Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women (RENEW)

Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women, known by the acronym RENEW, is a Bhutanese non-governmental, non-profit organisation founded in 2004 by Queen Mother Sangay Choden Wangchuck. Its principal mandate is the empowerment of women and children in Bhutan, with a particular focus on survivors of domestic violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).^[1]

RENEW grew out of the Queen Mother's earlier work as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Goodwill Ambassador, an appointment she had held since 1999, and was conceptualised in 2000 in response to documented levels of intimate-partner violence in Bhutan. It was registered as a civil society organisation under the Civil Society Organisations Authority and continues to operate from headquarters in Thimphu with field presence across the dzongkhags.^[2]

The organisation's most visible service is the Gawailing Happy Home, a shelter inaugurated in 2015 for survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and for vulnerable women and children. RENEW also operates legal-aid services, the National Helpline for Women and Children (1098) in partnership with the National Commission for Women and Children, and a community-volunteer programme that extends its reach into rural Bhutan.^[3]

Founding and Mission

RENEW was launched on 11 May 2004 at a public event in Thimphu attended by Queen Mother Sangay Choden Wangchuck. The organisation's founding was preceded by a period of consultation with civil society and government partners and by the Queen Mother's earlier advocacy on reproductive health, HIV/AIDS prevention and women's rights. The acronym RENEW captures four programmatic pillars — Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower — that the organisation has retained since its founding.^[4]

Programmes

Gawailing Happy Home

Gawailing Happy Home is a residential shelter that opened in 2015 in Thimphu. It provides emergency accommodation, counselling, legal aid, medical care, meditation and crisis intervention to survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The Home also accommodates vulnerable children and youth and provides livelihood-skills training designed to allow residents to leave the shelter financially independent.^[1]

National Helpline 1098

RENEW operates the women and children's helpline 1098 in collaboration with the National Commission for Women and Children, which holds statutory responsibility under Section 6 of the Domestic Violence Prevention Act of Bhutan, 2013. The helpline provides referral, counselling and emergency response across all twenty dzongkhags.^[5]

Volunteers for Vulnerable Populations

The Volunteers for Vulnerable Populations (VfVP) programme trains community volunteers across the country to identify, refer and support survivors of violence at the gewog level, where formal protection services have historically been thin. The volunteers are coordinated by RENEW's regional offices and supported by training materials produced jointly with NCWC.

Microfinance and Livelihoods

RENEW Microfinance Private Limited, registered with the Royal Monetary Authority, provides small loans to vulnerable women, including survivors who have left the Gawailing shelter. The microfinance arm complements skills training delivered through the RENEW vocational centre and through smaller centres in dzongkhags including Mongar and Trashigang.^[6]

Legal Advocacy and the 2013 Act

RENEW played a central advocacy role in the passage of the Domestic Violence Prevention Act of Bhutan, 2013, which for the first time created a statutory framework for the protection of survivors and the prosecution of perpetrators in Bhutan. RENEW's submissions during parliamentary consultations contributed to the Act's gender-neutral framing and to the recognition of psychological as well as physical violence.^[7]

Partnerships and Recognition

RENEW partners with UN agencies including UNFPA, UN Women and UNICEF, with bilateral donors and with civil-society networks across South Asia. Queen Mother Sangay Choden Wangchuck has received international recognition for her work on women's health and protection, including UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador status and the Vital Voices Global Trailblazer Award.

References

1. RENEW Bhutan — official site
2. RENEW — Gyalyum Charitable Trust Fund
3. RENEW Founder's Day Press release, 11 May 2017 — Gyalyum Charitable Trust Fund
4. Her Majesty the Queen Mother of Bhutan — Gyalyum Charitable Trust Fund
5. National Commission for Women and Children — Divisions
6. RENEW vocational centre to empower women opens in Selekha — Daily Bhutan
7. Domestic Violence Prevention Act of Bhutan, 2013 — NCWC