Changing engrained social practices, like chaupadi, is never as simple as an activist campaign.
Women in rural Nepal sleep in huts, caves and animal sheds every month during their periods — a practice called chaupadi.
Mustard blossoms, bright yellow on tall green stalks; rows of young potato seedlings; a stack of papery dried marigolds and a pile of stones serve as a haphazard memorial for 17-year-old Laxmi Buda.
In light of publicity around rape in India, a look at the ingrained practice of chaupadi just north, in Nepal.
Nepal is majority Hindu, a religion known for powerful goddesses and "shakti"—feminine strength—yet gender discrimination is common. Educated women activists are rising up.
Gateways
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Allison Shelley is a documentary photographer and multimedia creator. Former staff photographer for the Washington Times and previously director of photography for Education Week...
Grantee
Allyn is an international freelance writer who has worked for the Los Angeles Times, CNN, Al Jazeera, Reuters, The Atlantic, France 24, The Philadelphia Inquirer and other...