reflections from bangladesh, india, and nepal
Across South Asia, ILC members are re-examining their internal systems and community approaches through Gender Audits and Gender Action Plans. These processes are not only helping organisations identify gender gaps, but also guiding them towards long-term institutional change.
when did members conduct gender audits?
Swadhina (India):
Sonia Bhattacharya shares that Swadhina carried out its Gender Audit during 2022-23, followed by a Gender Action Plan in 2024 which is now under implementation. The audit served as the organisation's first structured review of its work and internal systems through a gender lens.
NLRF (Nepal)
According to Sarita Lama, NLRF conducted its Gender Audit in April 2025, coordinated jointly by the ILC, the National Land Rights Forum, and local consultants. The exercise, completed just a few months ago, offered the team fresh insights into the realities faced by women members across Nepal’s land forum.
Badabon Sangho (Bangladesh)
Lipi notes that the organisation’s Gender Audit took place between February and April 2025. The findings are now being used to inform ongoing programme design and governance reforms.
short and long term impacts of the gender audits
Swadhina
Sonia describes the audit as a moment of introspection, “It brought out things we were not thinking about” she explained. The process led Swadhina to redefine its objectives, fine-tune language, and remove bias from internal documents and policies. A key learning was the importance of engaging youth to change social attitudes early. “If we catch them young, we can encourage them to think for themselves and question gender stereotypes”, she explained. Over the long-term, Swadhina aims to foster futuristic, community-driven gender equality through awareness and capacity-building.
NLRF
For Sarita, the audit was an eye-opener. It revealed that while NLRF’s advocacy has influenced National Land Policies, rural women remain largely unaware of their land rights. The audit highlighted a divide between central and grassroot levels that is women at the top are vocal and active, while rural women often follow movements without understanding their legal entitlements. Sarita also observed gaps in data and resource mobilisation, which limited local women’s participation. The audit thus reinforced the need for better information system, awareness programmes, and implementation support to translate policy gains into real change.
Badabon Sangho:
Lipi explained the audit had a three-fold impact:
- It helped team members and committees recognise organisational gaps in gender equality.
- It guided the programme team to design initiatives grounded in women’s empowerment and feminist approaches within Bangladesh’s conservative and patriarchal contexts.
- It improved organisational governance and alignment of policies, ensuring decisions reflect gender-inclusive values.
What is the added value of the ILC supporting member organisations in conducting gender audits and gender action plans?
Swadhina (India)
Sonia credits ILC’s initiative for helping members understand the depth of the issue. “Once people start doing the gender audit, they realise how much they didn’t know about their own organisation,” she noted. Even as a women-focused organisation, Swadhina discovered subtle inequalities in daily practices, “When there’s heavy lifting or repairs, we automatically call the men.” ILC’s structured approach she says helped transform such realisations into concrete institutional changes and encouraged other members to integrate women’s perspectives in all areas of work.
NLRF (Nepal)
Sarita appreciates ILC’s priority for people’s organisations calling it a “good practice” that ensures real voices are heard. She observes that the ILC framework strengthens coordination and learning between members, allowing national movements like NLRF to align local struggles with broader gender goals.
Badabon Sangho (Bangladesh)
Lipi highlights ILC’s role in enhancing strategic thinking for gender-responsive governance. She explains that programme tools like communication materials, messages and advocacy methods become more effective and strategic after a gender audit. According to her ILc’s support ensures that gender equality is understood not just as a value but as a long=term organisational strategy, aligning empowerment goals with on-ground realities.
From India to Nepal to Bangladesh, Gender Audits have proven to be powerful instruments for reflection, reform, and renewal.
They have encouraged ILC members to question long-help assumptions, strengthen internal systems, and re-design programmes that truly empower women. With ILC’s continued support, these organisations are demonstrating that gender equality begins within and radiates outward into policy, partnership and community.