Age:12 years
My name is Devi. My mother ran away with me and my 2 young sisters because my father was drinking and being violent. My mother was raped at work and was forced to marry this man.

My stepfather also likes drinking and he used to beat us; he tried to rape me one day, but my mother stopped him. He wanted to make me his new wife. I had to stop school after second grade and I started working moving bricks and in a snack shop.

Change Nepal found me during a field visit, they persuaded me to come to their drop-in centre for counselling. I wanted to go back to school. They provided counselling to my mother too, who decided to enrol me in school once again.

Now I am regularly going to school and Change Nepal is preparing my document for continuing my education and to have a better future.

Age: 14 years
My name is Deoki. My brother lives in Sri Lanka as a Buddhist Monk. I live with my father in a house that was destroyed during the earthquake. My mother ran away with another man because of my father’s abuse, when I was 4 years old. I feel very lonely since my brother left home and my father spends most of his time either at work or drinking at home.

I had to leave school after second class and started working at the snack shop where I could eat something and earn some money. Sometimes I also sleep in the shop.

Change Nepal’s Outreach Staff talked to me while i was at the snack shop and helped me get a safe place to live at a shelter home of Asha Nepal. I have now also gone back to school.

Age: 14 years
My name is Pinky My father was injured in an accident and unable to work to support our family. I tried to help my mother run the household but it kept me from my studies. So I ran away from my village to find work in the city.

I found a job at a hotel but the owner and customers were verbally abusive. I was so unhappy but felt trapped and didn’t know what to do or how to leave. I couldn’t reach my family. Change Nepal gave me counselling sessions and health classes, which helped me manage my stress levels and plan for the future. They also helped me reconnect with my family so that I could return to my village. They provided materials to me to set up my own food cart business.

Age: 15 years old
My name is Mina and I am 15 years old. I live with my father, mother, one older brother and one younger sister. My younger brother left because both my parents are alcoholic and we suffered from domestic violence.

My mum forced me to have intimate relationship with my father. I left school after the second year and left home when I was 10.

My cousin promised me a job in Kathmandu, but the first night she drugged me and forced to have sex with two men. I felt disappointed, frustrated and lost. I started smoking, living in the street and had sex for money for 5 years.

Change Nepal Outreach Staff approached me on the street and I started visiting their drop-in-centre very often. I took counselling sessions, legal awareness class and health classes. But I stopped visiting for one year, because I fell in love with a guy and married him. He then started abusing and whipping me, so I went back to Change Nepal for support.

I got shelter, food and education in different centres and got into a rehabilitation group to fight the addiction to alcohol.

Age: 16 years
My name is Rusi. I come from a large but poor family and did not get to complete my schooling. When my older siblings married I took on the financial responsibility for my family.

I took a restaurant job in Kathmandu but was sexually exploited by the owner and customers. I tolerated this because I needed to support my family but I didn’t even get paid for my two months of work. I felt so helpless.

Then I began attending classes at Change Nepal. They provided me with counselling and helped me start up a small grocery and cosmetic shop in my village.

Age: 17 years
My name is Smriti, I am 17 years old and I live in a rented house in Kathmandu, with my family of 9. I have 3 older brothers, 2 older sisters, 1 younger sister and 2 younger brothers.

We are very poor and I could not go to school. I came to Kathmandu and managed to get a labour job, but it was physically very challenging and I could not do it for more than a month. I got a job in a snack shop, but I was physically and verbally abused there.

One of my friends told me about Change Nepal and I started going to the counselling centre on a regular basis. I got better in reading, writing and drawing, I took health class and counselling sessions.

I was very worried for the future, had low self esteem and didn’t know what to do to get a better life. Change Nepal helped me feel less anxious about life and I started taking tailoring classes to open my own tailoring shop.

Age: 18 years
My name is Rakchha and I come from a very poor family. My parents argued a lot and my father would often beat my mother. So I when I had the opportunity to marry and move to Kathmandu I took it. I quickly became pregnant and soon after my husband moved abroad for foreign employment. But he neglected his duties and didn’t send any money back to support me and his child. I began to suffer from anxiety and depression. I tried to find a job but because of my low education level I could not make enough to support myself. I was very frustrated with my situation and couldn’t see a way out. Change Nepal provided me with counselling and skills training. I began to feel more confident and made a plan to start a Tea Shop Business. Now I’m earning 700 NPR a day and am very satisfied with my work.

Age: 18 years
My name is Tina, I am 18. I come from a very large and poor family. I fell in love with a guy, ran away with him and married him. He died in a bike accident and after that I could not support myself.

My family didn’t want to help me so I went to Kathmandu with my neighbour to work in a restaurant. I was sexually abused at work by the restaurant owner and customers.

Change Nepal Outreach Staff came to the restaurant and I started taking conselling sessions, legal awareness class and health clases with them. I completed a 6 months sewing vocational training and started my own tailoring business in my village with the help of Change Nepal who also helped provide me with a sewing machine.