Inaugural Session

The training began with an opening session conducted in a hybrid format. Brother Raman Kannan, PSI Sub-regional Secretary for South Asia, joined online, while Sister Nabina Luitel, PSI Organizer for Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Nepal, facilitated the session. She outlined the training objectives, and Brother Kannan spoke on PSI’s role in supporting FCHWs in Nepal.

Key Training Sessions

Day 1 :             ILO Convention C190

• Day one was conducted by Sister Sita Lama, Vice-President of GEFONT, the session focused on eliminating violence and harassment at work. Participants learned about their rights under this important convention.

Day 2:             Labor Law & Trade Union Rights

• On the second day, Ganesh KC, Vice-President from NTUC explained workers' legal rights and protections, showing how collective action can solve common problems and strengthen their voice. He encouraged all participants to unite and campaign together on common issues.

Day 3:             Contributary Based Social Security Law

• The final day covered Social Security Law, by Radhika Niraula, Assistant Director from the Social Security Fund (SSF) Office, detailing with enrollment procedures and benefits for FCHWs. She shared Bansgadhi Municipality (Bardiya District) as a success story where municipality have already registered FCHWs in SSF. She also encouraged participants to advocate for social security schemes at the local level.

Participatory Learning Approach

The training followed an interactive way, with group discussions, teamwork, and experience-sharing rather than traditional lectures. This approach helped participants engage deeply with the topics and develop practical solutions for their work.

Conclusion

The capacity-building training equipped Female Community Health Workers (FCHWs) with essential knowledge of workers' rights, social security benefits, and advocacy skills, empowering them to improve their working conditions, campaign for formal recognition as regular workers instead of volunteers, and push for the regularization of their work through local-level initiatives.