OUR ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITIES

1. School Visits: RHEST conducts four visits in an academic year. Two visits include paying school fees and the other two are follow-up visits. During the visits, the girls are given educational materials such as school bags, dress, sweaters, books, stationaries, and Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials.

2. Interaction: RHEST conducts interaction sessions with students and their families on women’s health, education, domestic violence, and childmarriage, and so on.Members of the local community also participate.

3. IEC Materials Distribution: RHEST publishes and distributes a wide variety of IEC materials on trafficking, women’s rights, and health and nutrition to students of Grades 6-12, RHEST alums, Friday/school facilitators, local government bodies, and schools. In the IEC materials, a set of the questionnaires is also included. The questions inquire girls about their learning, awareness of risk factors and topics of interest for future discussions. The IEC also includes letters, stories, and poems submitted by the girls and their teachers, and information about RHEST’s programs.

4. Advocacy: RHEST has set up an anti-trafficking advocacy groups (made up of RHEST alumnae) in six districts that liaise with local government to raise awareness on girls trafficking and domestic violence. Advocacy groupseducate the public on social malpractices by distributing pamphlets and organizing social campaigns, workshops, and interactive programs. They also help victims and their families register crimes (such as child marriage) in the police station. The advocacy groups have created network within their communities and have been able to help girls who are in a vulnerable condition.  

5. Extra-Curricular Activities (ECA): RHEST has started conducting Extra-Curricular Activities in several schools to boost students’ confidence and inspire them to be curious. Students participate in competition to write essays, recite poetry, draw, debate and act in dramas. This initiative has helped in making people aware about trafficking, child marriages, child labor, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and menstrual taboos. 

6. Publication: RHEST continually publishes various books and articles on anti-trafficking, health and nutrition, women’s rights, and children’s rights.

7. Graduates of RHEST/Friday facilitators working as change agents: After graduating, many girls join local RHEST alumnae groups and remain involved in the program to help younger SGT students. RHEST provides alumnae groups with training in management, finance, leadership, and personal development. The training has helped alumnae members gain confidence.

Alumnae activities also include mentoring younger RHEST students and participating in programs to reduce dropout rates, raise awareness in communities, and identifying and supporting at-risk girls. Around 1,800 girls are currently members of their local alumnae organization. In between the quarterly RHEST visits, the SGT girls are supported academically and taught life skills during Friday Afternoon Classes (government schools in Nepal are closed on Friday afternoons). These classes are taught by girls that are themselves alumnae of SGT. The alumnae are engaged in various sectors of government and private institutes and have also been engaged as entrepreneurs and local leaders.