Unsung Heroes: WAWCAS currently has 6000 women and is growing by 900 per year.

It's important to note that WAWCAS currently has 6,000 women enrolled and this number is increasing by 900 per year. Therefore, it's crucial that we take the next step and provide support to these women in order to help them become more self-sufficient and independent, both within their communities and as individuals, for their future and society as a whole.

Developing local NGOs in the districts where the WAWCAS program is implemented is an integral aspect of the program for sustainable socio-economic development. In our region, women are running their businesses and holding monthly meetings in women's groups. While some groups have merged and registered as a cooperative, most groups operate as a Self Help Group (SHG).

Working towards combating discrimination and promoting inclusion from within the community of women is more effective than relying on external organizations. In light of this, we engaged in discussions with all members of WAWCAS regarding the possibility of establishing a local NGO. However, the process of setting up a local NGO proved to be challenging. After numerous discussions and workshops, we eventually reached a consensus and embarked on the journey of registering our own local NGO, which took us almost 8 months to complete.

Over a six-month period, we conducted five different types of workshops in eight different locations. During these workshops, we established values, norms, by-laws, roles, and responsibilities for both executive and general members. Our organization, LNGO, provides a platform for all WAWCAS members to share their ideas, issues, and challenges and work together to overcome them.

Through the Local Non-Governmental Organization (LNGO), women can exert pressure on the government to become more aware of the dire situation that women face. Women at Work Children at School (WAWCAS) members are the unsung heroes of their communities who have brought about significant changes. Currently, these women are leading the fight against inequality and working to safeguard the rights of children and humans. Their unwavering passion has spurred action, motivated entire communities, and brought tangible improvements. The members are skilled at discussing and problem-solving. They actively participate in supporting one another and finding solutions, which boosts their self-esteem and confidence. This is a crucial aspect of the LNGO, where women empower and respect each other, valuing each woman's opinion

it is crucial to creating a sustainable program that actively encourages women's involvement. These women play dynamic and influential roles in their communities, working towards developing a gender-just society where everyone is treated with respect.

When it comes to carrying out activities, having funds is crucial. LNGO's primary goal is to raise funds by encouraging community members to become donor members and participate in Deusi and Bhailo during the Tihar festival. We have been successful in our efforts so far. Typically, young people play Deusi and Bhailo during the festival, but we made a plan to join in and successfully executed it. However, during the festival, we have additional work as we go house-to-house and village-to-village to play. Despite this, we have managed exceptionally well.

LNGO also developed our communication channel strongly because we would like to inform everyone of our activities to all our 1500 members. We have 9 regional committees. Each regional committee has its own executive board member, and the chairperson of that committee is automatically selected by a member of the central committee board.

Women have also prepared an 11-point declaration and distributed it to our local and district authorities to draw attention and change their working arrangements. Although they were both surprised and positive, they haven't made any commitments so far.  It is difficult to change one's mind, but that does not mean that we cannot. We strive to motivate ourselves and commit to learning each and every time.

Their passion fuels action, inspires whole communities, and drives real changes. They are good at discussing and finding solutions, they themselves take an active part in solving problems and supporting each other in the area. This creates self-esteem and confidence and is an important factor of the LNGO. This is how women members empower the other members and respect and value each woman's opinion.

To make a sustainable program and involve more women in the program is important and these women are playing dynamic and influential roles in their community to develop a gender-just society where everyone is looked at in a respective way.

Each region has prepared an action plan and implemented the action plan as per schedule. To keep up their enthusiasm and motivation just need to be with them regularly and encourage them to implement their program enthusiastically and support them as per need they are the real drivers and local heroes.