Case story no. 10: Parbati

Parbati is 14 years old. She is very pretty and seems quiet. Before the interview she sat in the corner and softly read three or four books aloud while we spoke to some of the other children. When it was her turn, she quietly got up and sat down next to us. She is from the Dang district and she has no parents anymore. When you ask her how many people are in her family, she says “Now there are only three.” Her 17 year-old sister is married and lives in Kathmandu. Her younger brother lives in Dang and is a Domestic Child Laborer as well. He also goes to school.

Parbati’s mother died when she was very young. She can barely remember her mother anymore. Her father sent her to work in Kathmandu when she was 11 because they didn’t have enough money. She has been working for her employer for 3 years. After one month of working in Kathmandu, she heard that her father had also died. Since then, she hasn’t returned home. Her 14-year old face looks straight at mine, and I glimpse the strength of a warrior.

She doesn’t mind her work. It gives her a place to stay, food and an income. She lives in Chakrapath and takes care of her employer’s child, who has a disability. After tending to the child, she cleans, cooks and does the other household chores. She says her employers are very good to her. They love her and take good care of her. When the CWISH facilitator asked if Parbati could come to the DIC her employers quickly agreed. Since that day, she has been attending the DIC for 8 months.

When we ask Parbati if she likes school, her quiet face lights up. “I love school,” she says. “Before I came here, I couldn’t even recognize the letter A. I used to look at the back of tea boxes, where the instructions on how to make the tea are, and stare at them baffled as to why or how anyone could write so many words about tea. Now I can read and write.” To demonstrate this she picks up a book and begins to read aloud from the pages, the entire time beaming with pride. “I never dreamed in a million years I would one day be able to read and write. It has completely changed my life.” She says that the math she is learning is helping her with her shopping. Her favorite subjects are reading and writing though.

Now that she has been at the DIC for 8 months, she has decided she wants to open a vegetable shop one day. She says she is much happier now, happier than she ever thought she could be.