STORIES OF CHANGE | PREVENTING TRAFFICKING IN NEPAL


Here at Cantik, we are proud to be able to partner with I=Change to circulate money from our collective privilege towards some incredibly important causes. 

With each sale, we donate $1 to your choice of one of three charities. While this may not seem like much, this small amount adds up and often in developing countries a little goes a very long way. So far, I=Change together with their retail partners have raised over $1.4 million for charities around the world. Imagine if every brand gave back too... 

Sadly, not everyone experiences their inherent right to safety, a life lived autonomously and the education & opportunity to create a future of their choosing. 
One charity in partnership with I=Change that we have chosen is "Adara" who work to prevent trafficking through education. 

Human trafficking threatens children’s lives in Nepal every day. Women and children are often sold, especially in remote areas. Poverty, frequent trade with India, high unemployment, and a lack of awareness and education are some of the driving contributors to this crisis.

Adara gives young Nepali girls at risk of trafficking a better start in life. In all their target schools they provide quality education, raise awareness of child trafficking and implement strong child protection practices.


In the remote Humla region, where Adara has worked since 1998, trafficking has significantly decreased and since 2016 there have been no reported cases of trafficking in our target villages

The Adara Group believes each and every person should have access to quality health, education and other essential services, no matter where they live. The first part of the Adara Group is an international development organisation called Adara Development that has expertise in maternal, newborn and child health, and remote community development.

Adara Development has been working in Nepal and Uganda for more than 20 years. The second part of the Adara Group consists of two businesses, Adara Partners and Adara Advisors, which are ‘for purpose’ rather than for profit. Their sole objective is to fund Adara Development’s administration and emergency project costs. This allows 100% of donations received by Adara Development to go directly to project-related costs.

Adara reaches more than 50,000 people living in poverty each year and countless more through knowledge sharing. Adara’s Remote Community Development work is holistic, and a key component of that work is ensuring remote Nepali communities have access to quality education, with a focus on the regions of the Humla district in the country’s far northwest, and Ghyangfedi in the Nuwakot district. Residents of Humla and Ghyangfedi in remote Nepal are largely subsistence farmers living in poverty. They are disadvantaged by geographic location, with poor access to government services and infrastructure. The need for quality education is pressing.

Historically, the Humla district had some of Nepal’s lowest literacy rates: female literacy in Humli youth (aged 15-24) sits at 41.7% compared to 80.2% in Nepal overall. In Ghyangfedi, rates are around 29.29%. Child trafficking is a problem throughout Nepal and children in remote villages are often more vulnerable, due to extreme poverty and lack of educational opportunities. Humla and Ghyangfedi have both historically experienced high rates of trafficking. A quality local school increases the chance of all children getting an education – their attendance is also monitored closely, and any absence is reported to local authorities.

In Humla, Adara’s education initiatives focus on school improvement, including teacher employment and training, school infrastructure and materials, after-school activities and vocational scholarships. We partner with eight schools, including the model Yalbang School, which in 2017 was named the best remote school, and fifth best government school overall in Nepal, based on exam results.

Ghyangfedi faces further challenges after the community was devastated by the 2015 Nepal earthquake with all schools and major buildings destroyed or flattened. For the past four years, we have been working alongside the community to improve access to quality education. The first stage of our work was to rebuild the school and include the provision of midday meals for all students. Food is an incentive for poor families who may otherwise keep their children at home to work.

Adara are now partnering with seven feeder schools to improve the quality across the region. Adara works in education by partnering with local government schools to help improve the quality of facilities, the attendance and quality of teachers, student attendance, and encouraging students’ and families’ active engagement with education.

Key Challenges & Opportunities:

The Humla district of northwest Nepal is one of the most remote places in the world. It is one of the last two districts not yet connected by road to lowland Nepal meaning walking is the main form of transport. It also has many seasonal challenges, with being under snow for three months of the year, and also experiencing several months of monsoons. This means implementing our programmes can be challenging, with weather disruptions and challenges sourcing and transporting the relevant materials.

Micro Goals:

This programme seeks to improve the quality of education in 16 target schools in remote parts of Nepal, raise awareness of child trafficking and implement strong child protection practices. 

Macro Goals:

Adara’s Remote Community Development work contributes to improve the quality of life of women, children and the disadvantaged in isolated communities, improve access to education, and eliminate child trafficking.

 

Adara Development has deep expertise in remote community development. Part of this work focuses on the importance of education as a vital tool to combat child trafficking.

Sarita is 17 years old and lives in Humla, in the rugged and remote north-west of Nepal in the Himalayas. The region has no roads connecting it to major centres in Nepal. Covering a mountainous area of 5,655km2, its more than 50,000 residents are often snowed in for months over winter.

Humla’s remoteness creates challenges for its residents. Child trafficking is a problem throughout Nepal and children in remote villages are often more vulnerable, due to extreme poverty and lack of educational opportunities. Humla has historically experienced high rates of trafficking. A quality local school increases the chance of all children getting an education.

Sarita’s parents struggle to generate an income and lack the money to send Sarita to school. Luckily, she was selected as an Adara Scholarship recipient, which provided her with the educational materials and additional support to pursue an education. Now, Sarita has finished secondary and hopes to one day become a teacher.

To support Humli youth, Adara implements education initiatives which focus on school improvement, including teacher employment and training, school infrastructure and materials, after-school activities and vocational scholarships. They partner with eight schools across the district. The impact of this work has been astonishing. Now, 54% of students in Adara-supported schools in Humla are now girls.

Adara is grateful to the retailers helping change lives with every sale. And Cantik is incredibly grateful to our beautiful customers who chose this cause x 

View our impact here


Do you want to be part of this change? Simply shop with us as usual & choose "Prevent Trafficking" at check out. 

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