Daughter of Madhesi community studying by 'rebelling' in the family

"I wanted to study, but my parents didn't want me to teach", she said, "I was afraid that my dream of becoming a teacher would be unfulfilled, but thanks to the encouragement of my friends, I was able to study again." After her friends first approved her grandfather, she enrolled in class 8. At that time, the grandfather spent the allowance money for his granddaughter's admission. She shared her experience, 'After not obeying my father, my friend persuaded my grandfather, I also begged him crying.' However, his parents did not consider him to be so good at going to school. On the same pretext, Baama has also abused him. "I go to school after finishing all the housework", Ashma added, "I don't know why my mother didn't like me to go to school."

Ward 4 Amari's Reena Harijan's grief is also similar to Ashma's. She has barely been re-admitted to school. Now she is happily studying. The 16-year-old girl has 2 sisters and a brother. His family situation is also not different from Ashma's. She recounted how she had to drop out of school due to poverty. During the corona period, his studies were stopped. However, he got the help of Mankari because of the hustle and bustle of reading. She was re-admitted to study in class 8. "Now I am studying by working and saving money," she said, "I also take care of household expenses." Harijans have felt that their anger, frustration, and bad behavior towards their elders have changed when they did not go to school. She laughs when she gets angry. She has developed the habit of listening to her elders and saving money by doing her best. She told me that she used to buy food and copy books with the money collected from grass, firewood, fairs.

There is a majority of the Madhesi Dalit community along with the minority Muslims in the north-south part of the district. Parents who give birth to many children make their daughters work at home from a young age, they also do fairs. Even though she is old enough to go to school, parents who bind her to housework are taking away her daughter's right to study and have fun by making excuses such as saying that if her daughter studies more, she will have to pay more dowry in marriage, or that she cannot keep her daughter with her husband for many years. Parents who send their sons to study with love keep their sons in the upper class and keep their daughters confined to taking care of their brothers and working in the kitchen. Even if they have the desire to study, the girls who are not able to go out are confined to the housework.

14-year-old Sagar Yadav of Lumbini Cultural Municipality-8, who has a somewhat different personality, has brought his older sister back to her studies. Sagar, who saw his elder sister Manju Yadav leaving school and staying at home, got a chance to go out and learn something, so he reminded his parents and succeeded in teaching his elder sister.

'After I learned that my sister should be able to study, I fought at home for my sister,' he said, 'I have created an environment for my sister to study in a boarding school in class 9.' Manju said that he was able to go to school with him after reminding his parents about things that should be learned from his elder sister, things that he did not know, and that it would be good for everyone in the house if his elder sister taught him. He says that his older sister, who was always cooking and washing dishes, dressed up in school uniform and went to study, and her reputation increased among her peers.

Sundravati Harijan also faced many obstacles like others and saw the face of the school. She said that she feels that education is important to get rid of the problems of not being able to go outside the village and not being able to do anything. "When I dropped out of school, I thought about what the world was like," she said. Now I have a dream to read and teach others.'

Kishori Samvad Group formed in villages to create a reading environment for many such girls who have dropped out of school and are stuck in the home business, despite being able to read until the Corona period, has been successful. The dialogue group formed under the Sunagabha Community Organization gives knowledge to girls about how to live their lives, the importance of education and ensuring their rights. Only the girl who solved her problems with the facilitator in that group was able to resume her studies in school. According to Srijana Chaudhary, program coordinator of

organization, when they are working in the field of education, they are especially looking at the education of the daughters of the Madhesi community and their condition. She said that they help the parents who have dropped out of education by paying school uniforms, books, books, and even admission fees to let them know that they are willing to pay for their daughter's education if they are unable to afford it. She said that they help the teenagers who come to the

dialogue group to know the importance of education, create an environment where they want to study and give financial support to those who have dropped out of school, whether they want to study again, counseling, explaining to their parents, etc. He said that they are working with the aim of giving education to the daughters of Madhes by prioritizing the program to motivate them towards education.