A transformational encounter. Listen to the stories. Experience the hope.
Women and girls in developing countries bear a disproportionate burden of poverty and experience gender discrimination even before they are born.
The statistics tell a grim tale: 70% of the poorest people on this planet are women; and every day women provide two-thirds of the world’s working hours, but due to injustice, discrimination and exploitation earn only 10% of the world’s income.
Yet women and girls are often the dynamic change-makers bringing about wonderful change to the communities where TEAR’s partners are working.
Known by tourists as a trekker’s paradise, Nepal is indeed a stunningly beautiful country, yet it also faces many development challenges. TEAR has been supporting development work in Nepal since the late 1970s through a range of local Christian organisations. There have been great advances in development and infrastructure, but Nepal is still one of the poorest countries in Asia. The economy is largely agriculturally based and nearly one third of the people of Nepal live below the poverty line.
International Women’s Day (‘IWD’) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. IWD is also a day of taking action against gender inequality around the world. The first IWD was celebrated in 1911 and 2021 will mark the 110th celebration.
TEAR Australia was founded with a vision for a just and compassionate world in which all people have the opportunity to achieve their God-given potential. We do this by prioritising our program support towards projects working with people in the greatest need. As a result, the vast majority of our partners’ community development projects have women as a central focus. Whether it is Self-Help Groups, savings clubs, literacy courses, community health training, water projects, economic development - the projects we support almost invariably prioritise the lives of women. You can’t tackle extreme poverty and not focus on women.
International Women’s Day is a wonderful day of celebrations for TEAR’s partners working with women and girls. By coming on this trip, you have the chance to be part of the celebrations of positive change, stand alongside inspiring and courageous Nepali women and girls fighting for transformation in their own communities, and join with Nepali Christians in praying for further restoration and empowerment of women in Nepal.
Women are a beautiful and blessed creation but still remain very vulnerable and outcast in all manners… Women face discrimination in all aspects of life - whether it is in a hospital, school, community, or even in their own family.
Share & Care Nepal allows women to believe that a change is possible and that women are equals. They do have a right to live, to realise dreams, make informed choices and shape the lives of their families, communities and their nation.
This trip will spend time with TEAR’s partner of nearly twenty years, Share & Care Nepal. You will have the opportunity to learn about their life-giving work on:
You will also have time to be impacted by the personal testimonies of Share and Care’s dedicated local Nepali staff. Through their passionate, faithful and humble work, we can see clear signs of God’s Kingdom breaking through.
Central to this work, and something that has humbled and challenged me throughout our time here, is the role of Share and Care’s Christian staff. They’re so committed to being here and being part of the community to share their lives. They lived alongside the community during the 2015 earthquake and all along have shared their joys and sorrows, the struggles, the celebrations, and the thing that they really bring into this work is that they are here, they are understanding the people, they understand what is going on and what needs to happen to bring about real change.
“The whole experience [of travelling with TEAR] expanded my wonder of God and His ways, especially how TEAR partners with local groups who understand the culture and issues. I was struck by the way that women’s self-help groups are giving women confidence to speak up and no longer tolerate domestic violence. These groups are also pooling money for loans to help families increase their incomes. And I witnessed such a strong sense of community, even though, to our Western mindset, they have very little. When we visited some villages where Share and Care Nepal (SCN) had concluded their work, there was such pride in the prosperity they had created - veggie gardens, greenhouses, buffalo, goats and water tanks. It was just brilliant!” (Pamela Ferrar, travelled with TEAR to Nepal in January 2018)
