Education Nepal Project #19048

Rehabilitate rescued child slaves in Nepal

by GoodWeave International

Project Report | Oct 13, 2017
Reflections

By Nina Smith | CEO

Dear GlobalGiver,

Mid-September marked the beginning of the festival season in Nepal. GoodWeave had the opportunity to distribute gifts for the children at Hamro Ghar and the LAB school in honor of Dashain and Tihar. Children received new clothing, bags and shoes, and then joined the Nepal GoodWeave staff for a celebratory lunch. I hope it warms your heart, as it does mine, to see smiling faces and matching plaid on a group of safe and healthy children.

As we celebrate the Nepali festivals and move toward the holiday season in the United States, I have been reflecting on past causes for celebration. Though this work in Nepal has proven difficult, with a devastating earthquake and a months-long border blockade, I have been awed and inspired by the consistent support shown by the GlobalGiving community. Your donations to this project provided a range of support to weaving communities through tumultuous times. You helped us provide not just immediate relief to weavers and their families but long-term support, which allows us to unravel the system that leads to child slavery and exploitation in the first place.

On behalf of the whole GoodWeave team, thank you. Over the course of this project, your support has helped us rescue 1,184 children from exploitation in the carpet factories of Nepal. Your generous donations have allowed us to educate 4,619 Nepali children – 672 of them in 2017 alone, including the children you see in these photos receiving gifts for Dashain. I am deeply grateful for all you have done to support the GoodWeave community through our years of work in Nepal.

We have decided to close this project, but – while this project is ending – our work in Nepal will continue. GoodWeave will work toward reaching even more children in more sectors across Nepal, and we would love you to keep in touch. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on GoodWeave’s work to end child labor, from the producer’s hands to the consumer’s. I also encourage you to visit at our other project on GlobalGiving, which helps families still vulnerable from the earthquake – even a full two years later – rebuild their livelihoods. It is a difficult road, but we are working to navigate a path to help former child laborers come back to life and write new stories. Once again, thank you.

Sincerely,

Nina Smith

CEO

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Jul 14, 2017
Easing the Transition

By Nina Smith | CEO

In my last report, I introduced you to Maya, a former child laborer rescued by GoodWeave five years ago. Maya used to work for hours a day in a dark factory, weaving thousands of knots. Now, she spends her time mentoring other children, singing, and learning karate. She is blooming in this new life, and has high hopes and aspirations for the future. But that transition – from working countless hours in a carpet factory to attending school and focusing on a future – is not easy. Children rescued by GoodWeave often struggle with isolation and depression. They have spent months – sometimes years – without the opportunity to grow and play with others. Understandably, sitting in class while trying to manage this transition into a new world can feel entirely overwhelming.

This is where the GoodWeave team comes in. Every day, I am moved by the dedication I see among staff members in Nepal who care so deeply about the children they support. They work constantly to better meet the complex needs of children in transition. Recently, this manifested in a three-day training in psycho-social needs assessment, designed to further hone the team’s ability to counsel weavers and children affected by the 2015 earthquakes. The training was hosted in conjunction with the Transcultural Pyschosocial Organization of Nepal by a clinical psychologist, a counselor, and a research officer. Fifteen GoodWeave team members participated, learning tools for handling mental health issues and developing a vision for additional program growth moving forward.

When I get to meet children like Maya, I am amazed by their resilience and spirit. She and the other children in GoodWeave’s programs have come so far from their time in the dark of factories and loom-sheds. And GoodWeave staff members have been there to help them every step of the way by counseling, teaching, and listening.

As always, thank you for the support that allows our staff to better serve children like Maya. I am deeply grateful, and I look forward to sharing more updates of progress and hope as the year progresses.

Yours sincerely,

Nina

Trainees performing a trust walk

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Apr 21, 2017
Maya's Story

By Nina Smith | Chief Executive Officer

Dear GlobalGiver,

I would like to introduce you to Maya. Maya was rescued by GoodWeave in 2012 from a carpet factory, where she used to tie thousands of knots while weaving carpets. She was brought to Hamro Ghar, GoodWeave’s transit home for children, to receive important services, education and a safe place to live. Unfortunately, we were not able to reunite Maya with her family. Maya spent two years at Hamro Ghar, where she was a very disciplined and hardworking student.

Today, with GoodWeave’s support, Maya has transferred to a prestigious secondary school. She is now a successful and devoted seventh grade student, as well as a talented singer. She also enjoys learning Karate. Those who know her describe her as a kind and caring girl who has become a mentor and an inspiration to other children. She shares both time and advice with them, and offers encouragement and guidance. Maya has a positive outlook on her life now. GoodWeave has been with Maya every step of the way on this journey, and it has been a pleasure to watch her grow into a successful young woman with a bright future.

For over 20 years, GoodWeave has worked to reach children like Maya who toil in the carpet sector. Based on our success and the reduction of child labor in the carpet sector, we are now expanding our work to reach the children laboring in other sectors as well, including the brick kilns of Nepal. GoodWeave envisions a world where no child is forced to work, and where they can reach their full potential through education. Your support makes it possible for GoodWeave to provide children like Maya the care and opportunities that they deserve.

The support that GoodWeave receives from the Global Giving community makes a tangible difference in the lives of so many children. I am grateful for your continued dedication to ending child labor, and your generous assistance in providing the care and education that the children of Hamro Ghar deserve.

With Gratitude,

Nina

Maya and friends in the traditional dress of Nepal

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