United Community Nepal
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Mission Statement
To strengthen our community’s most disadvantaged & underserved populations (women & children) through powerful programming that brings culture & innovation together to enrich learning opportunities creating a brighter tomorrow. (To address the educational and development challenges faced by marginalized communities in Nepal by providing inclusive community engagement, education, healthcare, digital literacy, women's empowerment, and livelihood programs.)
About This Cause
United Community Nepal (UniCoN) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit social organization founded by a group of young professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as a response to the inadequate social protections for vulnerable population groups. UniCoN was formally registered in March 2022 at the Kaski District Administration Office with Registration No. 4442 and affiliated with the Social Welfare Council in Kathmandu with Affiliation No. 53686. We primarily work with Nepal's economically, socially, politically, and culturally marginalized communities. UniCoN has increasingly focused on adopting technology and innovation in its operations, research, and evidence-based policy and program development. Community members face systemic marginalization, under-resourcing, and unequal access to resources and opportunities. We provide various resources and opportunities to the communities we work with through the delivery of a diverse range of community development programs. When disadvantaged populations have access to community education and development initiatives, it strengthens the overall health of the community, social mobility, as well as community belonging, connection and empowerment. UniCoN prioritizes three population groups: Women & girls, Children & Young people, and Persons with disabilities. We recognize that within these key groups, people are further marginalized if they are Dalits or are Indigenous. Overview According to the Nepal Human Development Report (2020), Nepal's Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.602. Although Nepal’s HDI Index value has increased greatly since it was last recorded, it has been adjusted for inequality, indicating a loss of 25.2%. This is largely due to pervasive inequality such as the stalling in gender development progress, and an undue weight of remittances in alleviating poverty. Concerningly, Women’s HDI is also lower than men’s and is now experiencing a downward trend since 2017. The overall literacy rate in Nepal is 71.15% and is comparable to the literacy rate of the Gandaki Province which is 73.33. According to the 15th Plan (2020), both the HDI and literacy rates indicate more needs to be done to reduce the population under multidimensional poverty to 11.5% by 2023-2024. UniCoN has been leading community education projects since 2020 to address some of these concerns. These projects promote literacy development and life-long learning to disadvantaged groups who are marginalized due to their socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Women and girls According to the Domestic Workers, Risk and Social Protection in Nepal. Policy Brief (2020), women in Nepal exhibit higher rates of poverty and illiteracy, and lower land ownership rates and participation in the labor force. Approximately 250,000 women in Nepal work as domestic workers, where they are not covered under the labor inspection system nor the social security system According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, women earn 29.45% less than their male counterparts on average with the gender pay gap calculated at 28.9%. Nepali women are also disadvantaged with respect to men in many spheres of life, suffering the consequences of a historically patriarchal society. In many families, the traditional thinking according to which a woman’s place is in the home persists. Results from Nepal’s Annual Household Survey (2016-7) indicate that while 18.1% of boys have never attended school, this proportion is 34.5% for girls. The gap is particularly wide for families in poverty. A UNESCO (2015) report indicated that as poverty increases, a woman’s chance of going to school decreases. UniCoN works to prioritize these issues by providing education and training opportunities for women, supporting women's self-empowerment initiatives, and advocating for policies that promote gender equality. We realize - If women are provided with safe, dignified, and meaningful access to training and skill development that enables them to establish their own businesses or flexible income-generation opportunities, they will experience greater economic agency for themselves, their children and their family members. If women access opportunities for economic empowerment, then this will increase the likelihood of improved health and well-being and thereby break the cycle of economic trauma for generations to come. Children and young people Child labor is one of the top areas of concern for children living in Nepal. The Human Rights Watch report (2021) validated the prevalence of child labor is particularly high in rural areas, where more than one-fifth (20.4%) of children are involved in work. Child labor is the result of poverty. When household wealth increases, the probability of child labor decreases. Combatting poverty and improving the employment prospects of adults are therefore crucial for preventing child labor in Nepal. UniCoN works to address these issues by improving access to education and advocating at a policy level for free education up to the secondary level. UniCoN has also supported many families to cover various costs related to school uniforms, school bags, stationery, or other supplies. UniCoN recognizes that these costs are prohibitive for the poorest families, especially those who are at risk of forcing to pull their children out of school. In addition to this, according to the UNESCO (2015) report, attendance at school by girls and young women is hindered by gender-based discrimination, child marriage and whether you are from a Dalit community or are Indigenous. These are all factors that may lead girls to leave school early. UniCoN recognizes that when children drop out of school early, they miss out on acquiring crucial skills for future employment. UniCoN provides programs that allow children and young people including those from Dalit or Indigenous backgrounds, to learn skills and improve their employment prospects through community education programs. Persons with disabilities Persons with disabilities face significant hurdles in escaping from cyclical poverty. UniCon recognizes that the unavailability of reliable data concerning the number of persons with disabilities in Nepal results in a lack of adapted programs for this group of people as well as the number of very few policies in place that seek to protect this group from poverty. Discrimination is also linked to prejudice based on superstition. UniCoN works to address issues experienced by persons with disabilities. This includes lobbying for a rights-based approach in schools that is in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). UniCoN collaborates with schools to ensure schools have the resources and support to meet Child-Friendly Spaces recommendations. Overall, UniCoN's inclusive approach addresses micro, mezzo, and macro issues experienced by women, children, and persons with disabilities by identifying their needs and priorities, promoting community-led initiatives, and advocating for their rights and policy change which promote social and economic equity through educational initiatives. UniCoN was established to provide alternative education opportunities to the community’s most disadvantaged and under-served populations through the delivery of a diverse range of community education programs. UniCoN believes when disadvantaged populations have access to community education initiatives, it strengthens the overall health of the community, social mobility, as well as community belonging, connection, and empowerment. Over time, UniCoN's purpose has evolved to include a broader range of development programs and initiatives. The organization has expanded its working areas in other communities through its community learning programs by establishing community learning centers in each community and focusing on education, healthcare, digital literacy and access to digital devices, women's empowerment, and livelihoods. UniCoN has also prioritized community participation and engagement in its development programs, recognizing that sustainable development requires the participation and ownership of local communities.