Charlyn Lim spreading hope in Nepal
August 11th, 2010
Posted in Chinese Entertainment, newsfeed by spcnet.tv | No Comments »
Former MediaCorp artiste Charlyn Lim joined Channel U’s Stars For A Cause and traveled to Nepal for a volunteering mission to educate local women on sensitive issues.
Accompanying her was Taiwan’s Vision Youth Action(VYA), a youth volunteering group.
In an interview with xinmsn, Carlyn told us that while the topics are sensitive and embarrassing to discuss, she is happy to know that these women have gained precious knowledge.
“I feel very embarrassed because you rarely talk about this kind of stuff (issues regarding sex) with people.”
“I’m a married woman already so I just share my own experience with them.”
Charlyn also shared with us an anecdote: a woman having problems with conceiving a child asked her for advice, and so she went on to give the woman advice regarding women’s menstrual cycle.
“When I saw hope in her eyes, I felt very happy; I helped another person!”
One of Charlyn’s tasks in Nepal was to educate local women on personal hygiene issues. One pressing problem omnipresent in Nepal was the locals’ lack of knowledge in handling their monthly menstrual cycle.
“These women don’t have sanitary pads; they only use a piece of cloth and they don’t know how to sterilize the cloth.”
Charlyn also gave them tips on lessening the pain they go through during their periods.
“A little girl came over to me and thanked me, saying that her mother can’t make it as she is busy in the fields. She said that she will tell her mother about the tips so she wouldn’t have to cry anymore when her period comes.”
Nepal is a patriarchal society where Nepalese women usually take on lesser roles. When a woman’s period comes, she is forced to work in the fields and not allowed near her own husband.
However, Charlyn said that this trend is gradually changing as the young educated Nepalese women are taking an active role in combating this social discrimination.
Other than education, Charlyn helped in building up the fire line between villages and the forest – the fire line helps to contain forest fires and prevent the fire from spreading to the village. The bubbly host also helped in building a primary school and a locall community centre.
Before she left, Charlyn received a valuable present: a handmade blanket stitched together from recycled material.
