Limited access to education, scarce employment opportunities and discrimination embedded in social structure have severely restricted growth and development of dalits in Nepal. For dalit women, the situation is even worse.

Blogger Kiran at Everest Uncensored discusses about Dalit Women and their issues:

“When we talk about Dalit women they suffer from triple discrimination as oppressed by the so-called high caste people (which equally affects both male and female Dalits), oppressed by the design of the Hindu patriarchal system and oppressed by Dalit males. 90% of Dalit women in Nepal live below the poverty line and 80% of Dalit women are illiterate. These women are also vulnerable to serious health issues, sex trafficking, domestic violence, and suffer from social, political, and economic powerlessness.”

With 80% of dalit women struggling with illiteracy, odds could not be stacked higher against them. Dalit women are also often target of racially motivated attacks by the so called “higher” caste members of society. Renu Kshetry at NewsBlaze writes about a dalit woman who was attacked in a village near capital Kathmandu:

Recently B.K., a Dalit woman, was the victim of a heinous crime - she was tortured, beaten and forced to eat human excreta. The person who orchestrated this barbaric act was a supposedly educated woman: Bimala Lama. The principal of the local Gadi Bhanjyang Primary School, Lama accused B.K. of practising ‘witchcraft'.

The incident took place earlier this year, unfortunately, is not isolated. Every year dalit women are victimized, and very few manage to get justice.

Some dalit women, however, are working to achieve what was previously thought to be impossible. A temple is Kathmandu's Baneshwor area now has a dalit woman as priest.

“The 43-year-old is the priest at the Chhakkubakku Bhagwati temple in the busy Baneshwor area of the capital, hemmed by shops and pavement stalls. Besides being a woman, she is also a Dalit, a community that stands at the bottom of still-conservative Nepal’s rigid social ladder and is ostracized as untouchables even now.

The mother of four comes from the Sarki clan who were originally cobblers and once forced to live on the carcasses of dead cows when Nepal was a Hindu kingdom with a ban on cow slaughter.”

In constituent assembly elections held on April 10, 2008, a number of dalit candidates-including women, were elected and dalit leaders hope that increased political participation will help end discrimination.

Here is a video in Nepali by NepalNews.com which features dalit leaders to discuss how the country's new constitution should be shaped so that caste discrimination ends definitively.

For more information on Nepal's dalits, you can visit Nepal Dalit Info, which has informative articles, studies and latest news on Nepal's dalit movement in both English and Nepali.

Law against discrimination has been on the books for long in Nepal, but the caste system continues to ostracize one community. It is clear that unless dalits-especially women, are given the opportunity educate themselves the practice will continue to find new victims.

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This is the Global Voices entry.

Over the next couple of months Global Voices is going to be following environmental and climate change issues extra closely. We're hoping to amplify unheard voices in the debate around the United Nations meetings in Copenhagen in December (COP15).

In November, on Conversations for a Better World, a blog sponsored by the UNFPA, two of our authors, Eduardo and Belen, are going to be cross-posting stories about population dynamics and climate change. I know they'll be looking towards Latin America.

Throughout October, Global Voices bloggers have been mentoring 31 young men and women from Africa and Denmark who are organizing an online campaign under the auspices of MS ActionAid in Copenhagen, Denmark. They've asked us to relay stories about ‘what developing countries need to help correct damage from climate change'. So we'll try to do that too.

Some mentor entries

For Blog Action Day, Jillian encouraged her readers to visit the blog of her mentee Edith, while Ali says his mentee Peter turned the tables on him and inspired him to write a post on climate change.

Another mentor, Gayle, has written a longer post highlighting the situations of farmers in Ghana, Australia (her own countries) and Zimbabwe (her mentee John's country).

Gayle used Twitter to put the call out for farmers in Australia. To her surprise, she was re-tweeted by ABC Radio in Australia, and came directly in touch with several farmers by email. She read interviews with Ghanaian farmers online, and even spoke to one directly.

And among dozens of links and interesting sources, Gayle found information on how local communities use traditional knowledge in rural Ghana to cope with climate change.

