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The Jagaran Media Center's mission is to eliminate all forms of racial and caste based discrimination in Nepal. Founded by four Dalit - or "untouchable" - journalists in 2000, JMC has become a leader in the Dalit struggle for social and economic equality through its media-based advocacy programs and progressive Dalit Resource Center.

JMC is currently producing various awareness-raising radio programs and 'Dalan', a television series which chronicles the lives, obstacles, suffering, and upliftment of three generations of a Dalit family. The center's staff is also active in organizing training workshops and events as well as actively following and recording cases of Human Rights violations. Through these activities, they continue to change attitudes about caste and untouchablility and further promote equality. 

For more information on the Jagaran Media Center please visit their website at http://www.jagaranmedia.org.np/index.php. (For a further description of the caste in Nepal please reference Notes on Caste and Untouchability.)

Help The Advocacy Project Support JMC’s Cause
The Advocacy Project has partnered with the Jagaran Media Center in order support the social mobilization of Dalit communities in Nepal. This year, the Advocacy Project is sending Ted Samuel, a Fulbright Scholar from Barnesville Ohio, to Kathmandu to serve as one of the 2007 AP Peace Fellows. Ted’s responsibilities will include:
    * Researching and writing proposals for the center
    * Providing English-language and other support in development of reports and press releases
    * Arranging meetings with staff as needed for report/proposal writing
    * Providing support as needed with awareness-raising radio programs, including seeking funding
    * Helping build management capacity through development of appraisal forms, needs assessments, etc.
    * Monitoring local and international media for relevant issues

Ted will also keep in touch with donors and other interested organizations by posting regular reports through the Advocacy Projects website. He is also available for lectures, presentations, and discussions upon his return to the United States. Your donations, which help cover travel and living expenses, are greatly appreciated. Please feel free to contact Ted at atsamuel [at] gmail.com for more information.

Notes on Caste and ‘Untouchability’
The concept of caste has existed in South Asia for centuries. Rooted in various religious texts that date as far back as the First Century AD, the caste system continues to serve as a form of social stratification in countries like India and Nepal. While the discussion of caste usually leads to the simplification of a complex system, there are some collective characterizations of this social hierarchy.  Traditionally, there are four recognized classifications or varna which were, at one time, based on hereditary occupation -Brahmin priests, Chhetri (Kshatriya) rulers and warriors, Vaishya merchants and tradesmen, and Sudra laborers.

 There were, however, individuals and families whose occupations were considered so inherently "polluting" that they fell outside of the Varna system and became classified as "untouchable". This stigma of untouchability still affects millions today. Members from untouchable castes face extreme social exclusion, making it difficult for many to get jobs, attain a proper education, and in general, improve their life circumstances. The term Dalit - meaning ground down or oppressed-  was adopted largely as a respectable replacement for other seemingly demeaning terms.

      Dalits represent almost 22 % of the Nepali population. For centuries they have endured all forms of discrimination. The state denied them from owning land, attending educational institutions or places of worship, and, at times, from even entering the houses of upper caste Hindus. In 1963, Nepal revoked all laws that made institutionalized discrimination of Dalits legal. But even now, those laws have done little to improve the plight of Dalit communities.

The following statistics, offered by the Jagaran Media Center highlight this point.
    * 80 % of the Dalit population lives below the poverty line.
    * Literacy rate amongst Dalits is 23 % against the national average of 54 %.
    * The average life expectancy of Dalits is 50.8 years against the national average of 58 years.
    * Per capita income of Dalits is Rs. 4949 (±$ 67) against Rs. 7673 (± $ 100) national average.

(photo by Tara Linhardt )