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For thirteen years, Nepal had been beset by escalating levels of violence as the Maoists increased their pressure on a corrupt and ineffective monarchy and administration. In the spring of 2006, an historic agreement was reached to hold free elections. The people went to the polls and the Maoists won the largest portion of the vote. They formed a coalition government in August 2008.

Subhash Kattel, a Kathmandu-based consultant on land reform, first came across AVP on a visit to Switzerland.  He used his know-how and networking to bring together the participants.  Ken Woods, an Australian AVP facilitator who was living in Nepal with his Nepali wife, invited John Michaelis, an experienced Australian facilitator, to join them for the first two workshops. And so in April of 2008, as the people went to the polls, the first AVP workshops in Nepal took place.

Despite hurdles of language, illness, a team of only two facilitators, limited practical support, the need for multiple changes of venue mid-workshop, running out of supplies and overspending the limited budget, two great workshops were held. The participants were mostly young people who see themselves as able to influence change in Nepal and there was animated discussion about how AVP might be applied in the new Nepal to change the culture of violence.

The highlight of the workshops was the energy, hope and enthusiasm of the thirty plus participants. A second round of workshops were scheduled for September 2008, with support from Australian facilitators Katherine & Malcolm Smith, Aletia Dundas and John Michaelis. The team realized that activities would have to be adapted and the list of resources minimized to make the workshops meaningful and possible in this new setting.  The workshops were bilingual in English and Nepali in a country where more than twenty-five languages are spoken.

As the facilitators struggled to adapt to a new cultural context, the participants encouraged them with their willingness to embrace a new process with openness and enthusiasm. The mixed teams of experienced and new, Nepali and visitor were diverse and culturally sensitive. As participants explored listening techniques, cooperative activities and role plays, they began to envision the rich diversity of alternatives available when responding to conflict.

And so AVP-Nepal has begun life with thirty-one facilitators eager and ready to use their newfound skills. The group is enthusiastic and passionate about spreading AVP as far as possible as their nation recovers from years of war and violence. Plans are underway to translate the AVP manuals into Nepali and the hope is to conduct workshops in the countryside where the recent violence has had the most devastating impact.

People had come to the workshops for very different reasons; some as part of their job, some to improve their relationships at home but many came with the hope of finding alternatives to the violence that had plagued their country for so long. At the end of the workshop, the group was asked to imagine a peaceful community in Nepal and to draw a poster of their vision. From the posters they produced it was clear they had specific dreams for their country and every intention of being part of the solution.

The International Community of AVP welcomes our newest program in Nepal into our circle!

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