Nepal: A self-determined life for girls and women
Gita was five years old when her father died – and her family fell apart. She was separated from her sister and brother because her mother couldn't support them alone. A long, hard road into an uncertain future began.
Gita spent six years in a convent. Then her mother died. Gita returned to her home village, where she and her siblings now faced destitution. Their family home was dilapidated and leaked, and they often went hungry. Her eldest sister cared for Gita and her brother and went to work to pay for food and school fees. But the money was barely enough.
Her home, the province of Surkhet in western Nepal, is extremely poor. And girls here are disadvantaged compared to boys from a very young age. Both have dramatic consequences. Many never get a fair chance at an education. Domestic and sexual violence, child marriage, and trafficking of girls are widespread.
But Gita got her chance – and she seized it. At 15, she went to a children's group run by the organization "Aawaaj"* for the first time. Their stated goal: to oppose the oppression of women and help children like Gita. At Aawaaj, Gita became aware of her strengths and began to determine her own path. For the first time, she also received the necessary support: pens and notebooks for school, clothes, food – and a goat. "I raise goats now to cover the costs of school," she says proudly.
Gita is now 18 years old. She was elected spokesperson for the children's group that helped her back then. Here, she passes on what she herself learned at Aawaaj. After school, she wants to find a job where she can support even more children in shaping their own lives. Because now she knows how good it feels to be able to make her own decisions.