1. GENERAL BACKGROUND

The adult literacy in Nepal and South Asian countries is much less than it is found in the developed countries. Nepal's adult literacy for women (15 to 49 age group) is reported as 13.0 per cent in 1996/97 whereas the same is 23.0 in Pakistan, 25.0 in Bangladesh, 36.0 in India and 86.2 in Sri Lanka (World development report, 1996). There is also a considerable difference between the male (39.4%) and female literacy in Nepal. A study conducted by the National Planning Commission, His Majesty's Government of Nepal reported a huge gap between the literacy of male (57.0%) and female (23.0%) aged 15 and over in 1996 (NPC, 1996:5(3)). Among the literate females 24.05 percent were never been to school, 45.23 per cent had only primary level education and 20.09 per cent had secondary level education. The percentages for females with higher level education decline in a sharp manner, when it is calculated for SLC (93.78%), Intermediate (1.51%), Graduate (0.70%) and Post-graduate (0.18%) (CDPS, 1997). The net school enrollment for the girls aged 6-10 years is also far low (59%) than that of boys (79%) of the same age group (NPC, 1996:5(12)). Almost one fourth girls students are found repeating the class in primary level, but the percentage for the boys for same is less than that of girls. Similarly, the drop-out rate for the girls is found two folds than that of boys in rural areas (NPC, 1996:5(23-24)). These facts and figures clearly show that there is a need to enhance the literacy status of women in these countries.

There are about 280 governmental and non-governmental agencies working to provide basic education to rural people in Nepal. Their efforts are greatly hampered by the fact that they lack adequate and appropriate materials to enhance the level of understanding of the rural people. It would be impractical to prescribe formal textbooks and rhetorical materials to the simply literate women. Aiming to reach to the grassroots and semi-literate and completely illiterate women ASMITA published monthly magazine named Sahachari (literally, 'Friend') for the neo-literate and semi-literate women. It aimed to collect the materials from themselves and present them in such a way that they would be inspiration for the others. Thus, there was a two way communication traffic from rural women to ASMITA and vice versa. The non-governmental organizations working in the rural areas with an aim to literate them also used Sahachari as a teaching material. The magazine was interesting and informative. The women saw themselves in the magazine as they look at the mirror. They saw their faces, sorrows and joys and thus it helped to give an identity to their personality, which was the step towards empowerment of the rural women.

Besides, it covered the issues regarding health, nutrition, sanitation, education, participation in household and social decision making, income generation, family planning and civic consciousness to preserve women's rights as a part of human rights. Additionally, violation of women's rights as trafficking, coerced prostitution, domestic violence and other forms of sexual harassment were also dealt in the magazine. We believe that the experience gained from this short term publication work is important to improve the women's conditions in rural areas that may be used in other parts of South Asian and other developing countries.

2. BASIS FOR THE MAGAZINE

In Nepal, the proportion of women involved in social activities is extremely less. Women are underprivileged, underrepresented and exploited in all spheres of society. Political, economic, sociocultural and educational factors have forced them to live subjugation by men in all aspects. Nepali society, in general, has been practising a patriarchal form of social system which is discriminatory against women. The patriarchal social values have been exerting a great impact in the process of socialization of girls and women. Thus, the females themselves, whether knowingly or unknowingly, have reinforced the patriarchal social structure. It has been a commonplace to remark that women are exploited not only by men but by themselves. They confirm their own exploitation by accepting and internalizing degrading values derived from society, culture and tradition.

Therefore, it is not enough to eliminate all kinds of discrimination against women, it is also imperative to empower women by creating and developing new values for them. This fact drew us toward carving the real face of Nepali women through the media and the organization, Asmita Women's Publication House, Media and Resource Organization, came into existence. It is the one and only women's publishing firm in the country. Its major aim is to produce various publications on women issues and enhance active participation of more women in the media. Since its inception it has been publishing a specialized women's magazine ASMITA.(LITERALY,'IDENTITY').

