Inspiring Nepalese Women Blog Series: Mandira Raut

Could you tell me about the work you do? Can you talk a bit more about your position as at Today’s Youth Asia?

I joined Today’s Youth Asia (then known as ‘Today’s Youth’) in 2003 as a trainee-member of the ‘School Representative Media Training’ project. Since I lived in the school’s hostel, I needed special permission to attend the program every Saturday. At that time, the founder-president Santosh Shah used to spend most of his time teaching and training himself. We were a group of 40-50 students. I was a captain at my school, so I was already passionate about leadership.

Now, as the projects director, I head the youth programs related to learning, implementing and sharing leadership. My additional responsibility is to produce a daily television show involving the youths whom we train under various youth programs.

What motivated you to get into your field of work? Were there people/ events in your life that encouraged you to think about the work you do?

When I first joined TYA, I wasn’t really considering media as a career. But then after featuring in the magazines, I started writing articles, bringing wall magazines, I was 17 at that point. I liked that my voice was heard. I was always interested in bringing change, I was very vocal on politics and loved debating. The main issue I wanted to be heard on was the importance of staying in Nepal and contributing to the country’s development.

The Royal Massacre happened when I was15 years old, it was a really bad time. Going through all of that and the conflict, especially since I’m originally from a rural area where the conflict was much more intense than it was in Kathmandu, made me feel like I had to contribute. Witnessing the crisis of Maoists capturing young people from the villages and watching my own father’s company shut down because of extortion gave me a responsibility to do more because of my fortunate educational background.

Being a youth speaker, as a girl, at the International Women of Radio and Television Conference in 2007 was the first moment women’s leadership really clicked for me. It was the first program I had attended that was all women, and women from various sectors. The next year I was invited to another all-women gathering by the then-US Ambassador, Nancy Powell, on International Women’s Day. I was overwhelmed to be in a room with all the powerful women of Nepal, hearing them speak on women’s leadership, and seeing them unified around International Women’s Day. But I remember noticing that there weren’t many younger girls, I only saw senior leaders (at least 10-15 years older than me), which made me become more ambitious and determined to empower myself and create opportunities for young girls in Nepal. Three months later I ran the cover story titled ‘Women Leadership: The possibilities and challenges in South Asia’ in Today’s Youth Asia magazine.

What is the accomplishment you are most proud of?

Most of the youths I’ve trained have become leaders within their schools, became TV anchors of TYA-shows, joined the UN Youth and Students Association of Nepal, studied abroad, contributed newspaper editorials, etc. Seeing youth I’ve nominated thrive in new opportunities and knowing that I helped them get there is the most rewarding part of my work.

What skill/attitude etc. contributed to your success?

It all comes down to stability. If you ask any young people today, or even people up to the age of 30, they won’t know what they want to achieve and keep fluctuating between different plans and ideologies. I’ve seen many people leave something they love because they have other priorities and want a different life. But I’ve remained committed and sometimes I’ve suffered because of it, but sticking with my work and knowing that someday I’ll achieve what I want has brought me to where I am today. There are many challenges, but all the long hours and responsibility of holding two different positions while studying for my masters is worth it.

 

You work a lot with youth- how would you describe Nepalese youth? Have you seen any general changes in them over the past 5-10 years?  (bridging urban and rural youth)

I’ve seen Nepalese youth become more attracted to the Western world and an increasing desire to go abroad. The identity as a Nepali they used to have is now missing. The biggest challenge I face is my trainees leaving to go abroad. I could do so much more than I currently am if they stayed in Nepal. I’ve seen so many cases of students getting entrapped in everyday challenges, with family pressure and the competitive world preventing them from pursuing the dreams they started with. I think they need to stop chasing money and entertainment, and change priorities to commit their time and energy to their own development and the development of Nepal. In my experience, rural youths dream of Kathmandu, urban youth dream of overseas, so if we could empower more rural youths, then they would give more to their communities and the country.

I see the rural youths I work with as demoralized and less confident compared to the urban youth because they lack opportunities, but at the same time they’re definitely more disciplined and hardworking because they’ve gone through lot more struggles. I’ve noticed that when provided with opportunities, rural youths perform much better than urban.

In 2003, volunteers at TYA were so passionate about their work and I remember days we were all at the office from 7am to 11pm. But now youths don’t have that kind of conviction, discipline, creativity and commitment to follow-through that they used to. In order to be successful, they must be stable and really focused on their commitments. I’m also shocked by the state of education in Nepal right now – I don’t know if it’s because of the schools, or maybe the hopelessness of Nepal’s current political situation, but the current intellectual capacity is much less than before.

How do you empower young women through your work?

When talking about women’s leadership, I always talk about respect. It doesn’t matter if women and girls are educated or uneducated – they can do anything regardless of their educational status. My strategy to empower women is giving them respect and equal opportunity. Without both, they can’t utilize their knowledge or be empowered.

