Empowering the community

FAITH is a community-driven organization, empowering those we serve to actively participate in decision-making and take control of their lives. Our name, Friends Affected & Infected Together in Hand, reflects this commitment. All decision-making roles, from the executive board to staff positions, are held by women, emphasizing our dedication to inclusion and empowerment.

Promoting equality, equity, and dignity of marginalised populations:

We advocate for equality and equity, rejecting all forms of discrimination and upholding the inherent dignity of every individual. We actively combat stigma and discrimination, challenging biases and sexism at the national level. Known for our provocative actions and media campaigns, we engage policy makers and the public in Nepal to address issues of stigma, violence, abuse, and the denial of basic human and health rights.

Using media and technology

We are a pioneering organization in Nepal using media and technology to change social norms. Through documentaries, short films, public service announcements, and music videos, we educate the public and policymakers about the rights of marginalized groups, humanize discriminated populations, and promote positive role models. Our in-house team is dedicated to media mobilization for profound impact.

Building Networks:

We aims to collaborate across sectors to ensure marginalized populations lead healthy, fulfilling lives. We align with the women’s rights movement, build strong networks through strategic partnerships, and serve as a catalyst and bridge to amplify our collective impact on advancing the well-being and rights of vulnerable groups.

Broadening spheres:

FAITH is expanding its programs to support marginalized groups, including indigenous and Dalit communities, individuals with disabilities, geographically or politically marginalized women, female sex workers, women who use drugs, and women living with HIV. Our focus remains on addressing the evolving needs of the community, particularly those historically neglected or discriminated against.

Furthermore, FAITH is taking progressive steps by venturing into mental health and climate change initiatives, aligning with the broader objective of community well-being and environmental sustainability. This diversified approach reflects our commitment to addressing the multifaceted needs of the community we serve.

At FAITH, along with our stakeholders, we have developed four strategic priorities that are important to achieving our vision. These represent areas where we must focus our efforts and assign resources. They build on our core strengths – innovation, advocacy and social mobilization – while expanding the work to mission-critical areas. It also commits us to being creative, agile, always learning and prepared to take risks to accelerate transformations in the society around us and beyond.

Successfully implementing our priorities will require us to invest in ourselves and lean on our distinct assets – our staff, board, and the larger, supportive community – as we seek to:

1. Design breakthrough and innovative campaigns for advocacy

We are recognized by our peers for innovative use of media platforms to draw national attention to important issues. As an organization, we will continue to invest in innovation – through art, theatre, documentaries – that confront harmful stigma and discrimination while promoting positive role models for the impacted communities. We also recognize that we need to pursue lasting partnerships with organizations that see the promise of new forms of media to shatter stigma associated with sexuality, gender, or people living with HIV, TB and other marginalized populations.

2. Advance Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Sex is still taboo. Parents don’t speak to children about it, teachers shy away from it and our textbooks skip the topic entirely. This can lead to unsafe and unhealthy sexual beliefs and practices, and, in cases, promote unhealthy relationships among partners. In extreme conditions, it can lead to discrimination and violence against women including female sex workers, sexual minorities. We believe it is important to expand our scope to advance the sexual health and reproductive rights agenda.

3. Mainstream Gender

As a community, we have made notable progress in raising awareness about HIV and achieving universal coverage of HIV services in Nepal. Women, however, continue to face harassment and discrimination and denied their right to treatment and support along with their sexual and reproductive health. The challenges faced by poor, marginalized women are substantial and we must continue to champion this agenda.

4. Transform into a learning organisation

We have a compelling vision – one that seeks to engage and inspire all of us. Achieving it requires us to transform FAITH into a learning organisation, one that is open and keen to learn from the community it serves, the staff, the board, and broader stakeholders. We have learned a lot through this journey but we haven’t always been good about documenting or translating the lessons into our organizational policies. As we look forward, we recognise that each of us – our employees to our network – must be equipped to create, acquire and translate lessons to transform our societies. We are committed to review ourselves from the ground up, while ensuring that learning occurs in every process, every unit, and every project.  We are compelled to learn and be prepared to take risks to accelerate change