OUR WORK

Save the Children works with expecting and new mothers to raise awareness on routine visits to health posts and nutritious foods for mother and baby's health. Save the Children

“We explain to our parents why we shouldn't have child marriage,” says 14-year-old Amrit* from Nepal. “We encourage them to tell their children not to get married as children.” Amrit* is a member of a Save the Children-supported ‘Child Club’ in Nepal which is campaigning to end child marriage in his community. The club has been instrumental in directly preventing four child marriages, helping to alert the local authorities who were able to intervene. Amrit* feels proud of the difference preventing one of these marriages has made. “The girl has finished her class 12 exams and she's staying at home now. She has been saved from the effects of child marriage,” he explains. “When I helped to stop that child marriage, I felt very happy about it.” The Child Clubs hold rallies, street dramas, debates, and hearings with government officials to get their message about child marriage across. And Amrit* is keen to make the case closer to home. “I'll tell my sister about child marriage. I’ll tell her: ‘These are the effects of child marriage. You should get married only after you're 20 years old.’” Thanks to the efforts of Amrit* and his friends, child marriage is falling fast in the area. But he won’t let up until it’s gone for good. “We are making this ward free from child marriage,” he says. Suzanne Lee / Save the Children

“We are stopping child marriage,” announces 14-year-old Nisha* from Nepal. “It has to stop completely.” These aren’t mere words. Thanks in part to Nisha*’s efforts as a member of a Save the Children-supported ‘Child Club’, child marriage is falling rapidly in her local community. She’s been instrumental in directly preventing four child marriages, helping to alert the local authorities who were able to intervene. At the Child Club she’s learned about the devastating impact child marriage can have and is determined to pass on that knowledge to other children. The Child Clubs hold rallies, street dramas, debates, and hearings with government officials to get their message across. “Before, there was no public awareness, so child marriage was happening,” she says. “Nobody knew about the effects of child marriage.” Such is Nisha’s* energy and passion, she’s risen to become vice president of her Child Club and now a ‘child champion’ in the space of a year. She’s learned about other issues such as health and climate change at the club too, and as a child champion she’s run a campaign to reduce the use of plastic and consumption of junk food in her community. “The environment is being polluted because of the plastics. And children must stop eating junk food. That is also affecting us a lot. That is my message: “Don't use plastics, don't consume junk food.” Nisha* isn’t afraid to take on the big issues – and with her drive and determination who would bet she won’t succeed? Suzanne Lee / Save the Children

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on children’s education in Nepal, with lockdowns resulting in school closures. Save the Children is distributing Magic Bags to support children to continue learning from home during the pandemic. Each Magic Bag contains playing and learning materials including alphabet and number cards, slates with chalk, numbered dice, coloured counters, crayons, pencils, erasers, sharpeners and story books in Maithili and Nepali languages. The Magic Bags help children to continue their education at home and help increase engagement between parents and their children’s learning. Magic Bags are part of the Fostering Playful Homes: Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Response to COVID-19 project, which aims to bridge the gap between children and their access to learning during the pandemic. Other initiatives include educational radio programs. A total of 8,155 children were supported with the Magic Bag in Mahottari and Sarlahi districts of Province 2 in Nepal.

"When we're playing cricket, we hit [the] ball away with our bat. Similarly...we can hit away the child marriage" says 16-year-old Ria*. Her new passion has become about so much more than just sport. Ria* initially faced resistance from her parents and community in Nepal for her dream to play cricket. Ria* explains, “When we started to play cricket, some older boys used to say, ‘You won't achieve anything by playing. Go home, cook and eat’...But now...We practice here, go to other places to play, and we come back winning.” Save the Children and its local partner, Sabal Nepal, formed the first girls' cricket team to combat child marriage. Ria* not only started playing cricket but also became the chairperson of her Child Club: a group of young campaigners set up by Save the Children. She began taking part in street dramas addressing the negative impact of child marriage and collecting data on the issue. Ria's* efforts not only changed her parents' views but also those of the community, leading to a reduction in child marriages. They have now declared their ward as child marriage free. "When we are playing cricket in the field, I feel happy...I feel strong" says Ria*, and it's this sense of empowerment she wants to pass on to other children. She believes in unity and working together to end child marriage, echoing her teachers' words: "we can't accomplish anything alone, but when we are united, nothing is impossible." Suzanne Lee / Save the Children

The oxygen plant operator mentioned that the plant has been running continuously for the past month, 24 hours a day and the pressure of demand was unmanageable last week with a sudden surge in demand and when one of the refillers broke down amidst all the chaos. Nepal is facing growing numbers in cases of COVID-19 and further lockdowns.

Save the Children Nepal has successfully distributed the first round of humanitarian relief in the earthquake-affected areas of Jajarkot. The relief packages were delivered to 71 households in Bheri Municipality, Ward no. 1 of Rimna. These packages include shelter and hygiene kits, blankets, baby essentials, winterization kits, kitchen utensils, and various other non-food items. We remain committed to working alongside concerned stakeholders to provide ongoing support to the children and communities most affected by the earthquake. Save the Children Nepal

The COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal is affecting children both physically and psychologically. During the lockdown, Rajesh (18) used to stay inside his home with little to do as there were no online classes from his school and he did not have books for the new session to read. Save the Children, with its implementing partner RYC and RRPK, started providing group and individual psychosocial counselling to the community and schools. Rajesh joined psychosocial counselling in his school to help him cope with the pandemic.

Mamata*, a 13-year-old with aspirations of becoming a social worker, lives in a close-knit farming community in Nepal. Her mother, Devkala*, is the resilient chairperson of her all-women farming group, steering the village through challenges such as floods, food uncertainty, and a history of child marriage. “Huge rainfalls occur here, causing flooding in the village... water gushes into the houses,” Devkala* explained. In the past, farming posed significant challenges. Devkala*, alongside others, worked tirelessly. "We lived a poor life. There was both a lack of money and knowledge. Even if we had knowledge, nothing could be done due to a lack of money," she recalled. The turning point came with Save the Children's support, establishing female farming groups. These groups empower families to cultivate and sell essential crops like garlic, cauliflower, and rice. Additionally, Save the Children set up Child Clubs for children and parent groups to help the community eradicate child marriage. Devkala*, a survivor of child marriage herself, spoke of the hardships of raising a family at a young age. "If child marriage takes place, there are problems. With education and awareness, child marriage can be avoided," she said. Mamata* attends her local Child Club in the village. “At the Child Club, I became aware of issues like violence and child marriage. My friends there are also understanding and supportive, so that encourages me to go to school,” Mamata* explains. Devkala* and Mamata* are a testament to the transformative power of education, resilience, and community support. "By learning good things and teaching that to the community, I feel happy," Devkala* said. Their village in Sapatri district is one of many working towards ending child marriage. Surunga Municipality (Borough) of Saptari has been declared as the first child marriage-free municipality in Madhesh province, with the rate of child marriage dropping to less than 4%. Suzanne Lee / Save the Children

A health worker at the hospital carrying test samples to the laboratory in Sukraraj hospital, Teku. Nepal is facing growing numbers in cases of COVID-19 and further lockdowns.