How much longer do you plan to stay in this field? What are your plans for the future?

I’m currently doing some very technical work, but I’m also a trainer and facilitator which I’ll do for my entire life. I won’t ever stop training young people, and young women specifically, since they are the future generation. I’d also love to officially train more women as well, like mothers and rural women who haven’t had many opportunities. If I have time, or after I complete my masters, I want to design a program that will bring change to lots of women’s lives. I’m confident they need it and they can do it well.

What are the challenges in the field you’re involved in? What are some of the obstacles to leadership that are unique to women in Nepal?

I’m a student, I’m a woman, and I have to handle my work at TYA. I always see obstacles as opportunities and each time I’ve been in trouble, I’ve turn it into an opportunity and grown through it.

A major challenge is the reluctance, and even refusal, of the older generation of leaders to create space for the younger generation. They must start grooming younger generations and creating the space and opportunities we need to step up into decision-making positions. I’ve seen a mother taking opportunities herself and not providing a platform to her daughter, rather than investing in her daughter who can go onto to do even more than she has. That’s the psychology of older generations – holding onto power and not giving opportunities to younger generations.

I feel very proud to say I’m in a decision-making position, especially since there are very only few young women in leadership in Nepal.

Can you talk about one woman who has impacted you during your work or outside of work?

Not just one, there have been so many women who have inspired me. Professionally, I respect women who are successful on their own merit and identity and financially independent, rather than those who just use their connections. Prabha Amatya, stands out for me in the media sector for her vision and constant ideology in media. She stands for what she does.

In politics, Dolma Tamang really inspires me. I’ve seen her in Sindhupalchowk (one of the most heavily trafficked districts along the Chinese border), working on anti-trafficking initiatives and am so touched that she’s a Constituent Assembly member even though she’s a widow. Her commitment and passion to fighting against human trafficking – despite huge push back – and achievements in building roads and schools, training teachers and empowering youth in the first HIV-affected area in Nepal is so amazing. It’s really unusual to find a political leader in this country who actually serves her people – frequently returning to her remote Tamang village. I haven’t seen any other political leader who is as committed to serving their constituents, and is as respected by them as Dolma.

Internationally, Dr. Dee Aker, the deputy director at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. When I first met her during an IPJ workshop for civil society leaders in Kathmandu, I was immediately inspired by her boldness and confidence. Since working with her during her trips to Nepal over the past three years, I’ve been inspired by her commitment to women’s leadership, her unique way of providing opportunities to young people, and her work to give a voice to women in Nepal.

The deadline for Nepal’s new constitution is coming soon. So, what rights do you want for women in the new constitution? What do you want to see happen for women in 2069?

I definitely want the constitution to be finished so we can move past the current deadlock. Within the constitution, I want the right of citizenship through mothers guaranteed and for this fundamental right to be translated into practice, especially in conflict-affected villages where many men were displaced/killed/disappeared since 1996. In the upcoming generation when Nepalese women will have more opportunities and become more empowered than ever before, it is critical that their fundamental rights are insured. In the coming year, I want the dependence on men that currently exists in Nepal to be broken, especially since there’s more women than men in Nepal.

What advice do you have for the next generation of female leaders in Nepal?

We have to fight; not with weapons but with our intellectual capacity, with our ideas, with our passion, with what we believe in, with our work.

We have to remain committed to what we believe in and claim the promises that the country and leaders have made regarding our rights. We have a responsibility to give a voice to the people who are voiceless.

Action of the Week: Share your story. Find and use your voice.

In a previous post, I talked about how we need to find and use the power have in our lives. We all have power and influence, whether it’s in our family, among our friends or in our community. (Gloria Feldt just wrote an article on Forbes that talks about “valuing your piece in the puzzle“).

A crucial step in using our power is sharing our story, and using our voice to educate, move and inspire others. We all have life experiences that other people can empathize and identify with, and often it just requires one person stepping up and sharing their story to encourage others to share their stories and do something about an issue affecting them.

Finding your voice is one of the hardest and most intimidating processes one can go through as a young woman and adult. I have a constant fear that what I have to say is not interesting enough or relevant enough to others’ lives. But the important reason why we must share our story and use our voice is that our story is the foundation for change. Why do you believe in what you believe in? Why are you fighting for this issue? Your story lies at the heart of those questions.

I have found that the simplest way to finding your voice is to practice using it as much as possible. If you’re terrified of speaking in public, sharing your story online is the best way to start off. For example, you can volunteer to be featured on our blog. Or you can write a guest blog post for websites that interest you (I’ve submitted posts to feminist websites such as Gender Across Borders, The F Bomb and Rookie).

Your stories won’t always be featured, and you may not always find people receptive to what you have to say. But I can guarantee you that the more you put yourself out there, the more you will feel comfortable using your voice.

