We briefly interrupt this travelogue with exciting news . . .

Me: giddy with excitement!

Today, Caitlin and I met with the executive director, program coordinator and legal director of the Legal Aid and Consultancy Centre, the local NGO with whom we will be partnering for the new project, and presented them with a formal proposal. We spoke for about 15 minutes, and left with an agreement that they will begin looking for our first 10 clients!

We have lift-off!

If you are curious, here is the official description of the project, which we have decided to call It's My Right. And of course, if you are interested in getting involved let me know.

Summary
The cost of legal services is a major barrier to independence and equality for Nepali women. In partnership with Legal Aid & Consultancy Center (LACC), The Mountain Fund and It’s My Right will find donors to support individual women in pursuing their rights in court. The project is based on the individual lender/individual recipient model of Kiva.

LACC will identify clients who have cases that likely can be resolved in a fairly short time frame (6 months-1 year). It’s My Right will create a short film profile of the women and put those videos on a website. Donors, primarily American attorneys, will be able to support a specific woman whose story particularly moves them. Over the course of the case, donors will kept up to date on the status of the proceedings.

Initially, the focus will be on women in Kathmandu. However, LACC has legal clinics in 4 other districts. Since rural women face even greater economic barriers, once the program is established and sustaining we will reach out to women in those districts.

It is hoped that in addition to helping these individual women, the project will inspire the women we help to assist other women in gaining access to the courts and pursuing their rights, thus multiplying the effect of the initial contributions exponentially over time. Because the program will not directly provide a source of income, however, unlike Kiva there will be no requirement or expectation that the women who receive legal aid will repay It’s My Right.