Author: carnet

Sarita Dong, 26-years is survivor of massive landslide of Lidi Jugal 2, Sindhupalchowk.  Due to acute financial problem, she dropped out from school.  In small age, she was compelled to go for foreign employment in Iraq (illegally).  There she was in domestic work as bonded labor for 2 years. Due to the covid-19 lockdown, she came back to home.  She couldn’t rejoin the school since she felt awkward to study with juniors.  Being a land slide survivor, she got an opportunity to get skill-based training, (after interview) under CPIA covid-19 project of CarNetNepal.

Ms. Dong received 2 months basic Beauty Parlor training at Chautara, district headquarter of Sindhupalchowk. She completed 3 months of volunteering work in the same Beauty Parlor.  Pursuing the same profession, she came to Kathmandu for further advance training at Zoom Beauty Academy.  Understanding her critical financial condition, she was again selected by CarNetNepal and supported partially, paying her training fee Rs. 25, 000/-.  After nine months of training, she got a job in a beauty parlor.  Now she is working as a beautician cum instructor in Kathmandu.

In an interview with Board Member of CarNetNepal, she shared her vision.  She said, ” I wanted to run my own business, so I will be economically independent and live with dignity. I have a dream to support my children’s education with my own income later when I got married. Through my achievement, I want to advocate for women’s economic independence over early marriage”.

This year In CarNetNepal project, Sarita actively volunteered to conduct awareness against child marriage, in her community reaching 25 HHs.

Phone Mentor Anjali Tamang (wearing glass) with Kanchan Thapa during food relief support programme.

Kanchan Thapa is living with her mother, half-sister and half-brother in Kathmandu. Now she is 18 years old. Her parents were separated just after her birth so she was taken care of by her mother and brought to Capital Kathmandu from her village. They are originally from Bhojpur district (eastern hilly area of Nepal).  Kanchan mother (Tulsha Thapa) remarried and have two children from her step-father; one son and one daughter. A horrible incident happened few years back, as her step father found guilty in a rape case and put in jail. Since then her mother Tulsha is the only bread owner in the family.

Kanchan herself is suffering from inferiority complex. She has physical growth disorder, which bothers her a lot. Last year she left her school in mid-session and cut off contacts. She used to sit alone in her room and often quarreled with mother and friends. Fortunately, Phone Mentor- Ms. Anjali a friend of her Knew Kanchan’s problem and enrolled her in phone mentoring programme. At first she denied, later on after several calls Kanchan and her mother agreed to join the programme.

It took three weeks to make Kanchan to be opened- up and shared her problems with Mentor Anjali. Kanchan said, “I used to perceive myself in negative way, feel myself worthless and confined.” Mentor Anjali commented that It could be due to her stunt body and family background.

After regular conversations and phone mentoring activities, Kanchan built her confidence, feel better and changed her perception on herself. Now she values herself and regards her importance in community. Kanchan started to spend time with family and friends, rejoined her school and performed well in her studies. She passed out grade 10 and now she is in grade XI. Kanchan mother Tulasha is happy with the programme as it brought positive changes in her daughter’s life, helped her to know what Kanchan was going through, found ways to support her and be in a healthy relationship with her.

(During the phone mentoring program, Mentor Anjali referred Kanchan for psychosocial counseling. CarNetNepal later arranged free counseling for Kanchan at Mamata Reading Zone, one of CarNetNepal Network Partner, working in psychosocial counseling in Kathmandu.)

Annual Report FY 2019-020

Sikha Tamang, age 8, lives in Kispang Rural Municipality-5, Karkigau, Nuwakot, Nepal (4.5 hrs bike ride from Capital to Karki Gau). Majority of people lived in her village are from Indigenous Tamang Community and then so called lower caste B.Ka community. Both communities are considered most vulnerable in the region due to their poor economic background, less access to education and traditional lifestyle. . These community people based on seasonal daily wages labor jobs.  In absence of job opportunities and have no higher education, the young men and women often end up with low pay job in gulf countries. The people from Tamang and B.Ka. Communities mostly indulge themselves in alcohol and do not have records of being involved in high professional jobs except few. Early marriage is a big issue in this community (before completing their basic education), resulting no proper family manage.

In order to promote child protection and education in the village CarNet started Child Learning Center (CLC) with the help of local community leaders. In CLC children from poor economic, single parent, socially excluded family children are provided with after school tution, one time meal, school stationaries and uniform. Shikha is one of them. Before her enrollment in CLC, her mother is facing difficulty to send her two daughters to school, as her husband is not supporting her financially despite being in a gulf country for work for many years. Her only income source is her small fast food shop in the village, which is not enough to cover all the expenses of the family.

Despite being good at study, Sikha started to miss classes in absence of enough school materials. The school management got worried, as they are soon going to lose one of their best students. On the other side, Sikha’s mother did not want her daughter to end up with the same fate she had. Her mother got married at an early age of 14, when she was studying in class 5. She wanted her daughters to complete their higher studies and looking for support in school for her daughters. After knowing the situation of Ms. Tamang, the school Principal of Shree Jay Buddha Basic School- Navraj Bhatta recommended Sikha to CLC.

