Who we are
Vision and Mission
Just Futures Pahal (JFP) is a non-profit educational organization in Nepal determined to create a "sikne-sikaune" (learning-teaching) community where Dalit women can learn, grow and support each other. We believe that building an academically led community that allows active discussion between scholars, activists and fellows is a necessary step to allow the voices and stories of Dalit women to be heard.
At JFP, our central mission is to provide Dalit women with fellowships (the financial and educational means) and the space to write about and share their knowledge and lived experiences. Our fellows will learn from and work alongside faculty consisting of other Dalit women and men, Dalit gender and sexual minorities, other marginalized groups, and progressives from dominant castes. JFP serves as a safe space for conversations, learning and truth, and we hope to emphasize disseminating knowledge to disrupt historic hierarchies, and build a more equitable future.
Origins
Before Just Futures Pahal (JFP) was established, we spent over a decade holding critical conversations with national and international activists and scholars to find solutions necessary to establish caste equity. Through these conversations, we understood that providing a safe space for the marginalized to help them disseminate their knowledge was a necessary step towards building understanding. Even amidst the marginalized, we were keenly aware that Dalit women are met with the least opportunities and face the most challenging of societal norms.
As a result, JFP was successfully established in April 2023 to build a living and learning community that supports local and global interconnections by hosting workshops, seminars and lectures, where anyone can choose to learn about issues of caste, gender, class and sexuality minorities. We focus especially on offering fellowships to Dalit women and helping them become authors of their own narratives. Over the years, JFP has worked tirelessly to create a dedicated faculty and team whose members work to support our fellows. We believe that Dalit women’s knowledge and voices are essential to envision just futures and transformative possibilities.
Acknowledgments
Just Futures Pahal (JFP) extends its gratitude to numerous individuals and institutions – both national and international – who have supported our journey. Their contributions have been instrumental in bringing this ambitious vision to life, from its conception, to the planning and implementation of our programs.
In particular, JFP would like to express our sincere appreciation to Dr. Amar BK. After obtaining his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh, USA, Dr. BK joined the Samata Foundation as a senior researcher. He then served as a founding member of the Board of Directors of JFP and held the position of Executive Director until December 2023. We are deeply grateful to Dr. BK and his intellectual expertise, exceptional teaching skills, and his ability to provide a listening ear to our fellows. His contributions were paramount in the 18-month fellowship program, “Apan Katha Apnei Bunechhi” specifically designed for Madheshi Dalit women.
We hope to continue the diligent work of Dr. BK and all those who have contributed to JFP.
