THE IMPLEMENTATION OF UN WOMEN “EMPOWERMENT OF WIDOWS AND THEIR COALITIONS” PROGRAMME IN PROMOTING SOCIAL CHANGE IN NEPAL (2011 – 2014)

Abstract

Nepal has been recognized as a country with its strong and deeply-rooted patriarchal values and practices towards its women, specifically widows. Therefore, Nepal also recorded for its high numbers of widows according government of Nepal report on 2011, whereas various forms of discrimination took place within the livelihood of widows. In Nepal, widow often perceived as triple burden both for families and socities, where widow also described as the cause of her husband’s death. Due to the status women received as widows, they faced social stigma and restrictions towards their various fundamental rights as human being. Such situation, has caused a problem to Nepal as this issue remains to be a serious problems and need to be solved. As part of, and a Member States of UN Women which dealt with the issue faced by women, UN Women has initiated to implement such programme as a response towards the widowhood crisis in Nepal. This research study will use qualitative methods of research in order to collect the data from literatures and reliable sources from official document, website, journal, reports and books in analyzing the problem of this study. Using the Constructivism theory as well as Theory of Change, the writer of this research study will analyze the implementation of UN Women’s programme titled ‘Empowerment of Widows and their Coalitions’ which established in 2011-2014, and aims to promoting social change in Nepal.