“I have a place in the village and my son has a future”

Widows in Nepal suffer social discrimination and are shunned by the community, including their own families. Lacking skills to earn a living, they can be forced into prostitution and trafficking.

Sita’s life changed dramatically when her husband was killed in an accident.

‘My brother-in-law hit my son and threatened to withhold our food if I didn’t have sex with him. I felt ashamed yet trapped; where could I go? I had no other family. I was not educated and I had no other way to feed my son.’

Womankind’s partner organisation Women for Human Rights (WHR) offered Sita and her son a place at its Chhahari shelter in Kathmandu.

‘I met other widows who had been mistreated and learned I had the right to live without my family. I attended sewing classes and got help from WHR to set up my own tailoring shop. Now I give work to other widows so they don’t have to stay with violent families. I feel I have a place in the village and my son has a future.’

You can help us continue supporting the work of WHR by making a donation. Just £36 can pay for two children of a widow in Nepal to go to school for a year, covering admission fees, uniforms, stationery and books.

See our linkpost about widows  for more information about the issue and about International Widows Day 2012. 

Post by Ellen Stuart