WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:01.880 --> 00:00:06.880 [woman's voice singing] 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:16.880 [scraping sounds] 00:00:18.880 --> 00:00:21.160 [Speaking in Nepali] When I was 3 years old, I fractured my leg. 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:27.240 After a few months, I experienced some difficulties with my knee. 00:00:28.200 --> 00:00:31.600 My family  took me to Bir Hospital in Kathmandu for treatment. 00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:36.080 At that time, the doctor  suggested amputating my leg below the knee,   00:00:37.080 --> 00:00:40.560 due to a suspicion of cancer. But we refused.   00:00:41.560 --> 00:00:46.280 In Humla, people with even minor disabilities face numerous challenges. 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:52.000 And if I'd followed the doctor's instructions, my life would be beyond my imagination. 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:57.920 Insisting on alternative treatment, we forcefully pursued it. 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:06.400 After that treatment, I experienced pain in my hip, which  made it difficult for me to walk properly. 00:01:08.080 --> 00:01:14.000 [melancholic piano music] 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:25.640 Through the Head Nepal project, we  learned, understood, and received various trainings.   00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:31.920 I learned that we have to advocate for our rights  to obtain what we are entitled to, something I hadn't   00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:39.240 known earlier; such as reservations for government  jobs by obtaining a disability card. 00:01:39.240 --> 00:01:44.480 I discovered  that there are reserved seats for people with  disabilities on flights and buses, and that   00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:49.280 the ward provides a budget for us; which I was  unaware of before. 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:53.880 My family used to say that it would be fine if I became independent. 00:01:53.880 --> 00:01:57.160 But otherwise, they didn't care what I did. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:04.800 However, I have now taken many training sessions and  have become knowledgeable about disability issues. 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:14.320 [Speaking in Nepali] Many civil society organizations  have been working in many sectors.   00:02:14.320 --> 00:02:18.960 But the issue of disability has often been undermined  and left behind. 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:20.960 We talk about all sorts of   00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:29.840 rights, but the rights of children and people with  disabilities haven't been put on the forefront. 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:36.160 HEAD Nepal, time and again, has given reminders to the  lobby networks. I was regularly involved   00:02:36.160 --> 00:02:42.720 in that network. So what it did was that  it enabled civil society organizations to   00:02:42.720 --> 00:02:47.160 reach out to the District Administration  Office, local government, and various   00:02:47.160 --> 00:02:53.200 stakeholders by submitting memorandums  regarding disability rights and so on.   00:02:53.200 --> 00:02:58.840 We also lobbied about having a certain  budget in the sector of disability. 00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:03.515 [cheerful piano music] 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:16.560 In the beginning, there wasn't a network of people  with disability at the rural municipality. 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:22.720 After this project started, a network was formed at the rural municipality that even had   00:03:22.720 --> 00:03:30.720 regular meetings. Now, people with disabilities visit  municipality and talk about rights, make demands   00:03:30.720 --> 00:03:35.960 of being included in the management committee  of schools and various other committees of the village. 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:52.440 They also make demands to the ward  regarding budget allocation for people   00:03:52.440 --> 00:03:59.720 with disabilities. I believe it became possible  because of our project, "Our Voice for Our Rights." 00:04:01.200 --> 00:04:07.160 It empowered people with disabilities to  put forth their voice and demand their rights. 00:04:08.160 --> 00:04:13.280 [ambient flute music with birds chirping] 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:32.720 Since mid-2023, we have  established a help desk for people with disabilities. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:38.640 This help desk offers various services to visitors with 00:04:38.640 --> 00:04:44.040 disabilities at our municipality, including linguistic assistance, 00:04:44.040 --> 00:04:49.320 sign language support and help  with writing applications as needed. 00:04:53.320 --> 00:04:54.800 When we move to the newly constructed   00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:59.640 building, we plan to implement  these services more effectively. 00:05:04.640 --> 00:05:12.640 [melancholic piano] 00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:29.640 On the second floor, we have started a  service, allowing people with disabilities   00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:38.560 to easily access the office of the vice  president and the women's department, by wheelchair. 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:47.520 [bittersweet piano music] 00:05:56.520 --> 00:06:02.520 Even though we have passed  the policies, we cannot implement all of them immediately. 00:06:03.200 --> 00:06:07.200 For now, we have initiated  services of the help desk and made buildings   00:06:07.200 --> 00:06:13.400 disability friendly. In the upcoming legislative  assembly, or in the 14th budget assembly, the   00:06:13.400 --> 00:06:20.560 municipality plans to buy health insurance  policies for 300 people with disabilities. 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:28.040 [cheerful piano music]