Nepal

Stories from change-makers in Nepal

Monika Meet Bhumika Sabina
Girl In Nepal School
Monika lives in a village that experiences increasingly regular disasters.
So, when Plan International started a Safe Schools project at her school, Monika was eager to get involved.

“I attended a number of training sessions being held under the program," Monika says. "It was the first time I had learned how to stay safe from various types of disaster such as earthquakes, flooding, landslides and fire while at school and at home."

A natural leader, Monika was nominated to be a disaster risk reduction champion. Along with a group of twenty other students, she is responsible for raising awareness on how stay safe during an emergency.

The group members have also identified potential hazards and vulnerabilities at their school through a risk mapping process. They’ve developed action plans which include evacuation and contingency procedures, among other vital disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation activities.

When COVID-19 started to spread in Nepal, Monika and her peers created a plan to raise awareness, both in their school and the wider community. They received training on how to wear face masks properly, wash their hands correctly and the importance of maintaining social distance.

“We ran a number of sessions to share the information with our peers so that they could also learn how to contribute to prevent the spread of the disease," says Monika.
Monika’s school was closed for eight months and only recently reopened with all the necessary restrictions in place. Monika’s commitment to her school and community has set a strong example for other girls, showing them that they can also take on leadership roles and drive change.
“I feel happy and confident to share my knowledge to protect our community from disasters and this now includes COVID-19," says Monika.
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Sponsored Girl In Nepal
Bhumika loves elephants and the color pink.
“I like to read and play with the other children," she says happily.

Growing up in one of the poorest areas in Nepal, Bhumika is too young to know that the odds are stacked against her. Here, nine out of 10 girls are married before they turn 18. Two of Bhumika’s older sisters were married while they were still children, while a third is working in India.

The consequences of child marriage are serious and, in some cases, even deadly. Most girls are forced to drop out of school once they marry. They have to stay home, without any freedom or financial opportunities. Childbirth is the leading cause of death among 15-19-year-old girls worldwide.

Plan International is working to end child marriage in Bhumika’s village. We place a particular emphasis on supporting girls to stay in school and teaching children and adults that girls are equal to boys and have the right to education and security. We finance school scholarships for poor families and follow up with children who drop out of school. In Bhumika’s village, we have built a school where we conduct training courses for teachers on gender sensitive education techniques.
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Youth Advocate In Nepal
An active participant in a children’s club network supported by Plan International for a decade, Sabina has taken part in many activities to raise awareness of harmful traditional practices in her community, particularly child marriage.
“After being exposed to different projects and activities where children can discuss, participate and share their ideas about issues that children, especially girls have to face, I found a positive strength within myself to stand up and try to make a difference,” she says.

Despite a legal age limit of 18, 37% of girls in Nepal marry at an earlier age. Plan International is working in Nepal to enable girls to avoid marriage, stay in school and decide for themselves when or if they want to marry. At children’s clubs, girls meet to discuss child rights, sexual and reproductive health and the negative aspects of child marriage. Sabina uses street drama and theatrical performances to warn against child marriage, highlighting the negative outcomes such as gender-based discrimination and violence.

She also advocates for child marriage-free communities and 100% school enrollment among children. “It’s tragic what girls have to face. I want girls to know their rights, so together, we can change our destiny … By working together, we can unlock the power of girls and we will not stop until all girls are seen, listened to and valued."
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Plan International has been working to improve children’s lives in Nepal since 1978.

Our work in Nepal

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Office & operations

Plan Nepal’s country office is located in Lalitpur, with program unit offices in Banke, Karnali, Makwanpur, Morang, Rautahat, Sindhuli and Sunsari.

Technical areas:

Plan Nepal focuses on the following program areas: Disaster response and preparedness, health and protection

Number of sponsored children:

As of June 2022 Plan International sponsors 34,414 children in Nepal.

Our projects in Nepal

Why sponsor with Plan?

Gender equality is a fight we must all take on together. Through sponsorship, you can change lives and create long-term impact in communities.

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The full circle of Fate

When you sponsor a child through Plan, you form an incredible friendship.

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But that’s just the beginning. With Plan, you also have the unique opportunity to:

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Send them birthday gifts and cards.

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Give them special holiday presents called Little Treasures.

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Subscribe them to Plan’s educational kids’ magazine, Sunny Days.

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Arrange a visit (pending any travel restrictions), with individual travel assistance from us.

Each gift offering is safely hand-delivered by us, and given to your child with personalized cards from you. It’s likely that the child you sponsor will have never seen anything like these gifts, and with the exception of Little Treasures they’re available year-round to make the bond between you and your sponsored child even stronger.

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