By Nepal Youth Foundation | Project Leader
Budhani was 21 years old when her life finally changed. After more than 15 years in the Kamlari system as a bonded child laborer, she was rescued and given her first real chance at freedom. Sent away from her home as a young girl, she spent her childhood working from dawn until dusk—without a voice, protection, or choice.
Even today, it is difficult for her to speak about those years. “I was just a child, but I worked from morning to night—scared, voiceless, invisible,” she recalls. Alongside endless household labor, she was responsible for caring for another child, despite barely knowing how to care for herself.
After her rescue, Budhani was introduced to NYF’s Vocational Education and Career Counseling (VECC) program. Trust came slowly. When she was offered industrial tailoring training and later a job in Kathmandu, fear resurfaced. “For a moment, I wondered if this was another trap,” she says. But Budhani chose courage.
She completed industrial tailoring training and went on to work at a garment company in Kathmandu, where she spent the next decade rebuilding her life. She gained skills, confidence, and financial independence, got married, became a mother, and began shaping a future of her own choosing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Budhani returned to her hometown—not in fear, but with savings and a dream. Today, she owns and operates a small tailoring and garment shop in Dhangadi, supplying affordable, high-quality clothing to the local market. Her business supports her family and provides employment to two other women seeking a path toward independence.
“Nepal Youth Foundation transformed my life—from servitude to entrepreneurship,” Budhani says. “I now live with dignity and can help create opportunities for others.”
Budhani believes education and skills training are key to breaking cycles of poverty and inequality. Her hope is simple yet powerful: that no child will ever be forced into bonded labor again, and that every girl will have the chance to learn, earn, and live with dignity.
It is time to break the chain.
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