Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) has developed minimum standards of accessible electoral systems and practical guidelines for accessible voting process. Thus, a validation workshop was conducted on 16^th June, 2022 at Rock House Café, Ratopul, Kathmandu, Bagmati Province to validate the prepared document by the representatives from the government, representatives from various organization of people with disabilities like Prayatna Nepa, Sakchyam Nepal and government agencies. The validation workshop was organized with the objective to build a common understanding of the accessible electoral process for people with disabilities. It was mainly focused on gathering a diverse group of people with disabilities and get their feedback as well as their perception regarding the prepared document and also further, learn their opinions and suggestions regarding the various components that may contribute to make the electoral systems accessible. People with different types of disabilities participated in the workshop which included blind, partially sighted, physical disability, dwarf along with the parents of intellectual disability.

The validation workshop started by welcoming the chief guest, Mr. Surya Prasad Aryal and the participants by Mr. Kaladhar Bhandari, President of BYAN. He further, gave a brief explanation about the objectives of the workshop along with the the current situation of electoral procedures and difficulties faced by the people with disabilities to achieve their political rights. He was followed by Mrs. Nilu Maharjan, Field Officer of Kathmandu who gave a voter’s education where she highlighted the importance of voting and encouraged the participants to register their names in the voter’s list. In addition to the voter’s education, the accessible electoral systems related materials prepared by BYAN were also distributed to the participants. After that Mr. Vishwo Ram Shrestha gave a brief presentation about the various topics covered in the guidelines.

The program had the presence of the leaders of the various organizations of people with disabilities with the inclusion of all the diverse group of disabilities. Hence, we were able to gather their opinions and suggestions that can help us overcome the shortcomings of the document. Several issues and queries were also raised by the participants such as the inaccessible website of Election Commission Nepal. Mr. Surya Prasad Aryal, who attended the program as chief guest as well as the spokesperson representing the Election Commission Nepal, answered the queries that were raised and promised to try his best to solve the problems faced by the people with disabilities. We are very grateful to Mr.Aryal as he has also been continuously supporting BYAN for making the guidelines by providing his expertise in electoral systems. Furthermore, various real life stories and struggles of people with disabilities were discussed which can later be used as case study and also, to spread awareness among other people with disabilities.

The group discussion was very helpful as at the end of the program, we were able to identify the challenges and the points that should be modified according to the disabilities. The guidelines prepared specifically for the people with disabilities, will be distributed to all the bodies responsible for making the electoral procedure accessible for the upcoming elections.

All our district chapters have conducted a province level advocacy dialogue program with the stakeholders on the topic “Accessible Elections and Political Participation of People with Disabilities” in Biratnagar (Province-1), Janakpur (Province-2), Hetauda (Province-3), Rupandehi (Province-4), Pokhara (Province-5), Surkhet ( Province-6), Dhangadi (Province-7). The program was initiated with the objective of reaching maximum stakeholders as well as the local citizens and aware them about the significance of their participation in elections and letting them know the importance of their vote because every vote matters. The program was mainly focused to encourage people with disabilities to participate in the local level elections and not let their disability be a hindrance. We also had an aim to persuade the authorities to make the upcoming local level elections accessible to the people with disabilities.

Several personnel attended the program as guests which included Election Commission Officers, political leaders of different political parties, media persons, disability rights activists and people with various disabilities. Hence, we can proudly say the program was a huge success since we were heard by a lot of local citizen and were managed to get through them and encourage them to participate in the local level election.

An article was published on the nagarik news portal:

https://nagarikonline.com/content/5092?fbclid=IwAR0CploT8B8gUOdQ-hTZByzND97EG0Ac8jJ0g6IK6bFJVOm8nuy5BfzPe30

Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN), conducted a consultation meeting "Guidelines on disability inclusive Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights", with the various group of people with disabilities with the objective of preparing a disability friendly guideline on Safe motherhood and Sexual reproductive health rights with 45 participants on 29 May 2022. In this consultation meeting blind, low-vision, physical disability, dwarf, autism, intellectual disability, deaf were invited as the participants of the meeting. BYAN is in the process of preparing disability friendly guideline for SRHR and the objective of this consultation meeting was to gather the challenges related to SRHR of PWDs. A brief presentation was provided by the consultant, after that a group discussion was done in 5 groups, blind and partially sighted, physical disability, severe physical disability, deaf, parents of autism and intellectual disabilities, where their common challenges were discussed and presented. The recommendation from the group discussion will be properly documented for further finalizing the guideline. We would like to thank the valuable presence of the chief guest Ms. Kabita Aryal, for representing the family welfare division in the program.

Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) is a national NGO established and run by the Blind and Partially Sighted (BPS) youth of Nepal. As a rights-based organisation, BYAN plays a proactive role in the formulation, amendment and implementation of persons with disabilities (PWDS) related legal provisions, and in organising and capacity-building across the country. BYAN works in collaboration with Government, Civil society organisation, Oranisations of persons with disabilities and Persons with disabilities and their networks. BYAN is currently recruiting a qualified and experienced candidate for the position of Project Coordinator for Political participation of Youth with disabilities "Youth initiative for accessible electoral system and Election Access monitoring".

Project Coordinator-1

Duration- 6 months with possible extension

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Project Coordinator will lead and implement the project activity as planned.

Recruit master trainers from targeted districts and conduct a Training of Trainers (TOT) to the selected master trainers based on the training curriculum.
Coordinate to conduct district level trainings from Master trainers to the selected youth with disabilities.
Engage youth with disabilities and explore innovative methods in political processes using social media including print/broadcasting media .
Manage all the provincial level advocacy dialogues with stakeholders including election authorities, elected leaders, disabled persons organizations (DPO) and the media including door to door campaign
Design, Develop and Disseminate accessible awareness materials on accessible election systems
Conduct media advocacy dialogues on issues related to accessible electoral systems
Empower and mainstream youth with disabilities to advocate for accessible election processes and reasonable accommodation.
Ensure the activities are implemented with the organisations plan of action and achieve the goals set within timeline.
Work closely with media to bring the positive change on disability issue on electoral processes
Ensure the proper documentation and timely reporting following the milestones.

REQUIREMENTS

Master's in Social science with at least 1 years of work experience in related field or Bachelor's degree with 3 years of experience.
Technical knowledge in political processes and sound understanding On Federal/ Provincial and Local Law and policy provision on Electoral processes.
Familiar with current socio-political context and change process, Disability and issues relating to it.
Good Understanding on Disability related National and International laws (UNCRPD, SDG, Disability Right Act, Inclusive Education Policy, Constitution of Nepal)
Proven Knowledge on project planning and budgeting, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation and Reporting.
Respect to the diversity in particular to the poor marginalized, vulnerable and disability population.
Prior experience working with diverse groups including Youth and Disability is an advantage.

Excellent Excel skills and MS package, English Nepali Typing .
Strong verbal and written communication skills in both English and Nepali language
Having two-wheeler License will be an Advantage.

TO APPLY:

Interested candidates fitting above criteria are kindly requested to apply along with their CV and Cover Letter a [email protected] mentioning the position you are applying in the subject line by 10th June, 2022. Telephone enquiry will not be entertained.

BYAN Promotes inclusion across gender, caste, ethnicity, Dalits and disability where the persons with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply and given special priority.

Only shortlisted candidates will be called for further process. The organization reserves the right to reject any/all applications without assigning any reasons.

Blind youth Association Nepal is mobilizing the youths with disabilities to orient and enhance their political rights to increase their political participation. The main objective of organizing the events for youth with disabilities is to bring their confidence and leadership skills for their own development, to promote changes in government policy, educate the population about disability in general and opportunities for PWDs so that it creates leadership opportunities for them on their own in all three tiers governments.

This training mostly focused on youth with disabilities and people who identify themselves on the spectrum of disabilities. The training was held from 3rd Oct to 14th Oct in all seven provinces Jhapa-37, Bara-38, Kathmandu-38, Kaski-45, Rupandahi-31, Surkhet-37, Kailali-37 with collaboration and coordination of BYAN chapters. 270 youths took part as participants and get training and are ready to lead this movement in upcoming days. This training focuses all type of disabilities or cross disabilities because we byan believes that every individual has right to speak for themselves.

December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), This day we would like to join our hands together with all the likeminded organisations, NGO/INGOs, Development partners as well as parents to celebrate this day.

More than 1 billion people experience disability, and this figure is predicted to rise, due in part to population ageing and an increase in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases. Despite this, few countries have adequate mechanisms in place to respond fully to the health priorities and requirements of persons with disabilities. According to WHO, Disability and Health survey 2018, worlds Total population is 7.4 billion among them 15% are Persons with disabilities which includes 1.1 billion Female population lives with disabilities- 19.2% (180 million) are 10-24 years oldLive in low income countries (more than 144 million young persons with disabilities)-80%

While disability correlates with disadvantage, not all people with disabilities are equally disadvantaged. Much depends on the context in which they live, and whether they have equal access to health, education and employment, among others.

