International Women’s Day 2025: Honoring Our Friday Teachers
"Accelerate Action" is the theme of this year’s upcoming International Women’s Day. It’s a powerful call to drive real, lasting change.
Thanks to STOP Girl Trafficking (SGT), there is plenty of change-making action underway for girls across Nepal. Students gather after school every Friday for support and to learn about the dangers of trafficking. Leading the sessions are SGT alums, young women who once walked in their shoes and now serve as mentors. We call them “Friday Teachers" and their work is transforming lives, one lesson at a time.
Teachers as Agents for Change
SGT graduates are the best “big sisters” an at-risk girl could have. They are eager to give back, and they serve as both tutors and role models. The students feel very comfortable talking to their Friday Teachers and come to them when they need help, academically or personally. And if trouble comes into a student’s life, the Friday Teachers notice and act on their behalf — even calling the police if girls are in danger. They also stress to parents the importance of keeping their daughters in school and holding off on marriage until they are old enough.
One Friday Teacher shared that she was born a Dalit (“untouchable”), and traditionally Dalit women didn’t work. “Now, I lead by example and counsel my community to allow our women to work,” she said proudly.
During the final months of last year, more than 2,000 Friday classes were conducted with some 300 Friday Teachers engaging with over 7,000 students. The teachers are respected in their rural villages, and they get a small stipend which many use to help pay for university. Their continued success encourages their families and communities to value education and changes traditional biases against girls.
SGT’s Friday Teachers are shifting the status of young women in Nepal for the better. We applaud both them and this year’s Women’s Day call to accelerate action!
The first Intl Women’s Day was observed in 1911 and is celebrated annually to advocate for gender equality and women’s rights, globally. To learn more about SGT: https://www.himalayan-foundation.org/what-we-do/stop-girl-trafficking/