Girls and young women at frontline in times of crisis
7 August 2025Girls and young women are deeply impacted by emergencies, yet they are key to recovery and resilience. We equip them with the skills and support to lead in crisis and beyond. In this blog, Pratima Kunwar, Technical Advisor, shares how their leadership is shaping lasting change.
Girls and young women are not defined by the crises they face; they are leaders, decision-makers, and changemakers. At Plan International Nepal, we believe in their strength, voice, and power to shape their future, even in the most challenging times. That’s why our work in Skills and Opportunities for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (SOYEE) and Education in Emergencies (EiE) puts girls and young women from diverse backgrounds at the heart of everything we do.
We follow key national and global plans, including the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and Nepal’s Climate Change Policy, to protect both the environment and girls’ rights. These plans help guide how we prepare for disasters, respond to them, and support communities in their recovery, always with a focus on protecting girls, children, and young people like you.
Preparing with girls and young women
We know that when a disaster strikes, girls and young women often face the greatest risks, whether it’s losing access to education, safety, or income. That’s why we work with them and their communities to prepare in advance. We start by assessing the risks around their area and adjusting our programmes to make them safer and more responsive to their needs.
Through our SOYEE initiatives, we offer skills training that’s not only about earning a living, it’s about building resilience. They might learn how to construct earthquake-resistant buildings, how to install electricity safely, or how to cook while preventing fire hazards. For young women in agriculture, we promote livestock insurance so their hard work isn’t lost in an emergency. We also help raise awareness about climate change and disaster risk management, ensuring that girls and young women are equipped with the knowledge to protect themselves and others.
Masali, a school safety campaigner
Masali, a 16-year-old school safety campaigner, believes in the important role girls play in disaster preparedness and ensuring school safety.
Standing beside them when it matters most
In the middle of a crisis, girls and young women deserve care, dignity, and quick action. That’s why when disasters hit, like floods, landslides, earthquakes, or fires, we act fast to provide essential items such as blankets, tarpaulins, kitchen sets, and dignity kits to girls and families affected in districts like Jajarkot, Sindhuli, and Jumla.
To keep your learning on track, we rebuild water systems and set up temporary learning centres so that schools can continue even in emergencies. Local skilled youth, especially young women, are hired to help with this, creating employment opportunities when families need it most. In places like Dhanusha, where drought threatens daily life, we’ve installed deep tube wells to ensure drinking water and support farming activities.
We also listen closely to girls and young people through Rapid Gender and Youth Analyses (RGYA). A RGYA quickly explores how age and gender affect people in emergencies. We use it to design programmes that help and support young people, especially girls. It helps us understand what they’ve lost, what they need, and how to support them in recovery. Our Cash Voucher Assistance system ensures they can buy what they need directly from local shops, giving them more control and supporting their local economy at the same time.
Deukali and her community rebuild together
Introducing Deukali, a 38-year-old who is collaborating with her community to acquire new skills and essential tools to clear debris from her damaged home. She is currently constructing a temporary shelter.
Together, rebuilding and rising
The effects of disasters don’t stop when the waters recede or the earth stops shaking. For many girls and young women, the hardest part is what comes next: rebuilding their lives, recovering from trauma, and finding hope again. We’re here with girls and young women through every step.
We support young women with tools to restart farming, including drought and flood-resistant seeds, livestock, and repairs to irrigation canals. If their tools or equipment were damaged, we would help replace them. We also support training in agriculture, animal care, and safe construction techniques, helping them build a future that’s secure and independent.
Our support doesn’t stop at physical tools; we also offer a life skills programme designed especially for girls and young women. It includes topics like stress management, decision-making, problem-solving, career planning, gender equality, climate change, protection, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. These life skills help them overcome fear, build confidence, and take charge of their future.
When girls and young women lead, entire communities become stronger. They are not only rebuilding homes and farms, they are rebuilding hope. Plan International Nepal is here to support their journey, so they can rise with strength, lead with courage, and shape the safer, fairer future they deserve.
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