WATCH has been supporting women’s groups in Okhaldhunga, Lalitpur, Kathmandu, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi and Kapilvastu. WATCH raises awareness of women, form their groups and through them activities are implemented so that their capabilities to manage projects may develop. Women’s groups are federated as district level chapter. Some of them have started running their own projects by getting support from abroad or in-country. WATCH supports them to write proposals, help implementing the projects and writing reports and keeping financial records. It also tried to organize national level rural women’s organizations. Our Iron Fists organization was initiated with membership from 25 districts. But somehow it could not continue to operate. Recently, rural women have started Awke Nepali Rural Women’s Coalition which has already expanded to five districts with district chapter and four districts have formed an ad-hoc committees. It celebrates rural women’s day (October 15th) and March 8th both. It made suggestions to the draft constitution. It wanted to recognize rural women as a separate category which was not included in the constitution. It did some advocacy for rural women’s candidacy in the local level elections. Some of its members have won the elections and some have lost.
