“The memories of my husband are still vivid, and remembering our happy time together brings tears to my eyes. I miss him a lot and I’ll carry those memories close to my heart.”
Life in Katahariya, in southeastern Nepal’s Rautahat district, was already tough for Chadani, but it became even more challenging when her husband died, plunging her and her young son, Rabin, into poverty.
“My in-laws mercilessly abandoned us after my husband’s death when we most needed their love and support. At the time, I felt completely helpless.” Chadani says.
“Then my son and I went to live with my parents. When I moved in with my parents, the situation became even worse. My parents’ neighbours used to ridicule me for living here as a widow. Along with all of these hardships, I was highly concerned about my child’s future.”
Chadani and Rabin are among the 40% of people in Rautahat who live below the poverty line, earning less than £1 a day.
Much of Nepal relies on the agricultural sector for employment, but a combination of the effects caused by climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit Nepal hard, means work is often hard to come by.
Against this backdrop of crushing poverty, Rautahat also suffers from soaring illiteracy and high rates of malnutrition that leave thousands of people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Battling poverty in Rautahat
Chadani’s situation was desperate. While she had a roof over her head, she was struggling to provide for her son who had been forced to leave school due to the costs involved.
Life for children in Nepal can be difficult. The country has one of the world’s highest rates of early marriage, also known as child marriage, according to the United Nations, while poverty forces many children in Rautahat to work, often in hazardous environments such as brick kilns and restaurants.
Chadani wanted to avoid a similar future for 7-year-old Rabin.
Members of the local community network Ward Child Protection Committee (WCPC) referred Chadani’s case to Islamic Relief, who enrolled her in a project run in conjunction with Nepal’s Rural Development Centre.
The Ensuring Child Protection and Welfare (ECPW) project focuses on assisting orphans and their primary caregivers in Rautahat’s Katahariya and Gujara municipalities.
Rabin was identified as a vulnerable orphan and received financial support from the project, enabling him to return to school.
“I am happy to re-join school. I enjoy going to school. In the future, I want to be a police officer.”
Now working his way through second grade, Rabin was also inspired to attend the ECPW project’s Child Care and Protection Centre, where he has been attending sessions.
“I enjoy attending the sessions held at the centre. In addition to learning about our rights, we can enjoy playing different games and group activities in the centre. I also enjoy reading various story books in the centre.”
Ensuring children’s futures
Chadani has also received a sewing machine. Finding work as a day labourer was often hard to come by, but the sewing machine enabled Chadani to launch her own tailoring business.
“I had previously received tailoring training, and now I can make money for my family by utilising my tailoring skills.” Chadani says.
“On average, I earn 300-500 Nepalese Rupee (£1-£3.30) per day from tailoring, which is significantly more than what I earned as a daily wage labourer. I’ve also started saving some amount from my daily income.
“In the future, I intend to use these savings to fund my son’s higher education.”
Islamic Relief has helped more than 260 children and their families, since the ECPW project was launched in October 2020.
The ECPW programme ended in July 2024, but our support of vulnerable families like Chadani’s continues. With your kind donations, we can continue to support the vulnerable families in Nepal. Donate today.
