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I took my chance

In Nepal it is common to have an arranged marriage. In many cases an arranged marriage works out very well. For me it did not, unfortunately. After 20 days of marriage my husband left Nepal to go to India, but not before he got me pregnant. I already had many difficulties taking care of my own life and knowing that I had to take care of my child in the near future I had to move in with the family of my husband. His family treated me very badly. Since I thought I had nowhere else to go I became fully dependent upon them. I had to do all the things they told me to in order to not become in exile. I basically became the slave of the family, working in the fields, collecting firewood and doing all the household work, never getting any rest. During this time I hardly received enough food to survive. Thinking back it was the worst period of my life from which I never thought to escape.


Just thinking about what the future holds for us gives me all the strength I need.


My husband came back after one year of working abroad. I expected some sort of change with his return, hoping that my life would take a different direction. Sadly he was drunk and abusive most of the time. When he left again to India I took my chance and moved back in with my parents, where I’ve been living ever since. With little work and money I managed to at least take care of my daughter and myself.

Finally having some space for myself, not having to work as a slave all the time, I came across the sewing training. With the tailoring skills that I picked up during the training I now am able to work in a tailor shop. In this shop I have my own customers, I meet new people and am very happy with my job. I am even able to save money, which will give my daughter the chance to go to school in the future. Just thinking about what the future holds for us gives me all the strength I need.

Participant Women Empowerment Project
Empowered to become independent
23 years old

Taking steps

When I gave birth to my first child I discovered that I have got a serious heart problem. After this discovery it was clear that I had to undergo heart surgery. This surgery gave me a lot of financial problems. My husband and me had to lend money from our relatives and friends. During this period my husband developed a drinking problem. All the money that he earned with his job as a driver he spent on alcohol. He can’t support the family financially. I had to become dependent on people I did not want to become dependent upon in order to survive. This made my life very difficult. Even in the times that followed after the surgery life wasn’t easy. Not being able to work due to the operation I felt discriminated by the people close to me.


The path to a better life is a long one. It’s not something that changes within a day.


The path to a better life is a long one. It’s not something that changes within a day. Needless to say the training did give me the first steps towards this better life. After participating in the Women Empowerment Project I am able to stand on my own. Over time my health has gotten better and now I can work with the qualities that I developed during the training. I find a lot of joy in farming mushrooms, vegetables and taking care of my goat. As a result of this I now can support my family and me without being dependent on my husband. He is working in the city and still spends his earnings on drinks. I hope that one day he will become independent from drinking like I became independent from him.

Participant Women Empowerment Project
Empowered to become independent
31 years old

Geef een vrouw de kans van haar leven

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