HS Nepal Members and government officials after the Ending Indentured Tharu Daughters Project orientation meeting.

25 April, 2011 – LDC Nepal and partner NGO Help Society-Nepal publicly launched the Ending Indentured Tharu Daughters Project with a project orientation meeting. The meeting was held in Tulsipur, Dang, and introduced attendees to the purpose, goals, and activities that will be included in this project.

The orientation meeting was attended by around 56 people, including members of Help Society-Nepal, government officials, and community members. It was facilitated by Pushker Kadel, Program Director at LDC Nepal. This project is funded in part by the United Nations Trust Fund on Indigenous Issues.

This project aims to counter the Kamlahari system of bonded labor through literacy classes and community groups. Literacy classes in the local Tharu language will allow illiterate community members to learn to read and do basic math. Class discussions and practical activities will focus on topics such as child labor, the importance of girls’ education, and ways to improve family income. Increasing family income is the best way to keep daughters from being sold. Community groups will become agents for social change in their villages.

This orientation meeting was held on the same day as Help Society-Nepal’s general assembly meeting.

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