Women & Leadership Links: 5 women from the Time 100

Since TIME released their 100 Most Influential People in the World List this week, we thought we’d highlight 5 women on the list you may not have heard of.

Elinor Ostrom

Elinor Ostrom was the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2009 — the first woman to achieve the distinction — for her analysis of economic governance, especially the governance of common property like air, water and public spaces.

Maryam Durani

Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan is often called the spiritual home of the Taliban. It is also a home to thousands of NATO troops who, alongside Afghan soldiers, do daily battle with Taliban fighters. Kandahar province is a place where it pays to stay quiet. That is not Maryam Durani’s way. As the owner and operator of a radio station that focuses on women’s issues and as a member of the Kandahar provincial council, Durani stands up for the region’s women with remarkable bravery. She is, inevitably, a target for the Taliban, who believe in a highly restricted role for women in Afghan society, and has survived several assassination attempts.

Ai-jen Poo

Once in a while, there comes along a gifted organizer — think of the radical empathy of Jane Addams or the populist tactics of Cesar Chavez — who knows how to create social change from the bottom up.

Ai-jen Poo, the 38-year-old daughter of pro-democracy immigrants from Chiang Kai-shek’s Taiwan, has been growing into that role ever since she was a student outraged by the stories of domestic workers, often immigrants or women of color, who labored long hours for low pay as maids, nannies and other household workers.

Anjali Gopalan

In 1995, doctors and nurses in some Delhi hospitals would not touch people infected with HIV. Gopalan not only touched them; she took them into her home and danced with them. She escorted me to the hidden places where gays and lesbians met: in Nehru Park on Sunday evenings and at a party where men arrived garbed as Bollywood heroines from the 1950s and ’60s. It was a threatened world, and Gopalan had returned home from Brooklyn to protect it.

Through her work at the Naz Foundation, Gopalan, 54, has done more than anyone else to advance the rights of gays and the transgendered in India, successfully petitioning the courts to get rid of a British-era law against sodomy. But her work isn’t just in courtrooms. She also runs a home for HIV-positive orphans.

Maria das Graças Silva Foster

It takes toughness to drill through more than 10,000 ft. of water and rock for oil, but Maria das Graças Silva Foster — the new CEO of Brazil’s Petrobras and the first woman to run a major oil-and-gas company — is nothing if not tough. Foster, 58, spent her early childhood in a working-class favela on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro and collected recyclable cans and paper to help pay for school. A chemical engineer by training, she joined Petrobras and stayed for more than 30 years.

Her tireless work habits earned her the nickname Caveirao, slang for the armored cars Brazilian police use to clear out slums. Foster was helped to the top job by President Dilma Rousseff, a longtime friend — and, not coincidentally, a fellow female leader in a country known for its machismo. But with Petrobras spending $225 billion over the next decade to unlock oil off the Brazilian coast, Foster’s experience — and her toughness — will be even more important than her political acumen.

Inspiring Nepalese Women Blog Series: Kirti Thapa

What motivated you to get enter the field of women’s rights?

As a woman, working for women’s rights has always interested me. Both of my parents are lawyers and involved with nonprofits so we always end up talk about human rights issues at family gatherings. There was never a specific incident, but just hearing about gender based violence in the news everyday and living in a patriarchal society was enough to make me decide to work on women’s rights in Nepal.

While I was studying law, I filed a writ petition to the Supreme Court in 2006 against the traditional practice of kamalari (a form of modern-day slavery where girls become indentured domestic servants). Because of the ruling, there is more awareness, but the practice of kamalari is still happening illegally all the time rather than the previous assigned ‘auspicious’ day. Poverty is the driving practice of kamalari. Now there’s even a government fund for the rehabilitation of rescued kamalaris, but it’s not being implemented. Politics affects everything – the Trust Committee heading up the implementation of the law was never formed within the prescribed time frame, so the fund was frozen.

While I was recently interviewing freed kamalaris in the Terai, one of them told me, “sometimes I’m happy to be a kamalari since my parents can’t fund my education, and my landlord’s ability to take care of me economically is higher than my parents’ ability.” But she’s one of the lucky ones; there are also many horror stories of sexual abuse and trafficking of kalamaris.

Who are your role models?

My family, and specifically my parents inspired me initially, Hillary Clinton as well. For young women in Nepal, Sapana Pradhan Malla is an excellent role model, I’ve been working closely with her in the past four months and I’m amazed by her work.

Can you talk a bit more about your position as Gender Based Violence Policy Officer in the office of the Prime Minister?

After then-prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal declared 2010 as the year to end Violence Against Women and created the National Action Plan on Gender Equality, he established a Gender Based Violence Unit to handle complaints created out of the action plan. I work as the GBV Unit’s legal council, working within their legal mandate to coordinate with local stakeholders and ensure that laws are properly implemented by working with any complaints forwarded to us by local police stations, called into our
hotline, or found in newspapers. We also monitor all the districts of Nepal and visit women cells etc.