Gayle did something that bloggers on Global Voices do all the time. She went looking for voices you rarely hear speaking for themselves in international mainstream media.

In the past week on Global Voices

Bhumika Ghimire wrote a post today about the future of bio-gas in Nepal, including a video by a Japanese university research team that shows how bio-gas is used in rural Nepal.

A landslide caused by Typhoon Ketsana in a village in Pampanga province. Photo by Flickr user susancorpuz90

Earlier this week, Mong Palatino wrote about how Filipino bloggers are drawing connections between climate change and the devastating floods in Manila that killed more than 500 people.

Saffah Farooq wrote about how citizens of the low-lying Indian Ocean island state of the Maldives, feel their fate may be decided by the success of treaties like the Kyoto Protocol.

Wildlife blogger Samuel Maina in Kenya, wrote about how Kenyans are so desperate for rain they are awaiting El Niño rains that may displace thousands with mixed feelings.

There is a constant flow of stories on Global Voices' environment topic feed by bloggers all around the world.

Looking ahead

On this Blog Action Day, where we celebrate the collective power of bloggers to push for change, we'd like to encourage everyone not only to write about climate change but also to read what other people are saying.

Over the next many weeks, we're going to be overwhelmed by news stories by journalists quoting politicians, activists, and many others - but when the UN meetings are over and the cameras are off, the people who face the consequences of climate change immediately, will still be telling their stories on the internet in hopes of reaching people who care.

As we say at Global Voices, ‘The world is talking. Are you listening?'

For those far removed from the front lines of climate change, listening and linking is one the few ways we can succeed to make the problem feel real and in need of solutions today.

Related posts

• Blog Action Day 2009: Rising Voices Projects Discuss Climate Change
• Posts in Portuguese on Blog Action Day ‘09
• Greek Posts on Blog Action Day ‘09
• Africa discusses climate change
• Caribbean: Blogging About Climate Change
• Israel: Blog Action Day for the Environment
• Morocco: Blogoma participates in Blog Action Day
• Ghana: Blog Action Day ‘09
• Global Health: Can Condoms Combat Climate Change?

A Biogas plant. Image by Flickr user Marufish. Used under a creative commons license

For a nation struggling find cheap and sustainable source of energy, biogas certainly brings good news for Nepal.

Globalwarming Arclein, a blog on how agriculture can help reduce carbon emission, says that the low tech approach of biogas makes it accessible to the majority of Nepalese people who live in villages:

“Biogas production is not high technology. It takes a cistern that can be made with a shovel and perhaps setting liner stones as is often done in a modern septic field. Capping this and drawing of the produced gas into a holding tank is simple and usage after that needs again fairly minimalist hardware that can be jury-rigged together.

The major requirement is to simply know that it can be done and that it will work. Recovery of the produced slurry later is unpleasant but no different than similar tasks attended to.It is not a convenient way to produce enough gas for household heating, but certainly sufficient to support incidental heating for cooking and producing hot water in a healthy way.”

Nepal's success in biogas could inspire its neighbors too. Nepal's closest ally India is also looking forward to develop alternative energy sources to deal with the growing demand in its rapidly industrialized states. Razib Ahmed at South Asia Blog, which focuses on the region's business and social issues, says:

“I am interested about biogas a lot because I believe that it has immense potential not only for Nepal but also for neighboring countries like India and Bangladesh. Biogas Sector Partnership Nepal (BSP-Nepal) is an NGO that is actively working for the promotion of biogas in the country. Until June 2008, 172,858 biogas plants have been made with their support.

As a result, more than 1 million people are getting the benefits. 1 million people may not sound to be that much to you but you have to remember that it is mainly the poor people living in rural areas who got benefited through this technology. Not only that, I would also like to catch your attention about the fact that Nepal imports almost 100% of its oil. So, every biogas plant made means saving some foreign currency for the country.”

And the interest in biogas is not a passing fad for Nepal. After many years of hard work and careful planning, it has been able to generate significant attention. Back in 2005, Mallika Aryal at RenewableEnergyAccess reported on Nepal's quest to generate sustainability and revenue through biogas.

