Nita Gets Her Wish
It’s been a very special Dashain for Nita, who’s been given a second chance to make a good life for herself, through our Last Hope Programme. Nita’s life hasn’t been easy but she’s given us permission to share her story in the hope it may help others.
Nita ( not her real name ) grew up in Chitwan and dreamed of working in a bank when she left school. Sadly her education came to an end in Year Five when her life took a turn for the worse. At twelve years old she lost all hearing in her right ear and partial hearing in her left ear, though she doesn’t recall why. When her father remarried she was no longer welcome in the family home but was allowed to stay in a small hut on their land, on the condition she tend the family goats. She wasn’t allowed to live as part of the family, so in order to feed herself she did day work on other people’s farms for the next twenty years, never marrying because of her hearing problem.
Earlier this year Nita decided to try to make a better life for herself and left Chitwan with friends to look for work in Kathmandu. The only work she could find however was in a khajar ghar (small restaurant selling snacks), where she worked from 6am to 8pm every day, washing up, cleaning and even doing the owners laundry. She was earning US$50 per month and paying US$20 per month in rent for her room, where she lived alone. Nita realised she’d made a mistake in leaving Chitwan and the job became more and more intolerable because of daily harassment from drunk customers. She was trapped because she was unable to save any money to go home, as she was living off just US$1 per day.
When our outreach worker came across Nita she was depressed and desperate to leave the city and return to village life. We asked Nita how WONDERWorks could help and she told us that if we could help her to buy two female breeding goats she could build up a herd of goats of her own and become self-sufficient. She would go back to working on neighbouring farms until the kids became old enough to sell. It was clear that Nita knows a lot about goats so after she had talked to her father and confirmed that she could return to her hut, we took measures to help her.
Nita not only got her goats but she also got two kids (who were still nursing) as well as a hen, with several chicks! Nita seemed delighted to be back in the countryside again and we’re pleased that we could help her become independent and have something of her own. We wish her all the very best for a successful and happy future.
* We’d also like to thank Bimala and acknowledge her dedication, for taking the time from her Dashain holiday to ensure that Nita got her wish.
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