What are the biggest challenges to ending GBV in Nepal?

The biggest challenge is a lack of access to GBV laws. Even government stakeholders, Women Development Officers and Local Development Officers aren’t aware of the laws. There is also a lack of willingness and gender-responsive thinking and beliefs.

With the 33% female representation in the Constituent Assembly (a quota mandated by the Interim Constitution), there are some women advocating for their rights within the Constitution Assembly. However, we need women working as independent activists and lobbyists so they don’t get sucked into party politics and have to follow party lines. Independents are essential for progress. Although the quota is a step in the right direction, I still feel like quantity isn’t enough – we need quality – but still it’s better than before.

What do you think the situation for women in Nepal will be in 5-10 years?

I think it will get better: Within the past five years, the National Action Plan has mandated us to create a gender-tolerant environment; the Ministry of Local Development has supported our awareness programs and 19.5% of the government budget is gender-responsive budgeting (following the directives of UNSCR 1325). Just two weeks ago, the Finance Secretary responded positively to proposed budgets from the Ministry of Women, Ministry of Finance, and accounting sections of each of the ministries, which are all 50% gender-sensitive.

What are some of the obstacles to leadership that are unique to women in Nepal?

A huge obstacle is the lack of gender sensitivity, especially at grassroots level. For example, chaupadi (the practice of treating menstruating women as untouchables) is becoming even worse – girls are dying from exposure because of this practice. Nothing is changing. We see even more cases than before, although maybe it’s not because it’s getting worse, but because there’s higher rates of reporting since more conversations are happening.

The most important thing is to change people’s mindset: to break out of the inherited patriarchal attitudes through education. We need to include moral science, values and human rights into the national curriculum because students can influence their homes and communities and be the critical mass that provides the tipping point.

What needs to change to increase interest and participation in politics from this
generation of young women?

Education again, and more international female role models in biographies and history. It’s so funny, in our school curriculum, we only have a very detailed history on monarchy in Nepal but we need more examples of role models in the curriculum. We need more awareness of international politics and events.

What advice do you have for the next generation of female leaders in Nepal?

Start thinking critically. You have to have critical assessment first, otherwise you won’t get anywhere. Try to be both a follower and a doer. Take good practices and do it yourself – use your brains to follow good practices.

Action of the Week: Take control of your finances

As a young woman, there’s nothing more important than mastering your personal finances. In order to be able to lead (and be a good role model for other young women), you must have your own financial house in order. Of course, being this young means that in the first place, you’re not making that much money. So you think to yourself: why bother? I can barely cover rent and essential expenses, why have a budget or think about savings?

In fact, now is the time for you to start making healthy money habits. The key to a woman’s independence is financial independence, and it is not easily acquired. It’s hard earned, and must be learned and practiced.

A recent TED Talk by Alexa von Tobel, founder of LearnVest, a site for young women to control their finances, is a must see. It provides us with 5 key financial principles, one of which I want to highlight here.

 It’s crucial to have a budget. LearnVest recommends the 50/20/30 rule:

• 50% of take-home pay goes toward your essentials (housing, utilities, transportation and groceries)
• 20% to debt repayment and future savings
• 30% to everything else

Another article I read this week provides another tip for budgeting: fill out a monthly budget worksheet. All I have to do is subtract my fixed and semi-fixed monthly expenses — things like the phone bill, health and car insurance, gas and electric, and debt financing — from my monthly net income (after taxes) to determine the amount I can spend every month without going into more debt, then divide that number by 30 (the average number of days per month) to arrive at my daily spending allowance.

I’m committed to start sticking to my daily spending allowance. How about you? What are you doing to become cultivate good money habits?

Introducing the Inspiring Nepalese Women Blog Series!

Nepal is on the brink.

With just 45 days left before the May 27^th deadline, the tension and anticipation for Nepal’s new constitution is palpable. As the nation celebrates the start of the new Nepali year 2069 with extended family gatherings and Bisket Jatra, all eyes remain fixed on another new start: the new constitution.

In these next weeks as expectations escalate, Women LEAD will join Nepal in reflecting on the past, celebrating the progress made, and imagining the future even as it is being written. We look to passionate, extraordinary women and girls to inspire us in the midst of this significant period of anticipation.

We’re excited to share the legacies of women who have dedicated their lives to securing the future of girls in Nepal and highlighting the stories of a new generation of feminists who will determine the trajectory of the women’s rights movement in the years to come. We hope our Inspiring Nepalese Women blog series will inject optimism into this terse time and that their insights will provide you with a glimpse into a Nepal on the brink.

Women & Leadership Links

Success in a Land Known for Disasters – The New York Times

When it comes to the position of women, however, this country has made progress that would be unthinkable in many other Muslim societies. Bangladeshi women have served in United Nations peacekeeping missions. There are women ambassadors, doctors, engineers and pilots. Two powerful women — the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and her rival, Khaleda Zia — have taken turns at the country’s helm for years. The proportion of parliamentary seats held by women is 19.7 percent, not much lower than the 22.3 percent in the British House of Commons.

