10
CLEAN FUTURES
Overcoming challenges to pursue education 12 years old Asha (name changed) lives with her grandmother and a younger brother in the village Itahari in the Sunsari district of Nepal. Asha and her brother study in Buddhiganga School in classes 5 and 3. Asha was born in India, where her parents had migrated in search of work. Sometime after the birth of Asha’s younger brother, her mother left the family for another man. Consequently, Asha’s father returned to Nepal with the children, where he was arrested on arrival for undisclosed reasons and imprisoned.
Severe financial struggles at home keep the siblings from simple joys. Asha shares, “My grandmother walks barefoot to the jungle to collect firewood. In Dashain (a major Hindu festival observed in Nepal) when our friends and neighbours wear new clothes and eat delicious food, we want the same. But our situation doesn’t allow that.”
The siblings moved in with their grandmother in a rented house in Itahari. Their only source of income is the firewood their grandmother collects from the jungle.
When Asha started her period, the situation further worsened. Her grandmother barely earns enough for survival and can’t prioritise Asha’s menstrual health. Asha expresses, “I want to continue studying. However, it is very difficult to manage. We can’t buy sanitary pads. Attending school also becomes more difficult during periods.” In 2019, our WASH project, together with Voice of Children (VOC), began working with Asha’s school. The project aims to keep and re-enrol vulnerable children in schools, with a particular focus on girls and children with disabilities. By making WASH facilities available in schools, the project directly addresses a major cause of dropout and poor attendance among the children. The project team also activated and strengthened the WASH coordination committee. As a result, the school now