Sikha is a bright student studied in grade 3 but at the beginning of her days in CLC, Sikha used to stay quiet and less active in CLC activities. As days passed by she started to opened up and actively take part in games and arts. She made new friends and love to play with them. Sonika, Minsa, Manjari and Prabin are the new close friends she found in CLC.  Sikha always good at her study but now her studies has improved even more. Even when CLC’s day off she come to meet her teacher in CLC and take her help to complete difficult assignments. According to CLC teacher Kumari Tamang, “Sikha is a sincere student. She completes all her work on time and helps other in their studies. In the first terminal school exam, Sikha has secured first position in her class and received first prize from her school and encouragement gift from CLC.”

According to Sikha’s mother, “Sikha used to be a naughty child at home, who did not listen to her and used to disobey her but now she is more obedient and helped her to do small household chores. She helps her by saying that CLC teacher has taught them to be good at home and help their parents. She also time and again teach her mother about personal hygiene.” Last month Sikha was appreciated in CLC for showing improvement in her personal hygiene and being neat and clean. Sikha mother’s felt that CLC has given her daughter a kind of maturity of understanding the situation of her surrounding she has never expected in her age.  Her daughter learned to share her things with others after her enrollment in CLC. She is happy to see her daughter’s improvement not only in studies but also in extra curriculum activities.

Ms. Selina Mijar, age 12 lives in Bidur-5, Majhitar. Bidur  is the capital of Nuwakot District in Bagmati Pradesh of Nepal. It takes 3.5 hrs to reach there from Kathmandu in a vehicle. Selina lives with her elder sister.  She is studying in grade III in local school. A tragic incident happened on her family, two years ago, her first elder sister committed suicide.  The incident strongly affected her mother, causing loss of mental state and left home to Kathmandu.  Still there is no any contact and information of her mother.  Meanwhile Selina’s father married another woman, who illtreated her.  After few months the both parents (her father and stepmother) left home.  Thus, leaving, Salina and her second elder sister in pitiful situation.  Till this time the parents do not come to home and take cares for them.

Selina is suffering from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and sometimes with hallucination.  So, previously she had tried  to commit suicide many times. Sabina and her sister are living very harsh lives, to earn bread, her sister goes for working on other’s field in cultivation (only seasonal).  Selina’s behavior was quite difficult, not staying at home, running and roaming around due to the stress disorder.  According to Selina, both sisters sometimes used to beg for food.  And during the lock-down of covid-19, their situation became even worse, staying few days with empty stomach.  While begging for food house to house, people scold them, that they might transmit coronavirus.

Knowing their difficult situation from community members, CarNetNepal  on June 27, 2020 supported Sabina with food and personal hygiene materials along with her school uniform, books and stationaries. According to Sabina this support is like a ray of hope for them amid covid pandemic. This support will not only address their acute food need but helping her to pursue her studies.  Selina and her sister are happy to receive all these materials and expressed their gratitude to Samaritan’s Purse Canada and CarNetNepal for the support.

(For Selina case, CarNetNepal has contacted with one of the  NGO- ECTC for her psycho-social support, however due to the travel restriction, personally social support is difficult, still we are trying to arrange for distance support. Selina needs more support in coming days. If  you are interested to help her please contact us.)

Supported Relief Materials list

Items	Type/Unit	Qty
Rice	Kg	25
Lentils	Kg	1
Oil	Ltr	1
Salt	Pkt	1
Beaten Rice	Kg	1
Soya Bean	gram	300
Hand Wash Soap	Pcs	2
Toothpaste	Pcs	1
Sanitary Pad	Pcs	2
Copy	Pcs	36
Pen	Pcs	31
School Uniform (Shirt, Pant)	Set	1

 

26-years-old, Ms. Sabina Tamang is a resident of Kalche, Tadi Rural Municipality, Nuwakot. It takes 9 hrs vehicle ride from Capital to reach Kalche. It is one of the remote village of Nuwakot Districts. Like other part of Nepal, Kalche also been affected by the covid-19 pandemic and the countrywide lockdown. According to Nakur Dong Tamang-Ward Chairperson of Tadi-1, where Kalche Located, “Except CarNet no other organization come forward to provide relief support to the needy families of Tadi-1”. On June 30 CarNet distributed necessary basic food items and personal hygiene kits to 170 HHs of Tadi-1 including 60 HHs from Self Help Groups formed by CarNet in Tadi-1.

Ms. Sabina is one of the member of Himchuli Self Help Group . She is now 7 months pregnant.  On the day of  relief distribution she came to receive relief along with her small son. According to her, ” she is living with her husband, 3 sons and one relative.  They work at field and have small piece of land with steep terrain.  The production cannot hold them for 4 months so rest of months, they run the family by working on others field but due to covid transmission fear, now they are not welcomed/ allowed to work on other’s field. In this situation they are facing crisis and in acute need of food support.”

The time when Sabina heard about CarNet relief support, she hoped to get them. Early morning, She came to the distribution center with her 6 year old son. Along the way she was very anxious thinking whether she get them or not as there are many house holds in her community who are in need of relief support . Finally, Ms. Sabina received  relief food and personal hygiene materials but the difficulty was she can’t carry them all, as they are heavy (30 to 32 Kgs) and she is pregnant. Knowing her situation CarNet Programme Coordinator and Ward Chairperson-Nokur Dong Tamang called her relative and he carried the relief items to home.

Ms. Sabina find this gesture very warm as she is not expecting anyone from distributing party to take care of how she will manage to take those relief items in her place. She is grateful, as they are in much need of this support. She has a kind of relief while expressing, “For some time we don’t need to worry to feed our children.” Sabina is looking forward to better covid free days.