization to fund-raise for Bishnu's women's empowerment organization, with phenomenal success.
The success comes largely from Bishnu's drive, determination, and incredibly powerful presence. When she tells her life story, you can't help but be moved and inspired, and want to donate whatever you can to make it possible for more Nepalese girls and women, especially the Dalits, to become as literate and powerful as Bishnu.
Bishnu was recently honored by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard with a "Bridgebuilder's Award," and is now writing her autobiography, as well as working on her Master's degree in International Development from Clark University. She's someone to watch--look out world! Here's one woman who won't be stopped!
If you want to help: See Bishnu's website for more information on her organization, Empower Dalit Women of Nepal, and how you can get involved to support them.
From a very early age, Bishnu was determined to be educated, and she overcame every obstacle set in her path--and there were many--to achieve her goal. A member of the Dalit (untouchable) caste in Nepal, and a girl to boot, she was lucky enough to be born into a family that respected her fervent desire to go to school, and did not insist, as would be the case with many Dalit girls, that she marry at age 13 or 14. Not only did she learn, but she was consistently first in her class throughout her primary education, despite the fact that she had to work for her family's subsistence by day, and study during the night by light of the kerosene lamp (a precious luxury).
Bishnu stood out, and was helped by her teachers to continue her education through secondary school, then through college in Katmandu. At only 20 years old, she began to put her education to work for others, founding Empower Dalit Women of Nepal, a literacy and micro-credit organization that is still going strong today, some seven years later.
In the interim, she was fortunate to have met Eva Kasell, an American woman visiting Nepal, who was so struck by Bishu's intelligence and charm that she did something impulsive: she offered to sponsor her to study English in the U.S. From this generous gesture was born a partnership: Eva has started a non-profit organization to fund-raise for Bishnu's women's empowerment organization, with phenomenal success.
The success comes largely from Bishnu's drive, determination, and incredibly powerful presence. When she tells her life story, you can't help but be moved and inspired, and want to donate whatever you can to make it possible for more Nepalese girls and women, especially the Dalits, to become as literate and powerful as Bishnu.
Bishnu was recently honored by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard with a "Bridgebuilder's Award," and is now writing her autobiography, as well as working on her Master's degree in International Development from Clark University. She's someone to watch--look out world! Here's one woman who won't be stopped!
If you want to help: See Bishnu's website for more information on her organization, Empower Dalit Women of Nepal, and how you can get involved to support them.
