2020 YWPA Recipient Dipisha Bhujel continues to change the world

Dipisha Bhujelha was recognized with the Zonta International's Young Women in Public Affairs Award (YWPA) in 2020 for her work on mental health, specifically for women on topics such as domestic violence trauma, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), postpartum depression, menopause and puberty. Since winning the award, Dipisha has been encouraged to continue and expand her work in the field of mental health and women's empowerment.

In 2021, Dipisha was awarded the Asian Girls Social Innovation Award and was also appointed as an Asian Girls Ambassador by the Garden of Hope Foundation in Taiwan. Each year the Asian Girls Award is provided to girls whose involvement in advocating girl or youth rights, commitment to their communities or creativity for finding social solutions sets positive examples to girls around the world. Asian Girls Social Innovation Award rewards girls who have innovative projects or are addressing social issues through unconventional means.

Dipisha's project, Sparśa, which aims to produce biodegradable menstrual pads in Nepal using natural fiber, could reach a new height this year. Dipisha and her team were able to develop three different prototypes of the pad and invest in the research together with a French university to make them better. They were also actively involved in the promotion of menstrual health management (MHM) in Nepal through their awareness campaign. 

Dipisha was also featured in a documentary entitled Nepal’s Menstrual Movement that was produced with support from GIZ on behalf of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Through this documentary, she was able to raise her voice regarding the need for menstrual education in Nepal.

In November 2021, she started a research project named Menstrual Products Choice,  to look at accessibility and practices among Nepali women and girls. For this research, Dipisha and her team are planning to interview around 800 women and girls from 14 districts of Nepal; and, until today, they have already completed 480 interviews in three different districts. This research will help them have actual statistics on the situation of women and girls regarding menstruation in Nepal. She hopes this research will be a medium for Nepalese women and girls to raise their unheard voices on an international level. The results from this research will help to plan better strategies to promote menstrual education and ease the accessibility of menstrual products in Nepal. 

The major achievement Dipisha had this year was being able to teach 232 young women from five different districts between the age of 11 to 18 through her six physical awareness workshops on menstruation and MHM. 

All the things that Dipisha did this year as a contribution towards women's empowerment and promotion of MHM in Nepal has made her realize the potential she has to advocate for change and equality. As she looks back on 2021, Dipisha is grateful for the support and encouragement that she has received from Zonta International and the Zonta Club of Kathmandu, Nepal. She is also grateful to Zonta International for providing her with the opportunity to raise her voice for change at the Zonta Says No Summit. 

31 DECEMBER 2021