Empowerment of girls and enhanced self-confidence.

Another highly effective activity was self-defense training, which played a significant role in empowering girls and enhancing their self-confidence to take action against discrimination, verbal abuse, or violence, including verbal teasing and child marriage. This was crucial, especially in situations they might face at home, in the communities, or schools. Recognizing the prevalence of girls' violence in the project area, LIFE Nepal organized 10 self-defense training events involving 182 schoolgirls. This became particularly important during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, where a high number of girls' violence cases were reported, and local police offices were not readily registering such cases. The primary objective of the training was to increase the knowledge of schoolgirls, enabling them to break the culture of silence and take action against abuse or violence they might encounter. Additionally, the training equipped them with technical self-defense skills, incorporating elements of martial arts, to empower them to protect themselves. This initiative aimed to create a safer environment for girls and empower them to stand against any form of abuse or violence.