RENEW is the only organisation that focuses on empowerment of vulnerable women in the country. The organisation has provided assistance to about 4,000 families from its inception until today.
A non-profit organization, RENEW, was founded by Her Majesty the Queen Mother, Sangay Choden Wangchuck, in 2004.
RENEW stands for Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women and its prime focus is to provide assistance to vulnerable women in terms of legal, counseling, accommodation and capacity building.
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We have bigger shelter which is called happy home and which is not anonymous. It located some 25 kilometres in South Thimphu. It is the national referral safe house where victims are kept for six months.”
Chimi Wangmo
Executive Director,
RENEW
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To provide assistance efficiently, RENEW has two core programmes, curative and preventive.
The Executive Director of RENEW, Chimi Wangmo, said curative programme is looked after by counseling department. “Under the counseling department we provide services such as counselling service, legal assistance, and emergency protection service through our shelter and as a re-integration programme for the victims to be re-integrated back to their communities.”
She said preventive programme is looked after by the community outreach department. “It basically advocates the community against domestic violence.”
RENEW has volunteers from diverse professional background across the country to help women who are victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. To provide immediate accommodation to these women, RENEW has opened a shelter known as safe house in Thimphu, Samtse and Bumthang.
“Safe house is an emergency shelter where the victims are kept there for couple of days or at the most for a week,” said the Executive Director.
RENEW has plans to open safe houses in places other than Thimphu, Samtse and Bumthang.
