Help vulnerable families rebuild homes in Nepal

Dear GlobalGiver,

As I’ve mentioned in previous reports, every project has its share of challenges. This project is no exception – for the last few months, restructuring on internal governance has slowed progress on construction of homes for weavers. The communities are still moving forward, having received the training they need to produce bricks and build homes. Each community still has around 7,000 bricks with which to support families in need. But new trainings have slowed while we create a better management process, and make sure the program is running effectively.

When challenges like these arise and start to feel overwhelming, I find it helpful to take a step back and ground myself once again in the stories of children we are able to help. One such story comes from a young girl we rescued from a carpet factory years ago. Today, her life has changed dramatically.

Nirmala was the only daughter born to a very poor family of farmers in rural Nepal. There was not a single day when there was enough food for all of them. Some days, there was none and she would go to bed hungry.

At the age of 10, out of desperation, she ran away with friends to Kathmandu and eventually started to work in a carpet factory. Her hands became bloody and bruised, but she was never paid a single rupee.

A GoodWeave inspector found Nirmala and brought her to our transit home for rescued children. When she arrived, Nirmala didn’t even have shoes on her feet. Our social worker and counselor, Rajendra, remembers her early days at our center. “We were focused on making her laugh and play. And slowly, she started coming back to normal.”

Nirmala is now 17 and in the 9th grade at LAB School, a topnotch academic institution in Nepal. After years of missed classes, she is catching up to her peers. She recently started to journal about her life. The cover of her diary declares: My True Story Begins Now.

Nirmala’s story is one of hope and change. GoodWeave’s programs work to create this change for children and families across Nepal, including those weavers who are receiving trainings and homes through this project. While the road to recovery is long and complicated, it is stories like these that make the process worth it. I am grateful for your support through each and every turn in the road. You help these stories of change begin.

With gratitude,

Nina Smith