A fund to rescue children from slavery in Nepal

Two boys have been brought home to Nepal from India. Thank you for making their freedom possible!

The Nepali teenagers were discovered working in a harsh environment at a plastic bag factory in Mumbai. One boy had been sent by his family to earn money, while the other was lured by false promises of quick wealth.

The experience had been exhausting for them, as they had to stand for over ten hours a day doing physically challenging work.  

The factory was raided by Indian authorities, and both boys were taken to a government-run children's home. However, without the vital support of organisations like ours, they would have remained stranded and vulnerable.

Thanks to your generosity, our partner organisation, Chora Chori Nepal, was able to swiftly intervene. Their expertise in working with Indian authorities and tracing families allowed them to bring these boys back home.

Our Country Director, Bhaskar Karki, says: "Imagine the overwhelming joy these boys must feel knowing they are finally returning home. This is the impact your support makes possible."

The boys are eager to see their families and return to school. We are currently assessing their home situations to ensure their safety, and determine what support they may need in the future.

Last year, thanks to the generous support of people like you, we were able to rescue 45 children – three times as many as we rescued in 2023. We were also able to reunite most of these children with their families.

Together, we’re changing the course of children’s lives and bringing families together.

We are overjoyed to let you know that we have recently rescued a boy and a girl in two separate operations. Both names have been changed.

Pratima's Story

Firstly, we rescued a 14-year-old girl after door-to-door visits by anti-child labour campaigners. She had been working in a household for two years, since she was 12.

Pratima told us that her father had died when she was young, and her elder sister and younger brother lived with her mother. She had been trafficked to Kathmandu by a villager and was hoping to earn some money to send home. Her duties included cleaning and washing clothes, but she wasn’t allowed to cook as she was from an ‘untouchable’ caste. She also worked at the family’s cosmetics shop.

She hadn’t been to school since she was 12 and hadn’t been paid for any of her work. Therefore, social workers and officials decided to rescue her, and she was referred to our safe house for girls, Marigold House.

Pratima says, “I want to become a strong and independent woman working in a good position in an office. And I know that I will have to study hard to reach my dream.”

Sunil's Story

14-year-old Sunil ran away from domestic violence in his family. He has been working as a bus conductor in Kathmandu for the past seven months. A social worker posted a video of him which went viral on social media and so, with the help of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, he was rescued and brought to our transit home.

Sunil’s family situation is very insecure, so he will stay with us – at least for the short term. Sunil is very bright, and his English is excellent. We hope that he will be able to return to school soon.

We have also been raising awareness of child labour in various municipalities, and our efforts include advertising boards and stickers. 

Thank you for supporting us in our fight against child slavery, which involves both rescue and prevention work. 

With best wishes