Sunita Ghale
Sunita Ghale’s hardships began when she was 15 years old. Her mother committed suicide and her father remarried immediately after her mother’s funeral. Sunita was the oldest child in her family, and her stepmother would verbally and physically abuse her, accusing her of not doing her chores. She was not given any books or stationery for school. She sold items to street traders to earn money for school. When she was 16, a woman from her village, who worked in Kathmandu, saw the family situation and began to persuade Sunita to come to Kathmandu with her.
Sunita was so excited about her new life and did not understand what she was getting into. The woman ran a massage parlor in the tourist district of Thamel, and she made Sunita assist without pay. After 18 months working at the parlor, she left the job. Suspect job brokers attempted to persuade her go to India for work. She fortunately sought counseling with the Sakti Group and the metro police. The police contacted Journey Home Foundation, and she is now at our shelter. We are urging her to continue school and participate in our vocational training sessions. For her educational support we need $190 per month for a two-year program.
Pun Maya Garung
Pun Maya Gurung, is an 18-year-old girl from Salleri Village in the eastern part of the Dhading District. She was rescued from Birgunj near the Indian border; her story was questionable. After two days she trusted us enough to share the truth. The India border is an easy way to enter the gulf countries illegally. She had found a “broker” in Birguni City, who promised to facilitate her illegal crossing for money. She gave the money to the broker, but unfortunately, the broker disappeared with it. She filed two complaints with the police in Nepal, but neither the man nor her money were found. She is alone, desperate, and has no idea what she will do next. She has been taken in by her grandparents temporarily, but her hope is to continue her education. We (Journey Home Foundation) are searching for a sponsor who could fund her for two years. She will then have completed 12th grade. That will, hopefully, provide her with a good job here in Nepal. It will save her from the risk of seeking dangerous foreign employment to survive. To support her education, we need $190 per month for two-year scholarship program. A donation of $80 per month will cover two meals a day at the shelter, the school provides lunch and tea. The girls also need blankets, swimsuits, rain gear and other miscellaneous clothing. Every dollar helps. $10.00 will provide a pair of shoes. Many of our graduates now have their own businesses.
Journey Home Foundation 2013
The Dalits, or “untouchable”, children typically end up in factories or are sold to become domestic servants. Sex traffickers often open temporary employment offices in small villages to lure the frightened and vulnerable girls into sex slavery. They are told they will become household servants in the middle east. Many young girls dropped in the city to find work are often watched and then kidnapped or recruited under false pretense to join a group traveling over the border to work abroad. Over 200,000 girls like those at our shelter are taken from Nepal each year in to the sex trade. Many are sold by family members for as little as $50. USD.
Our goal is to raise funds to clothe, feed and shelter vulnerable girls and women and to provide additional years of school of vocational training. For those who have not completed education in the regular school system, the cost is $960 a year for tuition, books and shelter at Journey Home Foundation. Chin Maya just 13 has found a sponsor through JHF for her schooling.
In 2014 you can sponsor one of our 13 shelter residents to live and attend vocational school for a total of $850 for 9 months of training.
Any donation will help. Please consider donating now to help one of these girls or women. Consider a monthly contribution or an annual sponsorship. Thank you for your great hearts and your continued support. We will keep you informed.
SPONSORED Pas Maya, age 25 was sponsored for culinary school training and shelter by Jennifer Walker. She has three family members, the parents have passed away. Pas Maya was working as a maid but has elected to join Journey Home Foundation in Nepal for training. UPDATE: Pas Maya Garung has opened her own shop in the village. Thank you for your generous donations!
Maya Gurung, aged 25, was living at the shelter and pursuing training in the Kathmandu Cosmetology School. Maya is from the Chitwad District, which is located in the southern plains of Nepal. During talks between our local volunteer and Maya, the team at JHF found out that Maya had quit school and had come to the town of Chitwan to search for employment. She was met by some foreign recruiters and was planning to go abroad with them. The JHF volunteer urged Maya not to risk the dangers that were often waiting for young women who accepted these offers. The JHF volunteer local gave Maya the option to stay in Nepal and enroll in the Cosmetology School so she could find work as a hair dresser or a beautician. Maya agreed to try, and JHF provided her with shelter and training. Maya’s skills improved every day… and so did her self-confidence. Maya finished her 9 month training, and JHF helped her to find a job where she used her new skills. If our help can support Maya, yours can help others like her. A small donation can make a big difference in someone’s life. Please contribute to JHF.
Bishani Gurung, aged 24, received vocational training as a tailor. She is from the Gorkha District of Nepal. Bishani is the eldest child of four. She left her village two years ago to find employment. She traveled on foot from city to city, going to Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, and others, but she was unable to find work. Fortunately, Bishani did not fall prey to foreign trafficking agents. Instead she met with a volunteer from JHF Nepal who was in Pokhara. After hearing her story, our volunteer promised her a good training opportunity and brought her to the JHF shelter to begin courses in tailoring. After finishing her training, Bishani started her own business as a Tailor. She is improving her skills through daily practice and study. Your donation of $850 USD will provide shelter, meals and medical to help Bishani to finish the nine month program. Upon graduation, your contributions also provided her with a new sewing machine so she can either begin working as a tailor or open her own shop.
SPONSORED Kumari Gurung, aged 19, received vocational training as tailor. She is sponsored by Suzanne Angela Dicker of New Jersey. We are very grateful towards Suzanne for her kind support. Kumari received training and learned whole-heartedly. She enrolled in a school at grade 8 in Kathmandu because she wanted to continue her education. She had stopped her education two years ago due to weak financial condition of her family. But now, she has got the self confidence that she can go to school and be educated as well as receive tailoring training. And from our orientation and suggestions she now knows that education along with tailoring is a great combination. If she receives only training, then she will only be able to do simple tailoring… but if she is educated as well, she will make her own designs and present them to the world.
Bishnu, age 20. Eight family members, of which six are daughters.
From the village Laprak – 6, Gorkha.
Bishnu had chosen to study at a cosmetology school and receive her certificate to work as an aestheticism and skin care specialist. She hoped for sponsorship to begin her stay at the shelter and “the journey home” as a career woman. UPDATE: Bishnu Garung has opened her own shop in the village. Thank you for your generous donations!
SPONSORED for school & shelter by JHF USA board member, Jennifer Walker, in March 2014 ABOVE: Chin Maya studied at the JHF shelter after school.
Chin Maya, age 13. Nine family members, of which seven are daughters.
Chin Maya was taken out of school to support her family. Being the eldest, it was expected that she support the family by going to work abroad as a domestic servant or through other labor. She was at high risk of being sold or trafficked to foreign countries. Her wish was to study and complete six more years of school. She lived in our shelter and attended school in Kathmandu. When she finishes her six years of school she can return to her village and start a business. The school in Kathmandu is teaching Chin Maya English so she can work in a variety of fields. Chin Maya has received a scholarship to college in Japan.
