Education is such a critical and fundamental need which is unfortunately not always available or accessible globally. The work of Women LEAD in this regard is truly inspirational, particularly its focus on girls and women's empowerment in the developing world. Women LEAD's commitment to fostering leadership skills in young women in Nepal serves as a model of success stories and an example for others in this space to follow.
Before joining Women LEAD, public speaking was nerve racking for me. Today, it has become my strength and I enjoy speaking to the crowd. Women LEAD has played a huge role in boosting my confidence in speaking in front of a huge group. Prior to joining Women LEAD, I was very shy. I would always be sitting at the back bench, and happy just to be in the audience and never in the front stage. But after I joined Women LEAD, there has been a complete reversal. Today I can lead all the sessions in my class and confidently handle presentations as well.
One of the biggest lessons Women LEAD has taught me is to be real. Women LEAD is an incredible platform for young girls who aim to be powerful leaders of tomorrow. We have a strong network of women who are doing phenomenal work. Whenever we go to some place and say we’re from Women LEAD, people take us seriously. Being a part of the School Leadership program has improved my communication skills and taught me to be patient too. We had to take control of all the finances as well as handle the whole program. It greatly developed my professional skills at a very early age.
Joining Women LEAD has definitely polished my inter-personal skills and enhanced my communications skills. I have learned the importance of me and the power that I have as a woman leader. Women LEAD has opened many doors for me. It is a nexus of all the other networks that I have today. It helps young girls to find their paths, to follow their passion and it is a great platform to brighten your future. Women LEAD has played a great role in developing my personality. Today, I feel like a leader.
I had the honour of giving one batch of Woman LEAD’s girls a workshop in short story writing about a year ago. I was very impressed with how the young women opened up during our discussions and were comfortable talking about their frustrations regarding gender inequality in their homes and communities. Clearly the girls had been encouraged to challenge and reflect on the norms and values that they had been brought up with. But this wasn’t a case of westerners coming in and telling them the answers to gender inequality in Nepal, these women owned their thoughts and perspectives.
Claire Naylor, having grown up in Nepal, is able to relate to the girls as she knows where they are coming from. Her upbringing there gives her credibility and a deep cultural understanding of the country - something which is lost on many other NGOs. The work she is doing is taken seriously by Nepalis and that is an enormous compliment from Nepal.
The programme is set up in such a way to give support to the girls on all sorts of meaningful as well as professional levels:
They get the chance to discuss and debate issues together,
They are encouraged to self reflect on who they are and where their strengths are in leadership and where they see their potential,
They have mentors who come alongside them in their journey to encourage them and provide guidance,
They have the opportunity to network with some of Kathmandu’s most inspiring leaders in business,
tech, social injustice to name but a few,
They are expected to perform to a high level publicly giving press conferences etc
They are given the best training available from experts in the field.
Both Claire Naylor and Claire Charamnac are dedicated, inspiring and very capable women. It is exciting to wonder what the girls on the programme might do with their lives and what that might do for women in Nepal.
I have witnessed Women LEAD’s (WLEAD) and Claire Naylor and Claire Charamnac’s amazing positive impact on women’s leadership in Nepal and I believe that WLEAD will become a “game-changer” for women’s leadership in the region.
From what I have seen, it is clear to me that the WLEAD program itself has a tangible, cost-effective and scalable impact. The substantial impact of WLEAD on the program participants is evident. When I talked with the girls graduating from the program, they very clearly expressed (and demonstrated by how they acted) that WLEAD changed both their lives and the lives of others around them. The skills, self-confidence and network the girls gain through WLEAD helps them start their path of positive leadership and share this new capability with others, be it their illiterate mother or fellow students in high school.
There are several specific factors that allow Women LEAD to have this impact while at the same time being scalable, cost-efficient and less vulnerable to some of the common pitfalls I have seen in NGOs:
• Girls for girls model: At its core, Women LEAD is about program graduates and current women leaders supporting other girls and women leaders through mentoring, trainings and facilitating internships. The girls play active roles in implementing the programs: thanks to this, the actual WLEAD paid staff can remain small and act as facilitators
• Cost-efficiency & multiplying effect: Since each girl is trained to reach at least 15-30 additional girls and boys in her community, the overall cost of impacting one girl to become a positive leader is relatively low
• Scalability & replication of the model: The program is straightforward, output-driven and can be scaled up and replicated. The program identifies the capabilities that need to be developed in participants to enable them to become positive leaders, develops these capabilities and measures impact. With sufficient funding and steering, this model can be both scaled-up within Nepal and adapted to other countries
• Accountability: Thanks to a robust (and continuously improved) monitoring and evaluation methodology, WLEAD tracks its real impact and holds itself accountable to it. This is something that most NGOs I have seen fail to do and which gives me the confidence that WLEAD will continue focusing on doing what has the most impact
I believe Claire Naylor and Claire Charamnac are the perfect team to make WLEAD have the positive impact it aspires to have (i.e. to change the world). As I have witnessed during my two years of working with the co-founders and during the time I spent with them on-site in Nepal, they are most capable of solving any problem they might encounter. This is true for each of them individually, but even more so when they work together as a team. I clearly saw this when I was supporting them in their work on the Strategic vision of WLEAD and a 2-year plan.