“Nepal's Biogas Support Program has extended its work to 66 of the nation's 75 districts and plans to have 200,000 biogas plants installed by 2009. A plant suitable for a rural household costs US $300. Government subsidies have made the plants affordable. An individual invests only $200 and his investment is recouped in three years. A very good deal indeed!

Now the Nepali biogas plants are on their way to becoming a “good deal” for the global environment. When Kyoto Protocol, the global climate treaty, will enter into force for Nepal in December 2005, it would be eligible to start trading the carbon dioxide not emitted by using biogas and earn up to $5 million per year.”

To learn more about how biogas is helping Nepal, here is a video produced by the Nepal Project at Tokyo City University, Japan.

Hindupad, a blog on Hinduism, explains the significance of various days of Dashain:

“On the first day of Dashain, Ghatasthapana puja is observed and ‘Dashain Ghar’ or a special puja room is decorated. During Dasain, Saptamatrikas (7 divine Mothers), Ashtamatrikas (8 tantrik Goddesses) and Nava Durga Goddesses (9 aspects of Durga) are worshiped. Barley or paddy is sowed on earthen pots (ghata) and after ten days the seeds get sprouted. It marks the good harvest. All non-resident Nepalese return to their country to celebrate the festival of Dashain.”

During the final five days of the festival, people receive the sprouts called jamara from elders as goddess Durga's blessings along with tika (rice grains mixed with vermilion power and yogurt).

Jamara planted for Dashain, Photo by Bhumika Ghimire

A Sanskrit hymn is chanted when elders give the jamara and tika. For men the hymn is “‘Aayu Drona Sute” and for women it is “Jayanti mangala kali” .

Nepaleselaw explains the meaning of the first line of “Aaayn Drona Sute”:

“The actual meaning of ‘Aayu Drona Sute’ means May you have a long life like Son of Drona. The Son of Drona is called Asosthama, which is considered to be one of the Aastha Chiranjivi (Aastha Chiranjivi means those eight people who never die as per Hindu epics). Therefore, when our parents bless us saying ‘Aayu Drona Sute’, that means let my children have long life like Asosthama………that means you never die”

The hymn also wishes for prosperity, destruction of enemies and fame. Jayanti mangala kali, on the other hand, praises the goddess but makes no worldly wish.

For the Nepalese diaspora Dashian is especially a poignant time. Missing home, family and friends they try to organize celebrations in diaspora. The occasion provides them a chance to meet other Nepalese, procrastinate about home and have some good time together.

Bhumika, after receiving tika and jamara

RangeenChara, a Nepalese diaspora blog, describes Dashain celebrations outside Nepal. Dashain is also a festival with its own “theme tune”. Malshri tune is played during the festival, which is considered as auspicious.

Here is the Nepalese musical group Sur-Sudha with the piece Malshri.

This year's Dashain in Nepal was a bit controversial, with animal rights activists calling for an end to the tradition of animal sacrifice during the festival. Goats, sheep, buffaloes and even chickens are ritually sacrificed as an offering to the goddess.

AnimalRightsNepal calls for a more humane Dashain:

“Hindu religious book speaks for preserving planet and all living creature for better world so stop killing animals and sacrificing animals name of God. Celebrate Dashain without blood and meat. Save animals, save ecosystem.”

Various groups, including those promoting a more peaceful Nepal, have banded together to ban animal sacrifice in the country. So far, the public's reaction has been positive but there have been no official statement on the issue.

Even with controversies, different religious persuasion or difficult political and economic situation in Nepal, Dashain is celebrated as a joyous occasion and continues to be a festival that brings people together.

She did not limit her visit to the capital but went to the country side to learn more about the issue and called for better care for mothers and new born.

Well known Hollywood celebrity blogger Perez Hilton praised Halliwell's mission. His post also points to an alarming statistics of maternal mortality in Nepal.

“According to the UN, there is a one in 31 mortality rate for Nepalese women following child birth due to poor conditions, living in remote areas and the condition of uterine prolapse, which affects one in 10 mothers.”

Geri Halliwell received a warm welcome from the people and the Nepalese government too. But her interaction with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal received some scrutiny from the tabloids. Indian television network Star TV tried to portray the customary greeting kiss between Mr. Nepal and Halliwell as “controversial”.

