In Nepal, women face harsh stereotypes and abuse, with 48 percent of women suffering gender-based violence at some point in their lives.

Renuka Chaudary knows this reality all too well. One evening, she was walking to her house when a group of young men cornered her.

“They touched me inappropriately and hurled abuses at me,” Renuka says. “I started crying. They looked at me, amused, and left. Never have I felt so worthless in my life.”

Still haunted by the experience, Renuka joined Search for Common Ground - Nepal’s self-defense training class for violence prevention and protection. She took part in the training, practicing kicks, strikes, and blocks with a smile of triumph on her face.

Wiping the beads of sweat on her forehead, she felt the confidence rising within her. That’s when she got the idea to start her own self-defense club.

On the last day of every month, Renuka and her friends train adolescent girls in self-defense. At first, her idea was laughed at by Nepalese officials, but after seeing the training first-hand, they were impressed.

Renuka’s message is clear. “Girls are not weak. But society is weak to think that girls can be mistreated just because they are girls.”

Today, Renuka is a force to be reckoned with. She has trained more than 150 teenage girls and continues to inspire others with her fiery spirit.

“Girls need to be empowered to fight violence against them,” she says. “The self-defense training not only empowers them, but also instills in them the confidence that is required to establish a just and equitable society.”