It is in this context that BMS World Mission, through its partner, the United Mission to Nepal (UMN), is seeking to make a difference to the lives to those struggling to survive in Mugu.
BMS worker
Christine Preston writes here about UMN’s focus on empowering women in Mugu and shares the story of Devi.
TraditionalMugu is high in the mountains where life is very hard and where most families are only able to grow enough food for four months a year.
The soil is thin, the mountain sides very steep and the isolated communities are very traditional in their thinking and behaviour.
BMS supported partner worker Jeevan Karki spent two years there and with his team encouraged the UMN partners in the district to begin to think about what could be done to improve the status of women.
He was supported in this by the UMN health and gender staff.
After the birth of her elder daughter Fulmati Devi, her husband began to drink heavily and beat her on a regular basis because she gave birth to a daughter.
Harke had hoped for a son to help him work the land and care for him when he was old. Daughters go to join their in-laws’ families when they marry so do not make a lasting contribution to their own family.
The following year Devi was again pregnant and her husband expected a son. The birth of a second daughter brought no joy to his heart and great trouble to Devi who was beaten more frequently.
AmazedThis year, a UMN partner in Mugu organised a domestic violence workshop for the people of Devi and Harke's village.
Harke attended and was amazed at what he learnt. He never knew that the father’s sperm determines the sex of a child.
He realised that there was no reason to abuse Devi for having two daughters. He also learnt about violence and discrimination against women in society.
He regretted his behaviour towards Devi and promised to treat her better in the future.
Devi was amazed at the change in her husband’s behaviour and thanked the UMN partner whose work had inspired abusive and ignorant people to behave gently.
BMS has partnered United Mission to Nepal for many years.
Please pray for those BMS workers currently seconded to UMN projects –
Jon and Nic White,
Marcus and Suzanne Walton,
Alan and Anne Penn and
Martin Butterworth.
Pray too for Edwin Lee, currently in training and going to Nepal in January, and for Christine Preston, retiring from mission work after 40 years’ service both in Nepal and Bangladesh.
Click here for more information about BMS work in Nepal.