Viewers though have a different view on the “controversy”. Shulav83 at Star News YouTube Channel comments:

“Don't make mountain out of a molehill..doesn't india's media have something else to report about???”

The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson's two day visit to Nepal did not create any such ripples. She was in the country with the White Ribbon Alliance to promote maternal health.

Sarah Sanyahumbi, head of British development organization DFID's Nepal division posted about the Duchess' Nepal visit in the organization's blog. Sanyahumbi says maternal health care in Nepal is not up to the mark but things are improving.

“…despite all the challenges in this country, there has been really good progress on this issue and the numbers of women dying in childbirth has fallen by nearly half. But still, every four hours in Nepal a woman dies due to pregnancy and/or childbirth complications, and 6 in 100 children will not see their fifth birthdays…..”.

High maternal mortality rates in Nepal mask another serious health risk to Nepalese women - Uterine Prolapse. It is a condition where the womb falls out of the vagina. In western Nepal about 600,000 women suffer from this painful condition. It happens when a woman returns to hard manual work too soon after childbirth.

Here is a video by Sudaron Karki on this issue, uploaded by YouTube user snowheadcouk, with personal accounts from women who suffer from the condition. (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES)

Visits by Geri Halliwell and the Duchess of York certainly brought the issue of maternal health in Nepal into media spotlight but it will take more than high profile celebrity visits to bring relief to Nepalese mothers who suffer because of deep seated prejudice and lack of awareness.

“Changing weather patterns have dramatically affected crop production in Nepal, leaving farmers unable to properly feed themselves and pushing them into debt, ” Oxfam says in a report.

Chandan Sapkota, a Junior Fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, also thinks that the effect of climate change on Nepal's agricultural sector warrants immediate attention:

“Late monsoon will decrease agriculture production, which is the backbone of the economy and more than 70 percent of the population depend on it for living. This will also have a huge impact on economic growth rate and per capita income.”

Nepal - Island Peak (Imja Tse)- Impressive glacier icefall below peak, Image by Flickr user mckaysavage

Climate change is also having serious impacts on Nepal's pristine Himalaya mountain range and the surrounding communities. Phil Butler at Pamil Visions notes the dangers of melting glaciers in the Himalayas. Supported by satellite pictures he has posted an in depth analysis of the endangered glaciers and the rising glacial lakes to show the urgency of the situation.

“These high glacial lakes (..) have risen in some cases by as much as 45 percent. Satellite imagery reveals without a doubt, severe melting of these crucial glaciers, still further evidence that global climactic change is proceeding at an accelerated rate. Hundreds of millions of people in the region that depends on the water from these glaciers will be negatively effected in way we cannot envision or predict accurately.”

Nepal's “meltdown” has prompted many international environment organizations to look into the issue seriously, although the government in Kathmandu is still dragging its feet when it comes to serious long term planning on climate change issues.

This video from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) shows the impact of climate change on villagers and ecosystem of a mountainous village in Nepal.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in partnership with UNEP and the Asia Pacific Network has released this video to show the impact of climate change on Nepal's glaciers.

The Nepalese government's inaction aside, works of international organizations like WWF and ICIMOD are beginning to have an effect on the country's conscience. Various citizen and youth groups are being formed across the country to raise awareness about climate change.

Nepalese Youth For Climate Action is one such group. They call for stricter worldwide emission standard, encourage sustainable development by emphasizing on indigenous knowledge and industry, rally for investment on clean energy and seek more awareness in Nepal about climate change.

There are also efforts to provide training and resources to enhance the cause of climate change action by the private sector. Bhajumahesh reports that an eight day South Asian workshop (17th August -24th August 2009) was organized by PANOS South Asia-PSA to:

“build the capacity of media and other communication practitioners on climate change issues and the role of communications by applying ICTs for local content development, networking, knowledge sharing, to enable them to produce multimedia local contents on climate change communications in South Asia.”

As the country's government is sidetracked by political infighting, the Nepalese private sector and many ordinary citizens are leading the charge on climate change actions, showing the power of the people.