Reintegrate 30 children into families in Nepal

Begging Outside the School Gate to Excelling Inside the Classroom
In the plains of Nepal’s Terai region, Shiksha(Name Changed) grew up in an extremely poor
family. Migrating to kathmandu her family lived in a tin-roofed house nearby Bagmati river,
with bare, unplastered walls with risk of flood and eviction. She is one of five children in a
family struggling to survive. With limited income and no stable source of livelihood, daily life
meant uncertainty; often without enough food, clothing, or basic supplies. Her mother, burdened
by poverty and responsibility, regularly took her and her brother to beg in the crowded temple
area of Pashupatinath Temple. For this young girl, the streets became her reality.
Each day, she would sit outside a nearby school; the very school she now proudly attends, asking
strangers for spare change. She watched children in clean uniforms walk through the gates with
books in their hands. She longed to join them. Ironically, some of the teachers who now praise
her dedication once saw her sitting outside those same gates, begging.
Her Rescue
Her turning point came when she was rescued by police during a street outreach intervention and
referred to our shelter on August 15, 2024. When she arrived, she was frightened, withdrawn,
and unsure of what the future held. At our shelter, she received immediate care and protection,
psychosocial counselling, health check-ups and treatment. Through consistent Family tracing and
assessment, we located her family. After careful evaluation and preparation, she was safely
reunified with them.
Restoring Identity and Dignity
One of the major challenges her family faced was the absence of legal identity documents due to
their inability and lack of awareness towards it. Without birth certificates, none of the children
could access basic services, including education. Through sustained advocacy and coordination
with local authorities, we supported her — along with four of her siblings in obtaining official
birth certificates. For the first time, they had legal recognition and access to opportunities
previously out of reach.
Back to the Same School-This Time as a Student
Our assessment revealed that her family could not afford school enrollment costs, uniforms, or
supplies. Without intervention, she was at high risk of returning to street begging.
To prevent this, we enrolled her along with her brother in the very same school where she once
begged outside the gate.From the very beginning, she demonstrated remarkable dedication.
Despite years outside the classroom, she quickly adapted to school life. Her teachers describe her
as attentive, hardworking, and eager to learn.
Now, one year later, she has made outstanding academic progress. The school is planning to
promote her to the next grade in recognition of her performance.
Standing by the Family in Crisis
During this period, her brother was severely bitten by a stray dog — a frightening and potentially
life-threatening situation. As part of our family crisis support, we immediately intervened to

cover the full cost of his medical treatment, ensuring he received timely care. This support not
only protected the child’s health but also prevented the family from falling into deeper financial
crisis.
Looking Ahead
Today, she is thriving. She is confident, hopeful, and focused on her education. She is now being
considered for a scholarship and continues to receive regular monitoring and mentorship from
our team.Her journey from begging outside a school gate to excelling inside the classroom, is a
powerful reminder of what timely intervention, family support, and donor partnership can
achieve.
With continued support, her story will not be defined by poverty but by possibility.

October is a festival season in Nepal - a festival, that reinforces family values. People who are away from family for years travel to see their parents, relatives and friends. This reconnects people who have been away for years. People eat together, wear new dresses, share joy and pain, go for vacation etc. Its perhpas one of the greatest cultural ways of celebrating family values.

6 of the girls in our sheter have been disconnected from family for couple of years for several reason. Considering the safety of children, this year they got an opportunity to spend 15 days with their families or relatives. Sharmila (14 yrs), who is from a tribal group in rural village saw her family, childhood friends, relatives and cousins after 3 years of her family separation. She was rescued becuase of the risk to child marriage. Similary, Elisha, 16 years, who was trafficked to Kathmandu, saw her grand mother and maternal families. Everyone came back with a sense of reconnection, belonged and loved by the families/relatives. This reconnection was a part of their family reunification process. They are very likely to be reunified with family and/or relative by April next week (when the school year competes).

Sunita (13 years), was happy to see her younger brother and sister and mother. They live in Kathmandu. Mother reported how Sunita was longing to see them. She wants to have Sunita along with her siblings.

Bethany Vision Nepal currently has 18 children in the shelter home. Our goal is to enable children and families for sustained restoration. In this quarter, we reunified 3 children with their families and kinship whereas have one new rescue from police.