“This is a country where women are active in every field,” Dipu Moni, the minister of foreign affairs, said at her office in Dhaka, the capital. Ms. Moni, the daughter of a prominent politician and a Western-educated lawyer and physician, has campaigned for years for women’s rights and improved health provisions in the country.

Such efforts by successive governments and development groups have led to major improvements in the lives of women across the country, with expanded access to health care and basic education in rural and urban areas. Decades of microlending and, more recently, the growing garment industry have underpinned the progress by turning millions of women into breadwinners for their families.

Braving attacks, a small group of women hold a lonely anti-war, human rights crusade in Serbia – The Washington Post

They have been beaten, spat at and cursed. Jeered, mocked and ignored.

But a few dozen women dressed in black regularly stand silently on Belgrade’s main streets. They hold signs demanding an end to war, advocating human rights or reminding people of the bloody ethnic clashes in the former Yugoslavia that Serbia itself had triggered in the 1990s.

They are the Women in Black. This week they will be the only Serb group to publicly mark the 20th anniversary of the start of the 44-month Bosnian Serb siege of Sarajevo, part of the bloody 1991-95 Bosnian war.

Dreaming of a Different World – Global Fund for Women

Anni Barragán and her colleagues at Fundación CAUSANA first learned of Ecuador’s lesbian “torture” clinics in 2004. They caught word of the internment of two women, against their will, in facilities normally meant for drug addicts and alcoholics. While imprisoned, the women had suffered physical assault and sexual abuse to “cure” them of their lesbian sexual orientation. It wasn’t long before similar reports began trickling in from cities around the country.

Thousands of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women in Ecuador are stigmatized, excluded, marginalized, and tortured for their sexual orientation and gender identity. Motivated by her own experiences as a lesbian woman, Anni, President of Fundación de Desarrollo Humano Integral CAUSANA [Foundation for Holistic Human Development CAUSANA], strives to eradicate injustices and build a strong national LBT movement in Ecuador.

Joyce Banda: Malawi’s first female president – BBC News

Joyce Banda, who has made history becoming Malawi’s first female president and only the second woman to lead a country in Africa, has a track record of fighting for women’s rights. She took power over the weekend following the death of 78-year-old President Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in office after heading up the southern Africa country since 2004.

Mr Mutharika’s decision to appoint her as his running mate for the 2009 elections surprised many in Malawi’s mainly conservative, male-dominated society – which had never before had a female vice-president. Equally surprising was her decision to publicly stand up to her boss – by refusing to endorse his plans for his brother, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Mutharika, to succeed him as president in 2014 when he was due to retire. She was promptly thrown out of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party – and subjected to daily doses of derision at public rallies and on Malawi’s state airwaves.

A senior ruling party official openly said Malawi was “not ready for a female president”, while First Lady Callista Mutharika said Mrs Banda was fooling herself that she was a serious politician – saying she was a mere market woman selling fritters. “She will never be president, how can a mandasi [fritter] seller be president?” Mrs Mutharika said.

Mrs Banda took all this in her stride, saying she was glad to be identified with market women since more than 80% of Malawian women belong to that category: “Yes, she’s right, I’m indeed a mandasi seller and I’m proud of it because the majority of women in Malawi are like us, mandasi sellers.”

Women leaders finding more acceptance in Gurgaon Inc - The Times of India

While there have been plenty of hand-wringing studies arguing that the corporate glass ceiling for women has turned concrete, the women leaders in Gurgaon Inc, who have been able to hit the glass ceiling to go as high in the company as they could, say that the corporate world in the city has a greater acceptance for women leaders now than ever before.

“The glass ceiling only exists in our minds. I have never experienced it or, rather, I have never allowed myself to experience it. If people are committed, then the sky is the limit. It doesn’t matter if one is a woman or a man,” says Sudha Natrajan, CEO of Gurgaon-based Lintas Media Group.

Bindu Malini Krishnan, senior director at Aon Hewitt in Gurgaon, says that even if there is a glass ceiling for women, as most people believe, one can choose to break it. “Women may often create a glass ceiling for themselves unintentionally. The corporate world has a greater acceptance for women leaders now than ever before as management ideologies have changed and most companies are moving with the times. Personally, I have never faced any problem, but then again, I probably would have stepped right through,” says Krishnan, who has an overall experience of 20 years in the industry and has managed several business teams during her tenure at Aon Hewitt.

Al-Aama: I expect more women leaders and decision-makers to step forward – Arab News

With an experience of more than 19 years in IT, coupled with a strong educational background in computing, Arwa Al-Aama’s goal is to participate in Saudi Arabia’s technological advancement. As vice mayor at Jeddah municipality’s IT department, she is the first woman to hold a leadership role in IT in a Saudi governmental agency.