As education is the vital force in empowering women, so is the media an important component in the process of education and socialization. The mainstream media in Nepal have been predominated by males and covered with gender biased values and ideologies. There is a need to fight back this situation by developing alternative media which presents women in their right perspective. Even educated women are being influenced by the mainstream media and they often reaffirm the patriarchal values. By printing various substantive materials from women's view points, we can make educated women to realize their true self.

However, it is not enough to produce publications just for educated women because there are many literate women who live in villages and who lack appropriate reading materials. There is a need to produce publications in simple and lucid language to these women too. This is also a way to assist the country's literacy campaign from the non-governmental sector. Many women suffer due to the lack of knowledge on various matters as law, women rights, health, income generation and so on. They can be made informed through the print media. By realizing these facts ASMITA planned to launch a magazine, basically for neo-literate and semi-literate women.

ASMITA developed the concept of the magazine Sahachari (literally, 'Friend') appropriate for literate grassroots women. To materialize the idea of Sahachari, the publication house needed a financial source. The Asia Foundation appreciated the idea and became ready to provide financial support. It put two conditions before the publication house regarding the project. Firstly, Sahachari should be distributed free of cost to grassroots women. Secondly, 40 per cent of the materials published in Sahachari should be on civil rights. The publication house agreed to these conditions because it whatsoever did not like to loose an opportunity to reach the vast number of rural women.

The Asmita, with the financial aid of the Asia Foundation, published four issues of Sahachari. Each issue of Sahachari had circulation of 5,000. Altogether, 20,000 circulation of the four issues of Sahachari was very encouraging. Many local as well as national organizations and clubs which conduct literacy classes for rural women welcomed the magazine with a great applaud. They demanded many more copies of the magazine than the copies provided to them. The publication house received a bulk of readers' mail sent by numerous rural women. The development workers who delivered Sahachari in their working site told several stories regarding the acclamation of the magazine by rural women. The study tour to 10 districts of the country made by a team of the publication house also indicated an appeal of women toward the magazine. All these facts show the popularity of Sahachari in a short span of time.

The record file of Sahachari shows that the 20,000 copies of the magazine were distributed among the literate women of 61 districts (out of 75 districts) of the country through 161 organizations. Notably, the publication house had made correspondence to 465 organizations regarding the distribution of Sahachari. Since the project was financed just for publishing the four issues of the magazine, after completion of the project the continuation of the publication became a big question. ASMITA thought to continue the publication of Sahachari by its limited resources without any external help and sell it in the market, especially to the organizations which are conducting women literacy projects.

In view of this purpose, the publication house sent letters to the aforementioned 161 organizations including other 150 organizations. It was mentioned in the letter that from now onwards the Sahachari will be sold with a reasonable price, whether their organizations like to subscribe it or not and how much price could they pay for how many copies. But, only 10 per cent of the organizations replied that they are ready to pay price for the subscription of Sahachari mentioning the copies of the magazine they needed. The rest of the organizations, though they value the importance of Sahachari as a post-literacy material in a magazine format, responded that they cannot buy the magazine due to financial constraints.

If the demand of the copies of free distributed Sahachari by the women literacy organizations is scrutinized, it can be seen that the circulation of each issue of the magazine should be increased from 5,000 to 35,000 copies. When the publication house mentioned Sahachari to be sold now onwards, the organizations which demanded 100 free copies of Sahachari cut off their demand and responded that they could buy only 20 copies of per issue. Ninety per cent of the organizations which demanded 100 to 5000 free copies of Sahachari did not make any response and 10 per cent of them replied that they could buy 50 to 100 copies of the magazine. Most of these organizations responded that they could pay Rs. 7 to Rs. 10 for per copy of the magazine. Nonetheless, when the publication house had published 5,000 copies of Sahachari, production cost for per copy of the magazine was Rs. 17 (US$ 0.30) indeed.

The above findings raised a question before the publishing house: Whether it can bear the burden of publishing Sahachari or not ? The answer came in a big NO. The literate rural women desperately need a magazine like Sahachari as a post-literacy material. But, it is very difficult for a print media to reach the huge mass of simply literate and school dropout women who live in villages and who are of age between 15 to 40 years. The magazines like Sahachari which are published from urban area. And the urban areas are far beyond the outreachment of the rural women. Subsequently to make such a magazine available to rural women the only effective way to make distribution channel perfect is to establish a partnership with the NG0s. But, ironically, most of the NGOs express inability to buy such a magazine as a resource material to the literate rural women.

