Accountability towards informal settlers in Nepal

With two month’s residential training followed by ten day long Independent Living (IL) training in Kathmandu, visually impaired 28 year old female from a remote rural village in Bajura learned knitting, a skill selected by herslf. During the training she knitted a scarf for her father and now making a sweater for herself.

Her name is Sita (pseudonym), a 28-year-old woman from a rural village in Bajura, Far-Western Province of Nepal. She lives with her father, one elder brother, and two younger brothers in a very poor family. Her father works as a daily wage laborer to support the family. Sita and her two brothers are all visually impaired by birth. Her father is also unable to speak. Six years ago, the family faced a big tragedy when her mother died in an accident. She was hit by a boulder rolling on hill slope while she was collecting fodder for her cattle. Since then, life has become even more difficult for the family.

Even with her blindness, Sita works hard every day. She cooks food, washes clothes, carries water from a far tap, and does all household work. She always wanted to go to school and study, but because of poverty and household responsibilities, she never got a chance.

During the field visit, staff from PHASE Nepal found her living in a very a situation. After talking with her father and community leaders, PHASE Nepal decided to support her by bringing her to Kathmandu for an Independent Living (IL) training for 10 days in February 2026.

IL training is designed for persons with disabilities to enhance their personal skills, provide exposure to activities carried out by others with similar disabilities, provide peer counselling and awareness on rights of disabled persons. During the IL training, she took part in activities that include counseling by peers, confidence building, daily living skills, mobility practice, communication practice, and motivation sessions. She also visited different organizations and offices run by persons with disabilities. This helped her feel motivated and improved her self-confidence, especially by seeing others living independently. Through these activities, she learned how to live more independently and started gaining confidence. The program also helped her believe in herself and think about a better future.

At the end of the training she showed interest in learning knitting skill before returning back to her village. PHASE Nepal then supported her for three month knitting training.

By now she completed two months’ knitting training. She already knitted a nice scarf for her father, and she is now learning knitting sweater for her. By the end of the training, she will learn a few other items, like shocks and gloves. With our small support and her great dedication, she has learned useful skill despite her visual impairment. Without support from all generous peripli like you, this Sita would not be able to learn these skill useful for her life. Thank you very much.