Her work has resulted in the municipality winning 8 prestigious awards in IT. She also holds the position of vice mayor for women’s affairs, in which she pursues her second personal goal – empowering Saudi women. In this role, Al-Aama opened up new job opportunities to women in municipal services in the Kingdom and is responsible for improving the quality of municipal services provided to women.

Inspiring Young Woman Leader of the Week: Alanna Hughes

Although a Bostonian at heart, Alanna has recently returned to her “patria adoptada” as Dominican Republic Country Director of Community Enterprise Solutions and Social Entrepreneur Corps. Prior to undertaking the responsibility of designing MicroConsignment and other systems-changing models to the Dominican context, Alanna worked with the Full Economic Citizenship team at Ashoka: Innovators for the Public and as a Community Economic Development Advisor for the Peace Corps. Alanna is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she also directed a student-run business and co-founded the Women Advancing Gender Equity (W.A.G.E) Fellowship.

How did you get started with social entrepreneurship?

That is a good question – I have to admit that I just kind of fell into it! I was vaguely familiar with the concept when I was an undergraduate at Georgetown, but only through a vague familiarity with the existence of Ashoka across the bridge from campus. It was only after coming back from the Peace Corps and searching for jobs that I began to digest the underlying pillars, and realized that they reflected the most successful and inspirational aspects of my work in the field. Throughout my two years, my “aha!” moments mostly came from the times that my Dominican community members came up with their own solutions to social problems, ideas that made complete sense within the local context but were never tried before. It really shed light onto the power of people’s creativity and practicality, as well as how people can leverage those abilities to make change when they feel empowered to do so (through tangible vehicles like capital, or just the emotional support of a mentor saying “I believe in you”). When I rediscovered Ashoka and read the stories of its Fellows, I realized that it was the space I needed to commit myself to professionally.

That’s great, we really believe in local empowerment and local solutions as well. Can you talk a bit more about your experience in the Peace Corps?

I’d love to, because I had very positive experience in Peace Corps both professionally and personally. I was a Community Economic Development Volunteer, which meant that I focused primarily on microenterprise development and income generation. When my supervisor interviewed me for placements, I had what I thought would be a weird request: a project that allowed me to work within structure AND within a complete lack of structure. I ended up getting a great balance of both. I was assigned to work with a regional branch of a national confederation of Dominican cocoa growers (that exports nearly half of all of the organic cocoa leaving the DR) on the development of a community-based tourism project literally called “The Chocolate Tour”. On the more structured side, I collaborated with their specialists to apply for USAID grants, develop promotional materials, design and run trainings for the local farmers managing the tour, among lots of other things…and, on the less structured side, I lived in the rural community where the tour operated and co-created projects with community groups ranging from a small business administration class for young adults (who ended up winning first place in a national business plan competition!) to construction of a community park to writing workshops in the local school.

I especially enjoyed my work with two women’s groups, and with the young adults in my community. One of the women’s groups made wine, chocolate, and marmalade from cocoa – so I often joke that my experience in Peace Corps was once in a lifetime because when else do you get to reduce poverty through wine and chocolate?  But in all seriousness, my time working with such diverse community groups and with a major economic actor while bathing in a bucket ever day and subjecting myself to things like dengue fever really forced me to think and act in ways I wouldn’t have ever learned to if I had gone into an office after college.

That sounds like an awesome experience. What do you think was your toughest leadership tests in leading all these projects and people?

Honestly, I think that it was learning to appreciate and discern how people process situations differently, and how they move forward to address them. Sure, one could argue that these differences are a product of opportunity, or lack thereof, in various spheres – educational, professional, regional, gender – but personalities and intuitions also come into play. I really think that the moments where I was most successful as a leader were when I could read between the lines, realize what people were trying to convey or why they thought their idea would work, and help individuals build upon them to find a solution or reach a goal. A part of this was also recognizing people’s strengths even when the weren’t conscious of them themselves, and figuring out how to bring them to the person’s attention and encouraging him or her to act on them.

Did you feel any discrimination as a woman/female leader in the DR?

In the majority of circumstances, I did not feel discriminated with respect to my competency and legitimacy as a foreign professional. Contacts ranging from the members of my community’s associations to directors of national organizations did not seem to value my input any less because I was a young woman. Really where I found myself conscious of my gender was when I was in contexts outside of my professional sphere. In those instances, I was viewed as a blue-eyed, single 20 something who moved abroad alone. That was when I was catcalled, felt objectified, and had to take a deep breath and remind myself that those who mattered treated me respectfully.

That’s interesting, and certainly challenging. Do you think you could talk a bit more about women’s status in the DR? I know that it’s a bit of a broad question, but I’m curious to find out more.

