We finalized the one-year project completion report to the United Nations Second International Decade Of The World’s Indigenous People. Their funding enabled the following. Thank you, UN!

Highlights
a. 2309 Tharu girls were withdrawn from bonded labor and enrolled in schools. Bonded labor is a form of slavery.
b. Seven village community support groups were established with 250 women. Women lead six of these groups.

Group activities:
• Provide support and accountability to five adult literacy classes for 128 Tharu women
We know that adults who have who have literacy and numeracy skills are less likely to send their daughters into bonded labor
• Sixty families received a baby goat or piglet on the condition that one of offspring would be donated to other families before selling the rest
Poverty is the underlying course of bonded labor
• Established Saving and Credit groups that have to date saved over USD 2,000

What we learned: (These are not new but we wanted to share them with you)
• Work closely with local government offices and schools.
• Create formal and informal networks with local organizations and community-based organizations
• Inform local media of project activities and progress
• Implementing organizations should have a prior credible record of working in partnership with local communities/government offices
• Staff should be local and from the same language group
• Staff should have a mix of men and women on staff
• Maintain links to local government offices & local communities even if we don’t have a current project in order to maintain awareness over bonded labor
• Girls coming out of bonded labor need support and mentoring from girls who were formerly in bonded labor
• The implementing organization should facilitate this by have girls who were in bonded labor as members