Sandhya Acharya is on a mission to change society for women in Nepal through education and awareness. Sandhya is the project leader of Nepal and she received the Global Women Dream (GWD) Grant to implement her project, “Young Women Family Value Education Corps (GFVEC)” for twelve girl students studying Social Work in different colleges in Kathmandu. Through the project, Sandhya aimed to teach girls with leadership skills, family values and project management during June, 2021.
The participating students learnt about moral and innovative leadership and the Global Peace Values Framework (Dream Big, Ownership, Living for the Greater Good, Teamwork). The girls also learnt Family Values Education and became a part of the Family Volunteers for Peace (FVP) Global Campaign in August. They were given hands-on training on innovative communication, public speaking, proposal writing and community engagement. Additionally, the girls also had to organize two community based projects with a target to reach a hundred participants.
Durga Timilsina, one of the participants said, “I consider myself lucky to be part of this program. When I heard the program also focuses on leadership skills, I thought of more external things like report writing and all. Through the program I realized leaders need some inner values such as big dreams and change which they are willing to start from themselves.”
The 12 participating girls showed great commitment for Sandhya’s project as they came up with initiatives that showcased the Global Peace Values Framework. They also initiated their FVP campaign with their families. Overall, the participants reported a 90% increase in their awareness of moral and innovative leadership.
As Sandhya reflected on the success of her project, she said that the Covid19 pandemic and the lockdown was a challenge and she struggled with the transition of the entire program from physical to virtual. However, she says it was the “guidance of seniors, GPW and team effort” which helped her overcome the transition. Besides this, Sandhya also struggled with delivery of content and meaningful participation of participants due to unstable internet. However, these experiences taught her to be flexible and adaptable and enhanced her networking and partnership skills.
“As a leader, I realized I always should have a plan B…Due to Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, I had to change my entire program to virtual. However, last minute changes in the plan helped me to be a multi-tasker.” - Sandhya
Smita KC who assisted Sandhya in her project said that she was “really impressed” by the FVP Campaign and that she realised that “the first school to learn is Family”.
Sandhya has been with Global Peace Women (GPW) since 2017 and is among the first GPW Leadership Academy(GPWLA) graduates from Nepal. She is an inspiring service-minded women leader who is changing the scene for women in Nepal through her NGO ‘Mahila Pahila’ which translates to ‘Women First’. She aims to prioritise and empower women with education and economic empowerment.
We are proud to have raised women leaders like Sandhya and be a part of their journey. If you have a dreamt you can visit our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/GPWInternational for announcements on the Global Women Dream (GWD) grant. Global Peace Women International announces open call for the Global Women Dream (GWD) grant proposals twice a year (March & September).
Also, if you would like to start your own leadership journey then you can visit https://www.globalpeacewomen.org/advance-womens-leadership/gpwla to learn about the GPWLA.