“It is hard to be a senior mason for women who comes from an underprivileged community and are single women,”- Saroj Murmu from Kamal Rural Municipality, Jhapa. After her husband’s demise a few years ago, she has to look after 2 children through daily labor work. She has become a breadwinner for her family.

She is one of the participants in the training that Sahara Nepal organized with the support of USAID/ TAYAR Nepal and in collaboration with Kamal rural municipality and Damak Municipality, Jhapa. She recalls that no one ever asked her opinion or allowed her to learn more about mason’s work. Women who are working in construction are treated just as a laborer or just limited to basic labor work and no one accepts that women mason can also lead the construction due to socio-cultural norms in our society- further, she added.

With the help of this training, training participants, and the municipality, she wanted to become a senior mason. She wants to become a change in the construction sector by breaking the gender norms that women can also take lead and be capable to construct the house with help of co-workers.