By Jacqueline Frost | Development and Communications Manager
Some former child slaves are learning a trade -- and taking great pride -- in designing, creating and promoting their traditional Tharu attire.
About 20 young women from the Tharu community of Western Nepal who were sold as domestic child slaves in a practice known as Kamlari are enrolled in a training program to design and tailor their authentic native dress.
The intricately designed costumes are in high demand among Tharu girls and women.
Manjita Chaudhary, a young woman NYF rescued from indentured servitude 15 years ago, is leading the training program. NYF supports the popular program through its Vocational Education and Career Counseling program (VECC).
NYF has rescued more than 12,300 girls from the practice of Kamlari since it launched its Indentured Daughters Program in 2000 and is now working to ensure that the girls become healthly, happy, independent young women.
The vocational training programs help to stimulate the cultural and economic development needed to ensure that no child will become a victim of Kamlari again.
Our staff provides structured counseling sessions and assessment tests, and then helps girls enroll in top quality training programs for a wide variety of careers. 82 percent of our graduates are currently employed - a remarkable achievement given that the unemployment rate in Nepal is 40-46 percent.
Thank you for your generous support.
Namaste!
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