(Part 2/3) “At the age of 16, I got married. In my husband’s home, it was a new environment. Love was not always available. Even though I had convinced my husband that I would continue school, my in-laws were not happy. Soon after my marriage, my husband left for India and I was left home alone with people whom I did not really know. When he returned home, I asked my husband about his savings. He had no answer. He confessed that he had given it all to his brothers. I was sad. How were we able to start a new life with no money. And all the time he spent sweating and bleeding in India had just gone to dust.

Things became more difficult as the whole family separated. Everyone got their own place and their own arrangements sorted out. But our plight was weak. My husband did not have money. I did not want to plead with my parents for help. There were times when we both stayed hungry just waiting for better days to come.

A few good women in my community had seen my troubles and they came to visit me one day. “There is an opening for sewing and weaving training. If you are interested, we can put your name in.” I jumped into the opportunity and soon after I was learning a new trade. Every evening I came home it would break my heart to see my husband. He had become hopeless and helpless. He would look for jobs but there were none and with a baby on the way his frustrations grew. I told him that soon after I finished the training we would see money but that was not enough to relieve his stress. Sometimes, we both cried. We both waited for better days to come. My son was born.

Although our happiness grew 10 fold we did not have any saving to support the new life. It was not a natural birth. I had to go into surgery. This added to the existing financial distress. We borrowed here and there. As my son turned one, I had also completed my training. But because I had become weak, I could not sew and weave. The doctor told me not to work, not to use the machine and to take medications for 9 months. Every month I had to go to Butwal to visit the doctor. The loan was piling up. My husband returned to India. The poor man would work all day and all night and send money to me for treatment. At home, I waited. I fed my son well. I took care of him. I focused on becoming healthier. I knew I had to bounce back and start sewing and weaving. I did not lose hope.”

#RightToEarnALiving
Stories of Nepal X ICCO Cooperation South Asia X European Union in Nepal