Gender Equality Nepal Project #14845

Stop Girl Trafficking in Nepal

by American Himalayan Foundation

Project Report | Apr 5, 2018
Laxmi's Incredible Success Story: from poverty to nursing school

By Bruce Moore | Regional Field Director

Laxmi, a student in our RHEST Program

Recently, our President Erica Stone and Vice President Norbu Tenzing were able to visit the homes of a few of the girls in our SGT program in Nepal. One of those girls, Laxmi, stood out for her incredible story that exemplifies the kind of success we have seen over and over with STOP Girl Trafficking and RHEST (our local partner in Nepal).

Laxmi had a tough childhood. She and her sisters grew up with an abusive and alcoholic father who, bitter that his wife bore three daughters and no sons, eventually abandoned his family to try his luck with another woman. The loss of their father caused an immense financial strain on the family, and this put them all in a vulnerable position. Laxmi’s eldest sister dropped out of school and married young. Her other sister was able to complete her education up to grade 12, but Laxmi’s mother, unable to feed and provide for both her remaining children, sent Laxmi to live with her maternal grandmother. She continued to live with her grandmother through elementary and middle school. But then, in 2015 when a devastating earthquake struck Nepal, Laxmi’s house was destroyed, and she returned to live with her mother and sister in a make-shift tin shed. With her family in debt, and with no money to pay for her grade 9 and 10 fees, Laxmi was on the verge of dropping out of school.

Fortunately, a watchful RHEST support teacher learned of Laxmi’s struggles, and recommended her for the SGT program. She was accepted, and over the next two years excelled in school, even receiving a first division pass in her grade 10 exam last year. With an interest in nursing, Laxmi took the entrance exam of the Nepal Institute of Medicine - a tough nut to crack. And she passed! RHEST agreed to continue to support her education and boarding costs as part of the In Honor of Amar, SGT’s program supporting girls through their final two years of school (known as college in Nepal). While 16-year-old Laxmi is a little nervous about living on campus, on the other side of the country, she will not be alone. RHEST has a strong network of supporters and alums in the area.

Laxmi’s achievements are a testimony to her resilience and hard work, and SGT treasures these kinds of stories. Knowing how easily girls in vulnerable positions can end up dropping out of school and being forced into child marriage, sold into slavery, or trafficked into brothels, it makes her success all the more phenomenal. And it shows yet again, that education is key to success. Dr. Aruna Uprety, our tireless RHEST leader, pioneered this idea 20 years ago: combating trafficking by preventing it. Keeping girls safe in school with a network of teachers and mentors is one of the most empowering ways to not only prevent trafficking, but ensure these girls have a life of freedom and opportunity.

Links:

Permalink

Jan 5, 2018
Suprita's Story

By Amy Fowler | Communications Manager

Suprita, a Friday Teacher for SGT girls.

As many as 20,000 girls from the poorest parts of rural Nepal are trafficked and sold into brothels, domestic labor, or forced into child marriage every year. Ranjana, who came from a poor home and lived with an abusive father, was a perfect target for traffickers—until STOP Girl Trafficking teacher Suprita stepped in. Here is a letter from Suprita, a graduate of SGT herself, telling Ranjana's story:

“There are instances where the school going girls from rural areas are shown false dreams of good life and are taken away from their families to work or for other alluring reasons.

Ranjana’s father is a drunk and her parents have many children. The father abuses the family and never supports his children’s education. Once he came home drunk and burned her school books and uniforms. A man in her village tried to convince Ranjana to leave her family and go with him to Kathmandu. He claimed that she would get money and good food there. She felt something was wrong. As I was her Friday class teacher, she spoke about the man’s offer with me. Later, I visited her house and warned her family about the man.

Ranjana, 11, is now safe and is coming to school regularly.”

Suprita Waiba

Friday teacher, Sindhupalchowk

Our partner, Dr. Aruna Uprety, and her dedicated team are working tirelessly for girls like Ranjana who are at risk of being trafficked. Instead, they can go to school, where they are safest, and begin to learn their own value.

Once enrolled in STOP Girl Trafficking, the girls are armed with everything they need to get an education: books, backpacks, school supplies, and a network of teachers and mentors to watch over them.

Suprita’s story is one of many examples of the positive ripple effect that STOP Girl Trafficking has created for girls throughout Nepal. Today, many SGT alums are employed as “Friday teachers”—afterschool tutors who give current SGT students one-on-one support with their schoolwork. We’re also seeing more and more SGT alums and teachers like Suprita, standing up for their younger sisters should trouble arise.

Links:

Permalink

Oct 9, 2017
Asmita's Uphill Battle

By Bruce Moore | Regional Field Director

Asmita is fourteen years old and a student in STOP Girl Trafficking (SGT). We met with her and her parents at their home, little more than a hut, to talk about how things were going. When asked if she likes school, Asmita quickly agreed, adding that she is the top student in her class. Her huge smile made the claim believable.

Without the support of SGT, there would be no top-of-class, or any class at all. Asmita’s parents are day laborers and couldn’t afford to send her to school—her younger brothers got priority.

A few of the other girls we met in Asmita’s village of Chainpur also greeted us with easy smiles. But most exuded vulnerability: shy, serious and uncertain. A familiar condition of childhood, but it was more than that. There was a weight the girls carried that was almost palpable, the responsibility for cooking, cleaning, and caring for siblings, all on top of school and homework. Chores that freed up time for their brothers to play or sleep in. Staying in school, if they are even allowed to go, is simply harder for girls in Nepal.

Sometimes those hurdles extend beyond the home. Asked what her least favorite thing about school was, Asmita thought for a moment and said, “When the teacher doesn’t come and there is no school.”

The gaps in Nepal’s educational system, and in how girls and boys are treated, can feel like a chasm at times. But SGT is helping to fill those cracks, not only by paying for girls’ school fees and materials, but by putting extra teachers into classrooms. Many of these young women are STOP Girl Trafficking alums who can cover when the government teacher is out and, most importantly, keep an eye out for girls who are at risk of being trafficked. Chainpur has no support teachers yet, but someday an SGT alum, perhaps Asmita, may decide to pay it forward and become a teacher or afterschool tutor.

It was clear that girls here, as in so many communities across Nepal, have an uphill battle to equity. And it wasn’t hard to imagine how the promise of a stranger might convince them to leave and seek a better life—with tragic consequences. But they also have a safety net: mentors, a network of other girls in SGT, and the courage that comes from having someone in their corner all the way through graduation.

By then, the difference from their younger selves is striking. They are spirited, hopeful, and filled with ideas and gratitude for a future that is their own.

Links:

Permalink

‹ 1 ... 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.