Gender Equality Nepal Project #38338

Empower Feed Educate Single mother headed families

by Bahini Educare Foundation

Project Report | Nov 20, 2024
Magic Nepal,Tragic Nepal: Expansion of BEF

By Surendra Pariyar | Co-founder & Project Leader

Namaste dear friends and partners,

We are deeply grateful for the heartfelt responses to our monthly “Family of the Month” stories. These stories not only highlight the resilience and courage of the families we support but also serve as a testament to the impact of your unwavering commitment to our mission.

While the world marvels at the magic of Nepal—its majestic Himalayas, pristine lakes, and wild rivers—our reports reveal a deeper, more sombre reality. Beneath this beauty lies a history of suppressed, subjugated, and exploited lives, endured by those marginalized due to caste, gender, or poverty.

At Bahini Educare Foundation, we strive to address this harsh reality. Our focus is on the most vulnerable: destitute single mothers and widows with dependent children. We empower them to rebuild their lives, offering safety, dignity, and a path toward self-sufficiency and liberation.

In the 10 years since our inception, we have supported 80 families through our Educare Family Program. Of these, 30 families have successfully reintegrated, demonstrating the transformative impact of our collective efforts. These extraordinary mothers and their children inspire us every day with their determination and courage.

Yet, the need is vast. Tens of thousands still struggle to survive, and this drives us to expand. In 2025, we are establishing a new branch, “BEF 2,” in a different community to support 50 more families.

This ambitious vision is only possible with your help. Your generosity and empathy are the lifeline for these families. Together, let us draw inspiration from their stories and redouble our efforts in the year ahead.

No one is more deserving of our support than these mothers and their children. Thank you for standing with us in this journey of hope and transformation.

KINDLY FIND ATTACHED IN PDF THE PROPOSAL FOR EXAPNSION OF OUR PROJECT IN ANOTHER DISTRICT!!

With heartfelt gratitude,
Surendra, Raymond, & the Team

Attachments:

BEF_2_proposal.pdf (PDF)

1 Attachment

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Nov 10, 2024
New Rural Poverty in Nepal

By Raymond Lindinger | Co-founder

New Rural Poverty in Nepal: A Critical Issue in the 21st Century

Nepal, a predominantly agrarian country, has experienced a drastic transformation in rural poverty over recent decades. The majority of the population continues to rely on agriculture for their livelihood, but the rise of what can be termed "new poverty" has devastated many of the nation’s rural areas. Despite the country’s natural beauty, especially in the foothills of the Himalayas and the rocky mountainous regions, the reality for most families living in these regions is grim. Fragmented land ownership, limited modern technology, and a lack of investment has made the struggle for survival increasingly difficult.

Traditional Struggles in Rural Nepal

For centuries, Nepal’s rural economy has revolved around small-scale, subsistence farming. In many remote areas, plough and bullock remain the primary tools used to prepare the land for cultivation. Every other tasks: planting, weeding, and harvesting—continue to be carried out by hand, a process mostly done by women,that requires tremendous physical labour and yields minimal profit.

The government has remained Indifferent and very little has been done to alleviate these conditions. In the absence of subsidies or agricultural support programs, farmers are left to fend for themselves. Poor infrastructure, limited access to markets, and a lethargic bureaucracy only exacerbate their plight. As a result, these rural communities, which always formed the backbone of Nepal’s population, have been neglected, leading to severe economic injustice and exploitation. The greatest victims of this neglect are mostly women and girls, who bear the brunt of social and economic marginalization.

The tourism Industry to some extent has compensated for the loss of agricultural revenues. But here too, the rich are getting richer, and the poor are being exploited. The employees are receiving "hunger-salaries" and the working hours are up to 16 hours daily and this, seven days a week. Legislation requires a minimum salary for all workers and a contract in which the working conditions are stipulated. But like so many other laws put in place to protect the workers, these laws are simply being ignored by the employers and the authorities who are in charge to uphold the lawsare indifferent and lethargic.

"Ke garne" ? (What to do?) is the common response to this collective exploitation.

The Modern Challenges: Inflation and Exodus

Over the past two decades, new factors have contributed to this growing rural poverty, worsening the already difficult circumstances. Key among these factors is rampant inflation. The prices of essential goods and services have risen sharply, while incomes have remained stagnant. For rural families living on a subsistence level, inflation is crippling. Their meagre earnings are insufficient to cover basic needs, pushing many deeper into poverty.

