Focus on Nepal: Inter Campus through the eyes of its protagonists

KATHMANDU – One year ago, the 30th Inter Campus project was inaugurated in Kathmandu. It’s a complex yet stimulating challenge and further proof of our unwavering commitment to helping many children, families and entire communities throughout the world.

“Here in Nepal, girls are very limited in what they can say or do. Nepalese society is very patriarchal: the statistics show the horrid extent to which women are victims of violence, and gender discrimination is extremely widespread. The gender stereotypes that govern the daily life of a large part of the Nepalese population very much stand in the way of every single child achieving their potential, with this applying to girls in particular. But that’s not all: these stereotypes are sometimes used to justify abuse and violence.”

When we speak to Barbara, our point of contact in the country, her words are always very clear when it comes to the problems that women face in Nepal. Having worked for many years as a project manager for the association Apeiron ODV, it’s a country she knows very well. Through its social inclusion and gender equality projects, Apeiron welcomes women who have been victims of any form of violence or discrimination and helps them in the difficult process of reintegrating into society.

“In this social context, the work that we’ve started with Inter Campus is simply extraordinary: not only do boys and girls from peripheral areas of the city get to play sports, key values such as respect, equality and the importance of teamwork are transmitted to them. All these things can’t be taken for granted in this country at the foot of the Himalayas: they can really take root in the adults of tomorrow, those who will be active citizens in a society which is aiming to change.