2. Mahila ko Haat
Mahila ko Haat is a non-profit, non-governmental organization initiated by housewives and women engaged in social activities. Its activities are funded by donations from volunteers and well wishers. It has been informally involved in social activities for six years, however, it was formally established five years ago under the Organization Registration Act 2034[i] in the District Administration Office (DAO), Kathmandu. The office is located in Dillibazar, Kathmandu. Mahila ko Haat has been preparing and submitting its progress reports and audit reports to the DAO annually. It has 61 members and 9 board members. Every three years, a new executive board is elected by the members.

Many families living in rural areas were displaced because of the insurgency. Children and other dependents sometimes became destitute when the bread earner(s) were killed. Those families were never compensated and often the remaining members lacked skills to make a living. In order to help such women from remote areas, women in Kathmandu decided to donate money to set up a fund that would finance the providing of skills to those impoverished women so that they could earn a living for their family. Mahila ko Haat decided to give women from Dalit and indigenous communities, as well as physically impaired women, priority in selecting participants for the training.

The following programs have been organized by Mahila ko Haat in collaboration with other organizations, including the Navajyoti Training Center:

1. Rural Women Leadership Training (6 months, residential)
2. Literacy Program for women deprived of an education (up to Grade 6, for housewives, who were illiterate because of financial problems)
3. Capacity-building training for the physically challenged (1 month)
4. Artisan Support Program
5. Awards Program
6. Education for children deprived of schooling (non-formal education for domestic helpers and street children, for three years)
7. Support for orphaned children (in cash and kind)
8. Programs to uplift the status of Dalit and Janajati[ii] children (including Meche, Koche, Musahar, Danuwar and other Tarai-based low-income communities – support provided in cash and kind to help with the educational development of these children)Scholarship Program for Dalit (Kami, Damai, Sarki)[iii] girls studying in various schools of Kavre district

[i] 1977
[ii] Janajati (or a nationality) is that community which has its own mother tongue and traditional culture and yet does not fall under the conventional Hindu hierarchical caste structure. Source: NEFIN website, www.nefin.org.np
[iii] Dalit castes based on their traditional occupations – Kami (blacksmith), Damai (tailor) and Sarki (cobbler)