First thing in the morning I travelled to the office of an organisation we are working with (CWISH) to meet 11 of the girls. All of the girls we sitting very quietly in a circle around the periphery of the room when I came in with the director of CWISH, Milan. Milan explained that they were very meek and shy as each of them came from a bonded labourer background. This is still a disturbingly common practice in Kathmandu, wealthy families basically buying children from village families to work as little more than slaves in their homes. The transaction is often a loan, with the girl handed over as collateral. This is a sign of the desperate situation many Nepalese people face living in remote areas outside the conveniences and infrastructure of Kathmandu. In fairness some girls are treated very well, are given an education they otherwise would not have had, have a clean and safe place to live, and do not have to worry about where their next meal will come from.
A number of the girls in this room told heart wrenching stories of such extreme poverty living with their families in the villages that coming to Kathmandu seemed like a blessing. Imagine the confusion and feeling of isolation and abandonment when some of them were then thrust into a household in which they have to eat off the floor, sleep on the floor, go to the toilet in a patch of dirt outside, and are verbally and physically abused. Fortunately most girls are not treated this way.However my heart still broke a little when 2 of the girls shared particularly sad stories. The first girl was 12 years old and said that she had been washing dishes for as long as she could remember. She wanted to apologise to us for her uniform being dirty because she had not had time to wash it as she had too many chores to do for her master. Also, she explained that to wash her clothes meant walking around 600 metres to fetch water from the nearest supply as she was not allowed to use the home’s water for her needs. She was almost crying as she told this which was so unbelievably difficult to watch. The second of the 2 said that whilst her home situation was quite good, she was not allowed to have any of the break times at school. At morning tea/recess and also at lunch she had to immediately return to the home to clean and do chores, such as making cups of tea, for her master. This meant she was not eating for the entire school day most times and she was also struggling to be allowed the time to complete her homework. Nonetheless, she was determined to continue her studies as she knew it was her only chance of a better future. It was amazingly uplifting for her to tell us that she wanted to become a teacher when she grew up, and she wanted to focus purely on helping children in similar situations to her.
As always, Nepal is a country of extremes. In the same instant as hearing a new case of extreme poverty and struggle you also hear a new story of determination that leaves you invigorated and inspired.
That afternoon I travelled to another CWISH location in Lalitpur, just south of Kathmandu. I met another 12 of the girls that have been given scholarships and heard many similar stories to the ones mentioned above. Despite all of this it never ceases to amaze me how happy and eager for learning these girls still are – it is a true triumph of the human spirit.
Back in my hotel room that night I collapsed on the bed and just kept thinking about all the poor young girls out there in the big opulent homes of the Kathmandu upper class – washing dishes, scrubbing floors, being shouted at. The day proved to be a very sobering and exhausting experience but one thing kept pushing its way to the front of my mind, “at least we are trying to do something”. I guess its fair to say if everyone that could do something to help someone or some cause, did actually do that something, then imagine how different the world would be. It may sound trite, clichéd, whatever, but its working toward that goal and vision that makes doing this possible.
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