More than 1.6 million children in Nepal are forced to work due to severe poverty and neglect – many simply working in exchange for food and roof over their head. Those migrating to cities are usually engaged in hazardous labour in garages, workshops, restaurants or as domestic servants in other people’s houses. Isolated, invisible and ignored, excluded from education or meaningful learning opportunities, they have little hope for their futures.
Kidasha prioritises removing children under 14 from the labour force, and changing individual and community attitudes to prevent other children being employed. For working adolescent girls and boys, we work with employers to protect them from abuse and exploitation and improve their living and working conditions.
We have developed a range of tailored learning and training programmes to support working children to build their confidence, improve numeracy & literacy, develop life skills, and if possible return to school. Our outreach workers also provide advice, counselling, and health support, and for many of these children are the only positive adult they have in their lives.