My experience as an intern in Tarkeshwar – 3 in Kathmandu, where I work in a women’s upliftment project, served as my first introduction to in-depth research on Women Empowerment and Grassroots Development. I recall believing I would just be assisting in a cause I was passionate about, just like any other youth wanting to support a direction purely for service. However, what came as an absolute surprise to me was understanding and learning about me in the process. There is so much that a person is able to learn even through exchanging cultures. Moreover, this experience has been holistic in the aspect of Personal Growth.
In this article, I wish to express open accountability and share the story of why and how traditional stereotypes are being deconstructed—such as the notion that women cannot lead. Additionally, I wish to reflect on my own Personal Growth, how I view service to be, and highlight the changes it affects.
Lesson 1: The Strength in Being Powerless
My placement in Tarkeshwar proved to provide me with some invaluable lessons, the most important one being the immense strength women possess in adversity. All of the women I collaborated with had challenges which I can hardly imagine having to face, be it starting a business or a basic lack of education. Such deeply ingrained gender inequalities locked them into limited possibilities, but they managed to overcome these challenges with remarkable Resilience and Strength.
One of the participants I remember wanted to start a small dairy business. She was not educated and didn’t have money to invest initially, but she talked about saving money for it and starting small by serving her neighbours. Listening to her during one of our leadership sessions, I realized that true power comes from being weak—from acknowledging that one is weak but not allowing that to shape her existence.
Her tale has taught me to value being powerless. I remember feeling burdened with quiet self-doubt during the time of my internship, constantly querying myself on whether I would be able to make a difference or not. But similar to the way her strength seemed to push her forward even when there was so much uncertainty, I did learn to accept insecurities and use them as a builder.
Lesson 2: Leadership Is About Empowering Others
Before this project, I inextricably linked leadership to power, to authority, to control. But getting to work with Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN) and the women in Tarkeshwar completely challenged and reshaped my previous understanding of what leadership is.
As a facilitator of these Leadership Workshops, my primary objective was to impart soft skills (such as communication, Collaboration and Teamwork, and decision-making). But during the course of my sessions, I found that true leadership is about empowerment. True leaders don’t just command; they inspire and uplift others to discover their own potential.
The moment I felt most fulfilled in my internship was seeing a participant named Kamala take the lead in a group discussion. She started off shy and didn’t really want to talk, but we encouraged her to keep talking, and over time she became more confident and talked more.
By the end of the workshop series, she was helping other participants express themselves, demonstrating leadership in action. This showed me that leadership is less about individual success and more about helping others find their voices.
Lesson 3: The Impact of Hearing
The work I do as a women’s advocate demonstrates to me the importance of listening: hearing a story and grasping the story behind it—its values and emotions. This process fosters deeper Collaboration and Teamwork among the women and ensures every voice is acknowledged.
Allowing women to voice their opinions in a culture that has disregarded their views for a long time was like starting a movement. While interviewing local female business owners, I could see how much women relish being listened to. To their great dismay, most had been left unacknowledged when they needed support the most.
Part of the listening required me to also drop my preconceived notions. As a Nepali intern, I had the impression that I was well-versed with the issues that women in rural regions encounter. But, listening to them explain their stories, I understood that each woman’s experience is different. A step back and engaging all my senses enabled me to interact with the women on a higher level and discover more robust ways to help them.
This goes beyond professional boundaries—it is also a call for the rest of human interaction to be done with kindness and an open heart.
Lesson 4: Progress and Experience Stands Out the Most in Situations Outside Your Field
During the whole duration of my internship, I encountered a myriad of difficulties that shifted me out of my comfort zone, fueling my Personal Growth. Be it looking people in the eye while facilitating workshops for the first time, working with international volunteers from Germany and France, or even working through language barriers, each of these experiences provided me the opportunity to learn and improve.
I clearly recall all the jitters I had in my stomach before stepping into my first session as a facilitator. Would these women be interested in my workshop? Would the material be useful for them? Even though I was unsure, I decided to give it (and myself) a chance and was later dumbstruck by how generously they appreciated the session’s content at the end.
Such experience really proved to me that there is virtually no growth that occurs when you are being passive. Only by combating self-imposed challenges and taking bold steps do you come to know your true self and all the abilities you possess.
Lesson 5: The Ripple Effect of Empowerment
Being engaged in Women Empowerment work gives me the chance to witness the ripple effect that even the smallest intervention can have. It means changing the life of one woman by enabling her to access her abilities, as well as changing her community and future generations.
Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN) and other organizations contribute to sustaining this ripple effect. Their methods regarding development—where education, community participation, and leadership training are integrated—ensure that Grassroots Development is equally robust. This illustrates the power of Empowerment Through Education. I am particularly thankful for the chance to engage in the organization’s objective.
Conclusion
Looking at how this change has occurred over this period, I find it hard to believe how far I have come in such a relatively short period of time. Feminism in general has been such a wonderful experience; it has empowered me with incredible career skills and changed the way I view life. It has taught me about the strength of incremental effort, values of silence, and effective modes of working in teams, reinforcing the significance of Collaboration and Teamwork.
Most importantly, it sensitized me that giving is not the only thing service entails; one has to also learn service and grow from there. In service, I have found myself, a greater purpose, a new motivation to work towards making a change.
This journey has taught me some valuable lessons, and as I go forward, I hope that this drives others to discover their purpose in helping others as well.