As governments and the international community continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, and chart a course forward, it is essential that disability inclusion is central to health system planning, development, and decision making. Strong, effective health systems support robust health emergencies management.

Key messages

Many of us will experience disability in our lifetime, particularly as we grow older so, the Data of persons with disabiliteis is the Key, it is a resource and it is the power to Negotiation.
The Employment of persons with disabilities is worse as 80% of total population of persons with disabiliteis live in low income countries- we urge to invest in Genetation of employment and self employment of persons with disabiliteis.
The issues of Health for persons with disabilites is very crucial but yet negleted so, we urge to develop inclusive health systems for persons with disabilities can attain their highest possible standard .
COVID-19 has resulted in further disadvantage and increased vulnerability for many persons with disabilities due to barriers in the health and social sectors, including discriminatory attitudes and inaccessible infrastructure.
Building back better requires persons with disabilities to be central to health sector decision making, to ensure barriers are addressed in an inclusive and timely way.
Laws and policies are hardly in favour of persons with disabilities, Developed laws are also not practiced so, following the moto "Noting about us without us" and "No one leaving behind" the assurance of political participation of persons with disabilites is most to develop policies and programs we need.

यस वर्षको लैङ्गिक हिंसा विरुद्धको १६ दिने अभियानको राष्ट्रिय नारा 'समानताको पुस्ता, बलत्कार विरुद्ध ऐक्यबद्धता' रहेको छ ।

The UN observes International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November. This observance raises awareness of the continuing toll of gender-based violence.

A global campaign – the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence – runs from today until 10 December, Human Rights Day. This campaign spotlights the actions being taken to end this global scourge.

Violence against women and girls is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world. Globally, it is estimated that one in three women will experience physical or sexual abuse in her lifetime. The United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign (UNiTE campaign) calls for global actions to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy efforts, and share knowledge and innovations. In 2019, the UNiTE campaign will mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, from 25 November to 10 December, under the theme, “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands against Rape!”

In Nepal, the governments in the federal, provincial and local levels, UN agencies including UNFPA, development partners and local stakeholders observe the 16 Days by raising the voices of people to end gender-based violence and gender inequality.

Despite political commitment and a supportive legal and policy framework, violence against women remains a significant problem in Nepal. The 2016 Nepal Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) reveals that 22 per cent of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence since the age of 15, and 7 percent have experienced sexual violence. Among ever-married women, 26 percent have experienced spousal physical, sexual or emotional violence, with 34 percent of survivors having sustained injuries. The report also shows that 66 percent of women who have experienced any type of physical or sexual violence have not sought any help or talked to anyone about resisting or stopping the violence they experience.

Trafficking of girls for sex work is a particular problem. Other specific forms of violence include dowry-related violence, child marriage, female infanticide, witchcraft accusations, widow abuse, polygamy Chhaupadi, Badi, Deuki, Jhuma, and Kamlari. Most women who experience violence do not seek help.

BYAN is working with all three tiers of government federal, provincial and local governments, CSOs, young people with disabilities and other stakeholders to advance quality education promotion, employment and self employment creation, Capacity building and leadership development, gender equality and reproductive rights, particularly through:

Awareness to the local youth leaders via leadership, communication and starting discourse with the stakeholders to stand for their rights.
Enhancing capacity of youths with disabilities to prevent gender-based violence and supporting women to seek multi-sectoral services on gender-based violence,
Empowering the youths with disabilities by engaging them in economic activities.
Engaging communities in preventing harmful practices, including child marriage.

BYAN conducted an international worksop on Disability Sexuality and Accessibility, Talking about life skills, a civil society dialogue for Reproductive health education on 24th of November, 2021 where there were 85 + participants including Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind and parents with developmental disabilities where we discussed on the following

Program brief : This virtual international dialogue for the frontline activists, youth led organisations, service providers , funders and other key stakeholders to come together to strengthen the movement for life skills in diverse setting. This festival is free to join and features dedicated thematic country sessions, networking spaces and special guests. We want you to make the most of this opportunity to share your experience and learn from other global actors in reproductive health education. Together, we will achieve better acceptance and integration of life skills.

