Forum for Protection of Public Interest (Pro Public) has successfully implemented the project ''Promoting Gender Equality, Minority Rights, Freedom of Speech, Transparency and Accountability through Playback Theater'' in the theme of ‘'Social Change through performing arts'' funded by the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the US Embassy Kathmandu. The project as implemented in Mithila Municipality of Dhanusha district from October, 2021 to September, 2022.

The overall objective of the project was to promote gender equality, minority rights, freedom of speech, Transparency and Accountability in the communities using the medium of Playback Theater.

The specific objectives are as follows.

1. To train Dialogue Facilitators Artists in Playback Theatre and engage them in implementing playback theatre events in proposed communities. 
2. To provide safe space to share their stories for minority people s related to the GBV, minority rights, freedom of speech, governance, and other pertaining issues with to promote and build the empathy within them.

The project implemented with the aim to provide a common platform for larger society specially for number of marginalized groups, including women, LGBTQ, indigenous groups to express the suppressed voices (stories), and to realize mistakes, weakness and to revise prejudice support for promoting reconciliation, healing and equality and justice. It has created a safe space to share stories and issues through broad participation of diverse citizens, including all caste, ethnicity, religion, gender, and people from different geographical region who are currently residing in the project communities. In summary, the project intends to bring all these actors (minority groups, local authorities, people) belonging to diverse caste, ethnicity, and geographical variations, into the space that will create access to justice by addressing personal, relational, structural, and cultural differences, and creating an outcome that is GESI responsive.

It has started the project close coordination with Municipality, and its stakeholders for selection of the project wards and also hold briefing meeting with selected wards of project implementation. Local dialogue facilitating artists (DF artists) as a ‘Citizen Actor’ trained in playback theatre method and mobilized for multiplication of theatre facilitated dialogue in Mithila Municipality. Altogether 15 theatre facilitated dialogue facilitated and provided safe space to share the stories of 65 community members and participated by 998 community people.

Finally, based on the representative stories shared, a theatrical performance has prepared as a final product of the project and advocated through three Outreach Event and Exit Policy Workshops in different three locations of Mithila Municipality.   The events have brought altogether 296 key stakeholders which includes providence minister, Mayors/Deputy Mayors, Rural Municipality Chairs, ward chairs, government officials, politicians, community leaders and community people in a common platform and  shared the experience and outcomes of the project while advocating for the social change at the municipality and provincial level. The outreach events also focused on the sustainability of the project in the presence of high level authorities. Pro Public believes that a project owned by stakeholders is a successful project.