By Tulika Jain, Marketing and Communications Intern
Earlier this month, Vicky, our Fundraising Manager, and Murielle, our CEO, visited our new projects in Nepal.
They had an amazing time visiting the projects and working with the locals. Both agreed that one of the best things about Nepal is its people, who are friendly, open, always willing to help, and optimistic – despite the ongoing work to rebuild their lives after the earthquakes of 2015. These earthquakes killed nearly 9,000 people and rendered hundreds of thousands homeless as entire villages were flattened across the country. Now, the major challenge is reconstruction, and the community has come together in solidarity to rebuild their lives.
Two hours outside of Kathmandu, our team visited the Meera Centre - an early childhood development project supporting some of the most vulnerable pre-schoolers in the community and a women’s income generation project – enhancing the livelihoods of local women through the development of local enterprises. As in many of the countries Hope for Children work in, empowering mothers to increase their income and self-sufficiency is one of the best ways to secure a positive and healthy childhood for their children.
Driving through the valleys of Nepal, our team could see the brightly coloured schools built by our local partner over the years. In all the countries that Hope for Children works in, education is always a focus. It is essential in providing children with the potential to have a safe and happy future and is a strong tool for girl empowerment.
Further afield, in Sindalpalchuk, 7 hours from Kathmandu, the team visited villages where we are working to increase access to education and raise awareness of girl rights with a particular emphasis on destigmatising menstruation. In many places, girls’ education and day to day life are severely impacted by local practices that exclude menstruating girls from their home/community. As part of the community sensitisation, we are running a sanitary towel making social enterprise – involving local people to create safer menstrual hygiene products whilst breaking local taboos. The project has gone a long way in removing the barriers that menstruating girls and women face and enabling them to receive the education they need to achieve their dreams.
To make a single donation or become a regular donor to support projects like these please donate using the link below