As each of them has a different focus and experience in the organization, they very often disagreed and challenged what one of them would take for granted. Nevertheless, when having the discussions and disagreements, their goal was always to come up with a solution that was better than either of them would develop alone. When they work together, they challenge, question, but also inspire and encourage each other.
I believe the leadership team of Women LEAD (in particular Claire and Claire) will both sustain what is already working well and scale up the organization. Having started the NGO right after university, they had to overcome many challenges, such as securing funding and establishing a women’s leadership program in a very patriarchal society. This gives me the confidence that they are committed to WLEAD and that they will continue with the same grit in the future. I am also impressed by their continuous pursuit of self-improvement and quest to obtain outside support (volunteers and experts) to aid in improving the WLEAD program. That being said, it is key that WLEAD is run with profound understanding of the local context: Claire Naylor grew up in Nepal and the Nepali board of directors consists of WLEAD graduates and local experts.
I have full faith in both the impact and future success of Women LEAD and in the capability of the co-founders to drive this. I will continue supporting Women LEAD because I consider any financial and/or professional assistance they receive a good investment.
Ladislav Cervenka
CEO & Co-founder
Learning Machine s.r.o.
Ladislav.Cervenka@gmail.com
Having traveled to Nepal last year to work with a co-founder, I am grateful to have seen firsthand the vibrancy of Women LEAD. Nepal is mostly an agricultural society. Though most of the population is uneducated, cultural norms deem boys’ education more important than girls. As a result, it is challenging for women to work outside the house and workplaces are strongly dominated by men. Generally, women are more restricted in movement than men, and girls' journeys to adulthood are different than that of boys. Once married, most women move into their husband’s house with his parents. Regardless of level of education, women must seek permission from their husbands and/or in-laws to work outside of the home.
It is for these reasons that Women LEAD shines. It is a remarkable program in a challenging context that allows young women from diverse socio-economic backgrounds to confront fears and limitations, and discover potential to lead alongside men. Through uniquely designed workshops, trainings, internships, and programs that allow participants to practice new skills and tools, these young women graduate from Women LEAD understanding themselves more fully. Alumnae give back by providing individual mentoring to young mentees who are the new faces of Women LEAD. Leadership is not created overnight but Women LEAD is developing an unprecedented community of young female leaders in a country where the patriarchal structure hinders women. Surely the rest of the world can learn from this great example.
when you think about progress, you think of creativity, innovation and benefiting all. "All" is ihe key word as it includes women and men; girls and boys. WomenLEAD focuses on ensuring that it creates opportunities for girls in Nepal to gain confidence in leading their classmates and entire communities to a better and more equal future. When there is little hope, WomenLEAD boosts it by building leadership capacity and offering professional development. When there is only one leader, WomenLEAD taps into this mentorship opportunity as a resource to raise hundreds of leaders. WomenLEAD is the first and only leadership development organization launched by the girls themselves, run by them and driven by their demands.
I've been so impressed by Women Lead's results and by the dedication of its staff. It's truly inspirational to hear the stories of the girls who go through Women Lead's leadership training. I'm excited to see how it grows and develops - and I have no doubt it will have an incredibly positive impact on the girls, on their families and their country.
Women LEAD is addressing a critical need not only in Nepal, but also in the world--empowering adolescent girls to be impactful participants in their community. Women LEAD runs efficiently and effectively, creating lasting change in the lives of young women.
Drawn to WomenLEAD's mission to support leadership development for girls in Nepal, I joined the board nearly two years ago. I have been consistently impressed with the leadership and vision of the two founders. The program has made a considerable impact in the lives of hundreds of Nepalese girls, as well as their families. Importantly, WomenLEAD looks to involve boys and men in their work to change culture expectations and professional opportunities for women.
Women LEAD is a wonderful program, led by a dedicated small group, who are committed to the promotion of leadership education for women. The current work in Nepal has produced strong results and almost every dollar donated to Women LEAD goes directly to program efforts.
It is wonderful to see the growth and impact of Women LEAD. Watching young women be given the skills, support and opportunities to become leaders and change makers in their schools, communities and nations brings a sense of hope to me. As these young women acquire skills, build their vision for their role in making a difference and through mentoring and peer-support networks youth can find new ways forward toward making the world a better place for us all. Get excited with me as we watch these young women thrive in their families, communities, nation and in the world!