She Belongs: A Daughter's Right to Be Family

Console Mission's founders were not uneducated. They founded it, gave name both in the National language of Nepal (i.e. Nepali) and English. And the essential is that in English Console Mission was accepted. I am explaining this because the team of CoMi decided to understand the existing Elderly Homes and strengthen the capacities of the human resources serving there. "When there are available places/ shelter homes, it was unnecessary to start one". Better to assist in developing quality service. But there are none that provide for teenage girls who might get into trouble. Therefore, since 2019 until the mid of 2023, CoMi served beneficiaries starting a place called it Self Managed Home.

Nepal, a country of villages, mountains, hills and plains, contains geographical challenges and natural disasters linked with such geography. At mountain snow landslides, at hills, mud and stones block the way and devastates lives and in plain monsoon season challenges lives. Therefore basic needs gets challenges to continue and run smoothly. Therefore like continuing education becomes a challenge, not having an educational institute. Teenagers must migrate to the city or the place where an institute is available. But many return within a year because they face various kinds of challenges like:

1. Everything becomes new
2. Guidance
3. Security
4. Even financials or say the continuation of support from parents, mainly for teenage girls. Because they are seen as someone who will get married and leave
5. Even if they fail, they feel they have made a big mistake and they will not come over it (a beneficiary of SMH, studying Diploma in Engineering thought to suicide after she failed in her first semester examination)

CoMi visited a village to meet 2 girls who left, they are Susmita and Suntali, who were involved or engaged as a volunteer and they did complete school's education. But after coming to the city, they returned without giving examination. Besides that, their own sisters, Sushma and Sumitra got married, they were both in 8 class. They were handed to take volunteer responsibility. But when one got married, another followed.

If we look at the situation, there are already challenges "whether after puberty girls will complete school or not". Moreover, if they did complete their continuation, migrating for further study in a new place become challenge as they face. Therefore, what CoMi did went well SMH did well. Those beneficiaries are earning and better life compared to others from their same area.

At present, CoMi is focusing in finding place where possible. But SMH ran with unique features that later help them to stand independently. There are several shelter homes but not with features that help beneficiaries to be self-reliant, discipline setting and show the essential career path.

Hence, still Console Mission is searching for ways that give idea to the stakeholder both focusing:

1. childrens' school's education
2. and after completing school

By focusing on starting "a home for teenage girls" means to set a model. Yes already CoMi achieved its mission to impact but only its local area. To impact deeply and widely, this is initiated, looking forward to get support.

"Prevention is important", Self Managed Home did contacted the beneficiary as she went back to her village, by consoling her. She returned with confidence and completed her 3-year course. A pride for her family and the entire village community. There were none, a girl, completed engineering. During her studies, her village community mutually supported her. She also played important role to set a Team to Prevent Child Marriage at her village area called Bhattedand ward in central Nepal.

Links:

• Console Mission