Kathmandu, January 29

UN Women Nepal and Women for Human Rights today jointly handed over a Multipurpose Women Centre set up in Tarkeshwor Municipality ward number13 to the government.

Speaking at the centre handover programme, Ziad Seikh, Country Director, UN Women Nepal said, “In the aftermath of the earthquake, UN Women and national women’s groups worked to support protection systems, to prevent and respond to violence and gender-based violence against women, particularly among displaced populations. This included the creation of multipurpose safe spaces, to provide trauma counselling, psychosocial support and life-saving information, while seeking to strengthen multi-sectoral services and referral systems for earthquake-affected women survivors of violence.” The multipurpose centre in Dharmasthali is one of the two centres established by WHR with financial and technical support of UN Women Nepal in close coordination and collaboration with the government and local women’s group.

Provisionally located in a tent and later converted into a more durable structure, this centre provided essential support to almost 2,300 women impacted by the earthquake, including older women, women with disabilities and female headed households.

He added, “I firmly believe the Dharmasthali multipurpose women’s centre in the coming days will help equip these women with the knowledge and skills needed to rebuild their lives and to prepare for future natural disasters.”

Speaking at the programme, Shashi Sharma, chairperson of Tarkeshwor single women’s group, said the centre reached more than 800 households with information about available services and how to access them.

“Together, we provided medical and other referral services to over 300 women and supported another 340 women to participate in cash-for-work schemes and recovery and reconstruction programmes,” she said.

She added saying, “Moreover, through the centre WHR and UN Women worked with the district authorities to strengthen women’s capacities to support relief and recovery efforts.”

With the handover, the government, the municipality and the local women’s groups will take on its joint ownership, thus ensuring the centre will be able to continue to provide the much needed support to some of the most vulnerable groups of women.