Therefore, if any NGO positively considers this matter, the rural women can have an access to the print media, especially designed for them and committed to them, which uses materials and instances from them and for them. It is expected that it can be a great support to the literacy campaign for women through the print media. For this purpose, such type of magazines should be provided subsidies until they are self sustained.

Since women are the major component of family and household, the materials would also be equally important for other members of the communities. Because no household, family, society, community and nation would be developed without developing the women. The expenses for education a female child is considered as an additional and unnecessary expense or even a net loss, simply because, the daughters will be married and sent to another household and the fruits of investment will be enjoyed by the in-laws. Unless and until the norms and value systems favouring sons and discriminating daughters will not be changed the situation will remain similar. There is a need of educating people in such a way that they may understand easily and imbibe the disseminated information. Women are the half of social life and the discrimination and prejudice against the female results in severe social, economic and demographic consequences. The problem of inadequate and inappropriate education to the women has led to their sorrowful life in developing countries should be recognized by the alternative media organizations and this issue must be continuously raised and highlighted in most of the articles in their publications.

There are numerous NG0s, ING0s and governmental bodies working in this area. Some of them are really doing the things very well, but most of them are just pretending the activities. There are still many things to be done in the area of dissemination of the ideas and knowledge. A special magazine, catering to the needs of the semi-literate, especially the rural women is indeed a need in all developing countries.

3. WHO WILL BE BENEFITED

The rural neo-literate and semi-literate women are the ultimate goal of this scheme. They are expected to be able to empower themselves by enhancing the awareness of their own rights, values and potentials. They could also practically use the schemes of healthy life advised in the magazine. The GOs, NGOs and INGOs can use the magazine as reading material in their campaigns for educating women. The officials of Village Development Committees and school teachers can also use the magazine to improve the level of awareness of women. Apart from this, local administrative and political units and social organizations are also expected to use the magazine as the handbook of programs for women's development.

Thus, the main beneficiaries of this type of rural magazine will be the target group which includes the neo-literate and semi-literate women, with primary and secondary education. These are the dropouts from school due to economic and social factors and who constitute almost 90 percent of the total literate women. The other groups that benefit from this magazine will be all the governmental and non-governmental organizations related to literacy classes. The organizations will get reading materials which will further facilitate their efforts to get the rural women educated. ASMITA itself will be able to realize its actual purpose.

4. ENTERING INTO NEW ERA

Developing countries in almost all parts of the globe including South Asian countries are facing illiteracy widespread specially among women. This ensues in deprivation from information, income generation and partnership in social, economic, political and other types of decision making. Alternative media is urged to enhance its professionalisation so that it can contribute to improve the general living standard of women by empowering them with information.

The development needs, of the society or community along with population, environment, sustainable development activities are directly related to the women. Women are the consumers of all development results, but they are deprived of the legal and other facilities they deserve. The elite and urban centered educated women have greater responsibilities to help rural women empowered. A professionalism in alternative media can only be justified if the urban centered media and other activities help grassroots to enjoy their rights to lead a normal life as they do in metropolis.

References:

NPC, 1996. Nepal Multiple Indicator Surveillance: Second Cycle, April-June 1996, Primary Education, Final Report (Kathmandu: National Planning Commission in collaboration with UNICEF).

PI, 1996. Nepal Strategic Plan 1996-2000 (Kathmandu: Plan International).

CDPS, 1997. Migration, Employment and Birth, Death and Contraceptive Survey (Kathmandu: Central Department of Population Studies, Tribhuvan University).

Contact Info:

Anju Chhetri
Editor-in-Chief
ASMITA
Women's Publishing House
Media and Resource Organization
Baghbazaar, PO Box 4795, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel : 00 977-1- 227 629; 00 977-1- 252 445
Fax: 977-1- 430 035
email : asmita@npl.healthnet.org