Help fight child marriage - WHOLE Girl Fund

When born into extreme poverty, a child is often given little to no opportunity for educational development and lacks access to health services. In Nepal, to make ends meet, a child may be married at a young age to a much older man, or may move to urban areas for work and face an increased risk of trafficking. As one of seven children, Riva had minimal support from her family to attend school regularly. At 14, Riva’s parents began searching for her groom as they believed her marriage will help support their family.

Exploring Better Options

In her community, Riva now participates in Plan’s BLOOM (Better Life Options and Opportunities Model) club where she learns about goal setting, reproductive health, child rights, hygiene, and has also gained the skills and confidence necessary to speak in large groups and advocate for herself and her peers. BLOOM clubs are providing vital information on health services and social networks for young women to give them the knowledge, resources, and support they need to be empowered to make informed decisions about their health and rights.

Taking what she learned from BLOOM, Riva is now discussing the disadvantages of child marriage with her parents directly. She can now defend herself and her right to education, and was eventually able to stop her own marriage. She continues to share her story with her community and speaks out against child marriage and on behalf of girls’ rights with Plan throughout Nepal.

“I would like to thank Plan International from the bottom of my heart for bringing a big change in my life.”