That question really merits a multifaceted answer, since gender relations here are indeed quite complex. and a pertinent question too, given that today in the DR there were countless events to recognize International Women’s Day! I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee I’ll do justice. On one hand, I think that Dominican women are among some of the most empowered I’ve ever met. A lot of them feel comfortable speaking up and expressing their opinions. They will find solidarity in groups and work together for common causes. They will march. They will become involved in political campaigns. They will play the role of the mover and the shaker in the family unit, watching out for their children and running the household if their husband spends most of his time out of the home. That said, I would not go so far as to say that Dominican women have achieved a status completely equal to that of men. You see far fewer Dominican women holding the highest positions of political, financial, and social power. Especially in rural areas, women spend most of their time in the domestic sphere because it is the man who is expected to do most of the bread winning. Although infidelity is a two way street here, I would go so far as to say that it is much more “accepted” for a man to cheat on his partner than vice versa. Domestic violence and rape continue to plague far more women than men. Although I have only lived in the DR for just over two years between my first and second time working here, I am still optimistic enough to believe that Dominican women have come a long way. That said, like countless other countries on this planet, the DR has a long way to go before it can claim that the status of women is equitable to than of men.

Can you talk about one woman who has impacted you in the DR during your work or outside of work?

Of course – that is a tough question only because I have worked with several women’s associations, and each holds a cast of characters who have profoundly impacted my professional and personal lives. To choose one, I suppose that I can focus on my host mother for the first four months of my Peace Corps service, who goes by the nickname “Mema.” Mema constantly illustrated for me how one could turn challenges into opportunities. Mema was a woman who grew up in the Dominican countryside, had 10 kids (who are now adults and live in other parts), and never had much opportunity to leave her surroundings. Instead of accepting the status quo, she would constantly come up with new projects that could potentially help her earn money, provide her family with food, or just keep herself entertained. When I lived with her, I felt as if she was always bringing home a new animal – a goat that she could later sell, a turtle that made her laugh because she had never had one before, etc. Just a few months after I moved out, her husband (my host dad) died suddenly of a heart attack. It was the last thing that she could have anticipated, and in addition to adjusting to the loss she was also evicted from her house. Instead of wallowing in misery, she dedicated more of her time to working at the women’s organization nearby with the hope to make more pocket change. She instantly began building a new house, one plank of wood or tin at a time. She even learned how to weave handbags and belts from plastic bags – although she struggled to find a market for them, she was just so proud of her handicrafts that she worked on them incessantly and showcased them whenever possible. To me, she is such an example of the pride, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit of many Dominican women that I admire and attempt to learn from.

I’m so fascinated by the work you’ve done, I wish I could ask a million questions but I need to wrap it up soon! So to switch gears, what advice do you have for someone who would want to go into your field?

Honestly, I would state that taking calculated risks and trusting your gut is extremely important. Instead of worrying about the complexity of certain problems or the challenges and sacrifices you’d be undertaking in order to solve them, focus on the what you could stand to gain by taking a leap – best case scenario, you find ways to irrevocably impact and improve the lives of others, and worst case scenario you’ve only impacted and improved your own life because you’ve tried something new through which you’ve acquired new skills, experiences, and perspectives. I’m not advocating for haphazardness – one has to be committed, passionate, and willing to adapt – but I’m still idealistic enough at this point to believe that people are inherently talented in so many ways, and a lot can be achieved with open-mindedness, enthusiasm, flexibility, and perseverance.

And how much longer do you plan to stay in this field? What are your plans for the future?

I can’t give a specific number of years to that question because thus far my professional track has been more of a nuanced evolution building from one experience to the next rather than a beginning to endpoint trajectory. Offhand, however, I can say that the field of social entrepreneurship just feels right for me, and I can’t see myself leaving the field anytime soon. One of the major inspirations for me in my time at Ashoka and my current role in Community Enterprise Solutions/Social Entrepreneur Corps has been the innovation and passion of social entrepreneurs of Ashoka Fellow caliber, and I think that my long term objective at this point is to allow the experiences and insights I’ve been acquiring in the early stages of my career to help me eventually develop my own models, my own new ideas for successful and scalable solutions that create positive change. Now, that sounds a bit lofty – I guess more concretely, I’d like to continue to work with economic opportunity for low-income women, as that’s just become an area that drives me to get out of bed every morning and helps me sleep at night.

Action of the week: use your power

I was listening in to Marianne Williamson’s speech during the Inspiring Women Summit today, and something she said at the beginning of her call resonated with me. She was talking about the state of women today in general (though more focused on Western women) and she mentioned that it was not just about getting power, but learning how to use it.

Marianne Williamson is also famous for her quote about power:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

As young women, it’s difficult to see how we are powerful. We are often working on building up our careers to become powerful, not recognizing that we are already powerful.

Our advice of the week is to think about how you’re powerful in your life, and use it to make a difference in someone else’s life. For example, you might have a younger sister who looks up to you and would benefit a lot from hearing words of encouragement or advice. Or you might hold a leadership position in your school, community, or religious institution, and you can think about how you can use that position to impact the people around you.

