ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses what works well and what works less well in terms of shifting discriminatory gender norms and empowering adolescent girls. It explores two types of programmes aimed at empowering adolescent girls living in Nepal's Kailali district. The first is implemented by the government, through the decentralised structures originally created to foster local participation in government. The second is run by an international non-governmental organisation, implemented through local partners. Decentralisation has been central to Nepali governance since the 1960s, with the adoption of the Panchayat political system. Nepal's decentralised government structures ensure that gender empowerment programmes operate through Village Development Committees and have a presence in every community. The chapter describes the decentralised structures and assesses how both programmes are working to shift the gender norms that constrain adolescent girls' lives. The Kishori programme brings together groups of 15-20 girls who receive a ten-day training course run by the local Office of Women and Children.
