Project Anjali

Nepal

Udayapur, Nepal. Despite its natural beauty, straddling the foothills of the Himalayas, this is a hard and desperate place to live.

It’s difficult to make a living here. Most families only have enough food to feed their children for six months a year. Often men have to move away to find work in other parts of the country.

The homes here are made of bamboo and mud and are mostly bare and empty. The largest rooms has a mud stove and a few pots for cooking. Beds are usually hammocks or wooden cots. Most families can pack their entire belongings into one bag. Children as young as 12 leave home to find work, which is often menial, unsafe, exploitative and abusive.

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Read Anjali’s story

Anjali is eleven. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up, but the village where she lives is so remote, so poor, that the chances of her getting an education, let alone enough food to eat, are slim.

She was close to her father, who died when she was four. For months afterwards Anjali walked around asking for him.

Anjali’s mother Binda is bringing up her children by herself, but her income is so low that her children have to work to help keep the household running.

Binda’s life is a daily struggle for survival – gathering firewood, collecting water, tending her goat or pigs, and working as a farmhand – to scrape together enough money for food.

It is a huge task but we will do it. No child should lead such a hard life. To improve children’s lives we have to improve their families’ lives. That is our mission, our Mount Everest. We will climb it.

Prakash Das, Save the Children, Udayapur

I love school and get bored at home when it’s holiday time. Ever since the school gave me pens and paper for my homework, I haven’t been as worried about my parents not being able to afford them.

Riyana is 12. Her favourite subject is English. She wants to be a teacher when she leaves school.

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The school stationery Asmita gets from Save the Children helps me a lot, as it means I don’t have to try to find the extra money to pay for it and it means she can stay in school.

Her mother, Binda, is a widow. Every day is a struggle to survive.

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The friend
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The mother

We have a solution

We are giving Anjali’s family and their community the skills they need to improve their incomes and become self-sufficient. With better incomes, Anjali and her friends will be able to go to school, and she can follow her dream of becoming a teacher.

Anjali with brother

Boost household incomes

We are working closely with families and community leaders to come up with better ways to make a living, including growing crops that are more resistant to unpredictable weather.

Stronger communities

We are helping communities identify vulnerable children and families, linking them to social welfare schemes so they get the additional support they need.

Education

Anjali and her brother are able to attend school as they are no longer needed at home to help with their family’s work and run the household.

Keeping children safe

As the income of Anjali’s family has increased, she won’t need to be sent away from home to find work, so she will be kept safe from possible exploitation and abuse.

Will you help?

The choice you make right now can help change their lives. In a few years, without your help, it will be too late for children like Anjali.

Thanks to our supporters we are changing the lives of children in Nepal

422

farmers trained on improved farming techniques

1002

people trained in nutrition and kitchen gardening

140

farmers groups have been set up to develop new ways to improve their yields and earn more money

95%

of children will be enrolled in school by the end of our project

Giving in action

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Riyana

Riyana is 12. She has just finished grade four at school and passed all her subjects with good marks.

Nepal | Asia | Project Anjali

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Binda Bishwakarma

Asmita’s mother Binda, works hard to keep her children fed and clothed. Day-to-day life has been made even more difficult since her husband committed suicide a few years ago.

Nepal | Asia | Project Anjali

Our work isn’t done yet

Your support helps children like Anjali. Your help will enable us to continue working with Anjali's family and community to find ways to improve their incomes, which means Anjali will be able to go to school regularly.

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