How will you use your power this week?

Women & Leadership Links

Women: The Libyan Rebellion’s Secret Weapon – The Smithsonian Magazine

Misrata now boasts a half-dozen aid and development groups run by women, who have channeled organizational skills honed during the three-month siege into rebuilding post-Qaddafi Libya. In concert with women across the country, Gargoum wants to see more women in the new government and enactment of legislation that would protect women from violence, as well as guarantee them access to justice, health care and psychological support. She, like many others, is prepared to fight for those rights. “We have a brain, we can think for ourselves, we can speak out,” Gargoum told me. “We can go to the streets without fear.”

Now, having been denied a political voice in Libya’s conservative, male-dominated society, the female veterans are determined to leverage their wartime activism and sacrifices into greater clout. They’re forming private aid agencies, agitating for a role in the country’s nascent political system and voicing demands in the newly liberated press. “Women want what is due to them,” says Radio Libya’s Ghandour.

Africa: Countries Commit to Developing Women’s Participation in Politics – Allafrica.com

A high-level meeting to discuss women’s representation in decision-making concluded Thursday in Accra, Ghana, with participants committing themselves to supporting women’s participation and leadership in politics. The Commonwealth Africa Regional Colloquium: Women Leaders as Agents of Change from 27 to 29 March 2012 was jointly organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Gender Section and the Government of Ghana. Delegates, including ministers, senior officials, policy-makers and regional development organisations from 16 Commonwealth Africa member states explored how to improve women’s representation in politics.

In her opening remarks, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba questioned the low level of representation of women in leadership in Africa, asking what overt and covert barriers there were and what Africans should do to catch up with the world in this regard.

“Some of those challenges must certainly include limited access to financial resources, exclusion from networks, chauvinism and roles stereotyping, violence and corruption, and, generally political party processes and practices that undervalue women’s skills and competencies,” she said.

Africa: World Women MPs Want Key Leadership Positions - Allafrica.com

World Women MPs attending the 126th Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in Kampala are calling for equal representation in key leadership positions saying most of the influential positions are taken over by men.

Speaking during a debate on women in politics at Imperial Royale Hotel Kampala over the weekend, the women delegates said there was need to have women appointed in key ministerial posts such as defense, finance, and health among other crucial positions to influence the development of their respective countries.

“Women are mindful of the welfare and peace of the people so we need to push for more women leaders both nationally and globally,” said Monica Green, a Swedish legislator.

According to a recent report by the IPU, women had only been given priority on issues to do with social affairs, family, children, youth elderly, and women affairs, leaving out other sectors that women can ably manage.

The women expressed concern that most of the influential positions at both national and local government levels are being dominated by men at the expense of women who equally have the skills and capability to run these offices.

World Women MPs attending the 126th Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in Kampala are calling for equal representation in key leadership positions saying most of the influential positions are taken over by men.Speaking during a debate on women in politics at Imperial Royale Hotel Kampala over the weekend, the women delegates said there was need to have women appointed in key ministerial posts such as defense, finance, and health among other crucial positions to influence the development of their respective countries.

“Women are mindful of the welfare and peace of the people so we need to push for more women leaders both nationally and globally,” said Monica Green, a Swedish legislator.

According to a recent report by the IPU, women had only been given priority on issues to do with social affairs, family, children, youth elderly, and women affairs, leaving out other sectors that women can ably manage.

The women expressed concern that most of the influential positions at both national and local government levels are being dominated by men at the expense of women who equally have the skills and capability to run these offices.

I want to like the new “I can be… President” Barbie. But I don’t. – Jessica Valenti

Mattel has just launched a new Barbie who is running for President as part of their “I Can Be…” Barbie collection. It’s a collaboration with The White House Project, a great organization dedicated to getting more women to run for office. So I reallywant to like this. But I can’t.

Check out this description from Mattel, emphasis theirs:

Barbie I Can Be… dolls and accessories let girls explore different roles and try on fabulous careers, including President of the United States! This inspiring and stylish Barbie doll wears a smart suit in her signature pink, of course! She accessorizes with a sophisticated pearl necklace and earrings and proudly sports a B Party campaign button, representing girls nationwide. Vote for Barbie!

I don’t want my daughter growing up to think that careers are something “fabulous” you try on like an outfit. I don’t want her to think that only someone who looks like a Barbie doll can be President, or be successful. And I don’t want young American girls’ dreams of running for office to be part of a consumerist ploy that reduces political participation to a cutesy doll.

TIME 100 List

Cast your votes for the leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes you think are the most influential people in the world. Official voting ends on Friday, April 6, and the poll winner will be included in the TIME 100 issue. The complete TIME 100 list will be chosen by our editors and revealed on TIME.com on Tuesday, April 17