Talking about life skills, more comprehensively - Civil Society Dialogue 2021

- a learning and networking dialogue on advocating for more open conversations on sex and sexuality in diverse settings

A coalition of life-skills activists, experts and donor agencies have come together to organise a Global Life Skills Dialogue. This will focus on grounding life skills activism in the grassroots contexts, questioning and re-defining who has ownership of curriculum definition, and ensuring that civil society have space to be part of, and lead the conversations.

The Dialogue will compliment and provide alternative perspectives to UN-led initiatives to promote life skills based education, providing space for local actors to lead the conversation. Grounded in diverse contexts, this is a chance to share expertise horizontally amongst and between civil society organisations, youth-led organisations, funders and allies in the global movement.

This is the right time to come together to reflect, retool, and make the next four years a period of significant progress and expansion for reproductive choice. The life skills movement does not have a natural policy dialogue space at the global level – unlike other less stigmatised subjects which enjoy dedicated UN representation. Policy dialogue must be accessible and open to grassroots activists and service providers, yet given the continued conflict over the subject, a higher-level of security and confidentiality is required in dialogue and decision-making.

Field Officer

Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) is a national NGO established and run by the Blind and Partially Sighted (BPS) youth of Nepal. As a rights-based organisation, BYAN plays a proactive role in the formulation, amendment and implementation of persons with disabilities (PWDS) related legal provisions, and in organising and capacity-building across the country. BYAN works in collaboration with Government, Civil society organisation, Oranisations of persons with disabilities and Persons with disabilities and their networks. BYAN is currently recruiting a qualified and experienced candidate for the position of Field Officer for Gandaki province for Political participation of Youth with disabilities "Youth initiative for accessible electoral system".

Basic Job Information

Job Category	:	General Mgmt. / Administration / Operations
Job Level	:	Entry Level
No. of Vacancy/s	:	[ 1 ]
Employment Type	:	Full Time , Contract
Job Location	:	kaski
Offered Salary	:	Negotiable
Apply Before(Deadline)	:	20 Nov, 2021

Job Specification

Education Level	:	Bachelor
Experience Required	:	More than or equals to 1 year
Professional Skill Required	:	Interpersonal Communication Time Management Ms-Office

Other Specification

Bachelor's in political or social science with at least 1 year of work experience in related field.
Good knowledge in electoral processes and sound understanding on Federal/ Provincial and Local Law and policy provision.
Good Understanding on Disability related National and International laws (UNCRPD, SDG, Disability Right Act, Inclusive Education Policy, Constitution of Nepal)
Familiar with current socio-political context and change process in the respective districts and province.
Respect to the diversity in particular to the poor marginalized, vulnerable and disability population.
Prior experience working with diverse groups including Youth and Disability is an advantage.
Excellent Excel skills and MS package , English Nepali Typing
Skill on social media posts and use of digital platforms.
Strong verbal and written communication skills in both English and Nepali language.

Job Description

Work as a Liaison between different district chapters and the Central office and implement the project activity as planned in respective districts.
Assist in Recruitment master trainers from targeted provinces/ districts and Assist in conducting a Training of Trainers (TOT) to the selected master trainers based on the training curriculum.
Facilitate with promoters in respective districts to conduct district level trainings for youth with disabilities.
Track the Engagement of youth with disabilities and explore innovative methods in political processes using social media including print/broadcasting media. And ensure the local issue of political participation highlighted in social media in monthly basis.
Identify appropriate organizations at provincial and local level and select youth with disabilities to place at the organizations for internships.
Facilitate the district level door-to-door voter education, advocacy dialogues and campaign for accessible elections and keep a record of all the campaign in the districts.
Manage , Track and Record all the provincial and local level advocacy dialogues with stakeholders including election authorities, elected leaders, Organisation of persons with disabilities and the media.
Disseminate accessible awareness materials to the persons with disabilities and local level authorities.
Facilitate provincial and local level media advocacy dialogues on issues related to accessible electoral systems
Support and Facilitate with youth with disabilities to advocate for accessible election processes, non discrimination policy, reasonable accommodation .
Work closely with media to bring the positive change on disability issue on electoral processes
Ensure the proper documentation and timely reporting of district level activities and the advocacy work to the coordinator.
Support to the Coordinator to develop training materials, orientation and sensitization program and Media mobilisation.

Applying Procedure:

Interested candidates fitting above criteria are kindly requested to apply along with their CV and Cover Letter at [email protected] . Telephone enquiry will not be entertained.

BYAN Promotes inclusion across gender, caste, ethnicity, Dalits and persons with disabilities where the persons with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.

Only shortlisted candidates will be called for further process. The organization reserves the right to reject any/all applications without assigning any reasons.