The Chhimeki project in Nepal capital Kathmandu
Chhimeki is the Nepali word for neighborhood and is the name of a women's network in Kathmandu. The network evolved from the difficult food situation of the infants of the poorer population groups. Meanwhile Chhimeki supervises 4 kindergartens, offers basic education courses on child development, advises mothers on administrative procedures, doctor and hospital visits and helps with small loans, if women want to open a small business and present a convincing concept. The work of Chhimeki is designed to strengthen self-esteem and self-confidence of the women involved and so to lay the foundations that help people to help themselves can be effective.
The organization of Chhimeki:
Around the core of the founders and their closest assistants, there is a group of managers, each responsible for organizing the help in their district. They are supported by additional assistants active in the streets and narrow residential areas, who contact women with small kids and inform them about the possibilities of support through Chhimeki. Meanwhile Chhimeki is active many districts of the city with around 500 assistants, most of the working voluntarily, i.e. unpaid. Assistants are trained for several weeks in preparation for their tasks. Topics are mainly food, but also parenting, health care, women's rights, sexuality and contraception. The new assistants are responsible for about 30 families each.