Another major issue is the mass exodus of Nepal’s youth. Tens of thousands of young people leave the country each year, primarily for jobs in the Middle East. The government, seeing remittances as a major source of foreign currency, encourages this migration, despite the long-term negative impacts on the nation’s workforce and economy. While remittances provide vital income for families, they are also a band-aid solution that fails to address the root cause of poverty. The exodus has hollowed out rural communities, leaving behind an aging population with few resources and little support.

The Aging Population and Healthcare Crisis

With the youth migrating abroad, rural Nepal is now home to an increasing number of elderly people, who often require medical care that is inaccessible in their villages. To receive treatment, they must travel to city hospitals, an expense that many families simply cannot afford. In the absence of social security or universal healthcare, the cost of medical treatment becomes an overwhelming financial burden.

To cope with these expenses, and to pay for the hefty fees charged by man-hunt-agencies and the travel expenses for the youth heading abroad, families often resort to borrowing money. Loan sharks, who charge exorbitant interest rates of up to 25% per year, are their primary source of credit. These high-interest loans drive families into deeper debt. Those who are going abroad, husbands and sons, are facing harsh working and living conditions in the middle east countries. Many are falling seriously ill, many are dying. In Kathmandu Airport, coffins with the deceased husbands and sons are arriving almost on a daily base. The only hope for a better future is returning in a coffin-a tragedy without precedent.

With the vital remittance’s ending, many end up losing their land—their most valuable and often only asset—when they are unable to repay their loans. Land loss plunges families: the widows, their children and the elderly into a cycle of extreme poverty, with no safety net to help them recover.

Thus "loan-sharks" are eating the small fish, yet another example of how the rich are getting richer and the poor are being ruined.

The Impact on Women and Girls

As families lose their land and only source of revenue women and children are left behind to fend for themselves. Many of these women, with no education or employment opportunities in the village, are forced to migrate to urban centres in search of work. Lacking skills and financial security, they frequently end up in slums, where they are vulnerable to exploitation.

The proliferation of “Dance-Restaurants & Massage parlours” in urban Nepal, particularly in cities like Kathmandu, Pokhara and Biratnagar has created a dangerous environment for these young women. Promising jobs but delivering exploitation, many of these establishments are fronts for sex trafficking and prostitution. Women and girls, desperate for income, become entangled in a web of abuse and exploitation, with little hope of escape.

Conclusion: A Humanitarian Crisis Demanding Urgent Action

The "new rural poverty" of Nepal is not just an economic problem—it is a human tragedy. As poverty deepens and rural areas become increasingly marginalized, the suffering of women and children, in particular, becomes intolerable. Without significant intervention, the cycle of poverty will continue, driving more youths out of the country and more families into destitution.

According to statistics from the WHO, around 15000 young women and adolescents are trafficked to India, China and the Middle-East every year. This does not Include the thousand helpless women and girls who are coerced into prostitution within Nepal.

To address this crisis, it would require a comprehensive, multi-facetted approach by the Government, but literally nothing has been achieved in the past decades to stopthis tragical downward spiral that that has engulfed the rural communities. This Is not the Government's priority."But it definitely is ours!!!

"BEF's" comprehensive and direct approach, is tackling the consequences of this tragic and the vast majority of our target groups are belonging to the above mentioned victims of extreme poverty.

Currently we are caring for 50 widows/single mothers and their children and we are supporting them to live a life in security and dignity. Protecting them from exploitation, we nurture them and provide them with education and employment opportunities that will help them to break free of the vicious cycle of poverty.

But many more are desperately waiting for help and we are determined to expand our project and establish "BEF 2 in the year 2025 . We have decided to establish our second branch In the Tanahun-District around 20 Kms from Pokhara: a rural area with a number of slum-like settlements.

We are now gradually preparing for our next big step forward and we trust that our Donor-Community will follow suit and support us in this challenging endeavour.

Thank you all for your strong commitment, your trust and your belief in our common cause.

TEAM Bahini Educare Foundation

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Oct 16, 2024
"A New Dawn: A Journey from Darkness to Light"

By Surendra Pariyar | Project Leader

Family of the Month: August 2024

A New Dawn for a single mother led Family: A Journey from Darkness to Light

Beneficiaries:

Single mother (For Privacy Purposes): 31 year old mother
Daughter 1: 8 year old daughter (Studying in Class 4)
Daughter 2: 6 year old daughter (Studying in Class 1)

The dowry system In Nepal:
Even though the dowry system has been illegal since many decades, it continues to thrive In Nepal. Dowry is a payment of cash or gifts from the bride’s family to the bridegroom’s family upon marriage. The dowry system incorporates payments in the form of money, livestock such as goats, cows and even land and house if the family is wealthy enough. This system can put a great financial burden on poor families and in absence of a dowry, in some cases, it leads to crimes against women. Until today women who marry and enter the groom’s family without a dowry are frequently harassed and mentally & physically tortured, sometimes even causing their death and this most frequently by driving them to desperation, despair and suicide.

