Our Projects: Nepal
A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY
General Welfare Pratisthan (GWP)Makwanpur District, Nepal
GO Campaign is partnering with General Welfare Pratisthan (GWP) to prevent 900 girls and young women, some of whom are HIV+ or have AIDS, from being trafficked into sexual slavery, providing them instead with the education and support they need to establish and run their own successful small businesses.
With the GWP, the GO Community will support 60 Self-help Groups (SHGs) in the Makwanpur district. Each SHG member will receive a loan between $13 to $70 to start or save a business such as goat farming, repairing bicycles or operating a vegetable cart. GWP applies a holistic approach to their microfinance program including mentorship, peer-to-peer counseling and access to other services provided by GWP.
A little really does go a long way in creating a positive social environment and economic security for Nepali girls in danger of being trafficked and contracting HIV/AIDS. Your help will enable them to flourish, enroll in school, provide for their families and contribute to their communities.
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FEATURED BIOS
Suvadra Autobiography My name is Suvadra Sapkota and I'm 13 years old and I live in the Basamadhi Village in the Makwanpur District. I come from a very poor family of 11 and I'm the oldest daughter who has the responsibility of supporting everyone. Because of the economic condition I had to drop out of school at class 9 which made me feel very depressed.
I met Miss Anju who told me to join her self-help group supported by GWP. The group helped me to have a recycled hand-made paper project and now I make enough income to care for my family. GWP management has also encouraged me and now I'm enrolled in class 9 again and I am hopeful that I will pass!
Bishnu Autobiography My name is Bishnu Maya Bartaula and I am 15 years old living in Padhampokhari Village of Makwanpur District. I have a mother, two sisters, my brother works as a truck helper and my father works in the local cement factory. My family was having daily hand-to-mouth problems because of very poor economic conditions.
I could not continue my education past class 3 so I worked as a servant with a family. When I would return home for holiday rebels tried to force me to join their army. But I was able to escape joining because I joined a friend's self-help group supported by GWP. I got 5000 NPR [$70 USD] as a loan and learned how to start my own business of goat farming. Now my family is also earning some money and that is supporting our family expenses. My friend from my self-help group has supported me to go back to school. Joining self-help group and going to school is a powerful empowerment to say 'no' to any rebels trying to force us to join their army.
WHY NEPAL
People travel to Nepal to experience the romance of ancient Hindu and Buddhist religions, feel the sincerity and warmth of the Nepalese people and trek through the Himalayan Mountains and summit Mt. Everest. But this landlocked country has suffered. The abolition of the centuries-old monarchy and recent civil strife destroyed the economy causing the Nepali population to rely heavily on tourism and foreign aid. Most of the population depends on agriculture and the UN estimates that about 40% of Nepalese live in poverty making it one of the poorest countries in the world.
Suvadra and Bishnu are not the only girls who have been in jeopardy of being exploited and sold into the sex trade. The Nepali government has estimated that 7,000 to 10,000 girls, most between the ages of 9 and 16, are trafficked into sexual slavery every month, and many end-up in India's red light districts and brothels. Traffickers called "dalals" tell families that their young daughters are going to be married or learn a respectable trade and earn a decent living so they can send money home. The unimaginable desperation and severe destitution plaguing many rural families in Nepal perpetuates this exploitation of young innocent girls.
(GWP) works in twenty districts in Nepal protecting and empowering marginalized girls by providing them with access to education, health care, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, and sustainable eco-friendly income-generating practices. Creating positive and sustainable economic opportunities for girls like Bishnu helps families resist deceptive and inhumane advances by "dalals" and is imperative to safeguarding the future of Nepalese communities.
