EmpowerHER: Rights, Protection and Hope

Our recent work in Province 2 has proven to be very challenging and very rewarding at the same time. We have had to be very patient and acknowledge that sometimes things take 20 times longer in Nepal than we would like them to. 

We are working very close with the police who refer any cases of girls needing assistance to us, and also we get cases referred by local social workers and active outreach work by our staff. 

We have been helping a few rape (including gang rape) victims, sisters who saw their mum being killed by family members and then sent off to work in a hotel, girls trafficked to India who are now at the child helpline there and are being sent to us in the next few days. A lot of tragic stories and a lot of work to be done. Most challenging part is working with the communities who very often do not accept those girls back, or parents not wanting to prosecute the perpetrators as they worry that this will jeopardise future marriage of the girls. So we are now working on a long term plan of working with the communities, changing perception over there and setting up a mini legal clinic that would help bring justice for the girls. 

Our counsellor is providing sessions for the girls that are in our direct care, but also to those that have a place to stay but come to visit us on a daily basis. Through the counselling and sessions with our social worker we are trying to build a plan for possible future training and job opportunities for the older girls. 

Thank you so much for all the support - this means so much, and is really needed as the project expands. 

So big news - after all the hurdles that we have experienced with the pandemic and other issues, the project is finally starting at the end of the month! It will be larger than initially anticipated and we will be able to assist more children. 

We are starting with opening a shelter for the girls and the home for the boys will follow a month or so later. The formal launch will be on the 2nd April and we will release more information then - everyone on the team is very excited. We now have new social workers and a counsellor and all are starting their training/induction. 

It has been a long journey but we are so pleased to say that now we will be able to reach majority of children in Province 2 in Southern Nepal who need emergency assistance. It's the smallest but most populous province in Nepal, with 50% of children out of school, more than 10,000 cases a year of violence against girls and women and the highest number of missing children. That's why we do what we do. 

Our first girls that will be joining our new shelter are at the moment at our Child Helpline in Birgunj. They were found a few months back on the street by their dad's dead body and one of them almost died because of malnutrition. They are physically fine now but with no family around them they need a lot of counselling and care. 

We have also been doing a lot of community outreach and should be able to assist many more girls who have experienced trauma due to violence, trafficking and rape. We will keep you posted on all the developments and we will announce more details and information about our wonderful partners that we are working on the project with within the next report. 

Thanks you so much for all your support so far. It has only been possible thanks to you.