A Heartrending Journey
Born into a poor family in the village of Beukot, Baglung, Single mother (For Privacy Purposes) was the sixth of seven siblings. It was a tight knitted family where love was plentiful but resources were scarce. Despite their poverty, her parents instilled the value of education in all their children. Single mother (For Privacy Purposes), vibrant and hopeful, completed her primary school but could not pursue further studies due to financial constraints.

Her marriage at 22 was a union of traditional hopes and modern dreams: dreams of freedom, prosperity and independence. However, the only dowry Single mother (For Privacy Purposes)'s parents were able to provide was a goat and the groom’s family considered this an Insult to their pride. From the first day they treated her with contempt and malevolence. Her in-laws’ harsh words and treatment turned her new home into a place of despair and agony. Her relationship with her in-laws deteriorated on a daily base and abuses increased. Her husband had literally no say in this. He was helpless in the face of the collective power of hatred from his family towards his wife. When the situation became unbearable and implored by Single mother (For Privacy Purposes), they bluntly and bravely decided to move to India-Ghaziabad.

2 years into their marriage Single mother (For Privacy Purposes) gave birth to their daughter Daughter 1 and Daughter 2, two years later. For a brief period, it seemed happiness and contentment were within reach. The husband was earning enough to provide for the family.

Tragically, this happiness was short-lived as the husband succumbed to drug abuse. This addiction transformed him into a person unrecognizable to Single mother (For Privacy Purposes), marked by episodes of severe physical and emotional abuse. It led to Single mother (For Privacy Purposes) losing an unborn child coupled with couple more miscarriages due to the violence.

The situation escalated to a heart-breaking point when Single mother (For Privacy Purposes) discovered the horrifying episode of the husband’s inappropriate actions towards their elder daughter, when she found him touching her inappropriately. These revelations dissolved any remnants of trust and respect and Single mother (For Privacy Purposes) was furious!

The Depths of Despair
With courage forged from despair, she weighed all her options in ways to protect her daughters. When her abusive husband was asleep, she took all the money in the house, grabbed her children and fled, leaving behind everything but the clothes they wore. They took a rikshaw to the bus park and the same night they took a bus with destination to Nepal. She had hardly enough money to pay the bus-fare and when they arrived in Pokhara after a long and arduous journey they were starving. They sought refuge in her sister’s makeshift shanti in one of Pokhara’s slums. Relieved from the tyranny of a brute they mustered their last ounce of courage for a new beginning. Single mother (For Privacy Purposes) found work as a cleaner, earning Rs 8000 a month (around €60, -)—a sum that cries out of poverty’s relentless grip, barely keeping the threats of hunger and homelessness at bay.

Each day was a battle for survival fraught with constant danger and Insecurity. Single mother (For Privacy Purposes) a mother has the heart of a lioness that gave her the strength to fight on for her daughters and shield them from the hardships that have so deeply scarred their lives.

The Embrace of Hope
When the dire circumstances of Single mother (For Privacy Purposes)'s family was brought to our attention, we assessed the case and had a first Interview with Single mother (For Privacy Purposes). Translated from Nepali she said the following: "Since I got married, I was in hell for 10 years. Out of this hell my two lovely daughters were born. They gave me love, purpose and the strength to fight for their lives and give them hope and a better future."

Maybe this statement is reflecting the motivation and the spirit of all our MOTHERS more than anything else. May they all be blessed.

At night, when asleep, Single mother (For Privacy Purposes) holds her daughters close, whispering stories of a future bright with possibilities - defined by dreams, not despair! Single mother (For Privacy Purposes)'s unyielding resolve in the face of such profound adversity is an emotional reminder of the enduring strength of a mother’s heart.

"Bahini-Educare-Foundation" is dedicated to nurturing that spirit, ensuring Single mother (For Privacy Purposes) and her daughters forge a path filled with hope and illuminated by the collective light of our support.

We invite you to join us in transforming Single mother (For Privacy Purposes)’s family, to help write a new chapter—one not of sorrow, but of renewed strength and new possibilities. Your support extends beyond mere charity; it is a lifeline that mends broken spirits and crafts futures rich with potential.

Thank you for your compassion and commitment. Together, we do more than change lives; we heal hearts and forge paths towards brighter tomorrows.

As we always say: It’s simple. It’s simply B-E-F.

Surendra, Raymond & TEAM

Bahini Educare Foundation

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