About GWP

Introduction

In 1993, The Body-Shop International and Get Paper Industry (GPI) initiated to establish the General Welfare Pratisthan (GWP) to reduce socio-economic problems in the country through mobilizing its profits.

General Welfare Pratisthan (GWP) is a non-governmental, non-profit developmental organization committed to making lasting positive change in the lives of marginalized people. Since its establishment in 1993, GWP has been actively working for social welfare in Nepal. GWP is registered (Reg. No – 336/049/050) in the Kathmandu District Administration Office and affiliated with the Social Welfare Council (Affln. 1366/049/050).

The vision of GWP is building a developing, well-cultured and respectable society. The mission of GWP is to work towards creating an organized, self-reliant society, free of social and economic disparities. The goals of GWP are to improve existing health in society, to improve existing education, to reduce poverty among marginalized groups, to reduce the number of girls trafficked and involved in sex trade, to reduce violence (conflict/gender related), peace building in the community and to increase awareness among young people on environment protection.

Target group

  • Female sex workers (FSWs) and their clients (transport workers, factory workers, security personnel, traders, migrant laborers, manual laborers, students)
  • People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) and their caregivers
  • Migrant workers and their families
  • Children of stone breakers
  • Adolescents & young adults (male and female)
  • Marginalised women and their daughters
  • Health professionals and institutions
  • Policy makers and stakeholders
  • Community leaders

In the beginning GWP started its activities from 1 district and within 5 years GWP expanded its activities in 22 districts of Nepal including the Capital, Central, Mid & Far Western Regions of Nepal. They are Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Dhading, Makwanpur, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Dhanusa, Mahottari, and Banke. Bardiya.

After 5 years working in such a large geographical areas; 20 districts, They are Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Dhading, Chitwan, Makwanpur, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Dhanusa, Mahottari, Banke, Jumla, Mugu, Dailekh, Surkhet, Rukum, Dang and Bardiya. GWP in association with concern government line agencies developed the strategy of nurturing local CBOs and making them capable for running programs and then slowly handover the GWP’s program to those local CBOs. In this process now GWP is physically active in 7 districts and in the other districts GWP work as a consultant when if asked.

GWP do have now 1 Executive Director, 1 Project Coordinator, 1 Program manager, 1 Admin & Finance manager, 1 MIS Officer, 7 field district coordinators, 1 Admin & Finance Assistant/cum DIC in –charge, 17 Outreach Educators, 10 community mobilize,  226 Peer communicators in the field.

GWP has been able to reach more than 621,222 beneficiaries each year through multi-sectoral programming. That means GWP has been able to reach more than 16,772,994 beneficiaries.

GWP is implementing HIV prevention care and treatment service for Female Sex Workers (FSWs), clients of FSWs and people living with HIV in Makwanpur district since October 2020, as EpiC Nepal Project. It has been implementing USAID and PEPFAR funded EPiC Nepal Project in the financial and technical support of FHI 360 country office Nepal.

GWP reached 333 Key Populations (FSWs) and 230 Priority Populations with HIV prevention interventions in
FY21.

GWP is focused in four sectors:

  1. Send Your Daughter to School “Education Program”
  2. Prevention of Sex trafficking through Female Empowerment, Education and Micro-enterprise development
  3. Community Health Improvement Program. (HIV/AIDS/STI, VCT, Care & Support and Safe Injection Program)
  4. Environment Improvement Awareness Program

All programs are implemented in the field through a team work of field workers and peer educators from concern target populations who are associated with the organization. GWP focused its activities on the above-mentioned sectors but all these programs were supportive and synergic with each other.

Although GWP is working in the above four sectors, all these programs are supportive to each other and are interlinked. For example, the largest of GWP’s programs is the HIV/AIDS program, placed within the health program, where GWP supports female sex workers and their clients for HIV/AIDS/STI prevention through behavior change initiatives. This is closely linked with GWP’s “Send your Daughter to School” program which similarly targets FSWs and other vulnerable groups, educating and empowering them to sending their children to school. Similarly, when GWP started a safe injection disposal programs as a general health focus, it also supported HIV prevention/harm reduction programs by reducing the chances of HIV transmission through used needles.

GWP is also presently implementing a behavior change and right-based care & support program in the field of HIV/AIDS. When GWP started empowering young rural marginal females through an income generating program (Free a Child), it not only increased empowerment among marginal females but also raised awareness about and reduced girls trafficking and increased power among females to be able to say no to sex by providing them with some economic independence.

GWP has been involved in advocacy as part of our HIV/AIDS programs. GWP has been implementing HIV/AIDS/STI, VCT, Care & support to migrant and their families in Bara & Rautahat, in collaboration with PLAN International as well as collaboration with FHI Nepal in Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Parsa, Chitwan, Dhading, Makwanpur, Banke, Bardiya, and Dang. GWP has organized different training among migrant population and their families. GWP has been developing and mobilizing peer educators from Mobile Population too.

GWP mobilized 300 peer communicators from FSWs, PLWHAs, Migrant Workers, Youth and Students.

Projects completed and implemented by GWP:

Central Region

  1. BCI on HIV/AIDS/STI in Central Region’s Nine Districts.
  2. Safety Injection Promotion Program in Central Region’s Three Districts.
  3. Girls Anti-trafficking and Income Generation Program in Makwanpur District.
  4. Community Digital Radio Program in Central & Mid western Region’s Five Districts.
  5. STI Static Clinic Program in Central Region’s 9 Districts.
  6. PLWHA’s right based Care & Support Program in Central Region’s Two Districts.
  7. Care & Support of PLWHAs in Central Region – NCASC/WHO Funded.
  8. STD/HIV Project for the Sex Workers of Kathmandu Valley – UoH Funded.
  9. Integrating STI/HIV prevention and control program as transversal theme in Development/Workplace Sector SDC/Nepal funded.

Western Region

1.    HIV/AIDS Western Highway Project in Western, Mid & Far Western Region’s 6 Districts.
2.    Community Digital Radio Program in Mid Western Region’s One District Kathmandu Valley.
3.    BCI on HIV/AIDS/STI in Kathmandu Valley.

On going Projects and Programs of GWP

  1. Prevention of girls trafficking of Makwanpur, Bara and Parsa district of Nepal through “Socioeconomic empowerment for the girls who are potential for sex trafficking”
  2. HIV prevention, care, support and treatment services among FSWs, clients of FSWs and PLHIV in Makwanpur district,
  3. Reforestation project at Gotikhel village of Lalitpur District,
  4. Send your Daughter to School Program