Fostering Hope and New Beginning: Nepal Youth Employment Transformation Initiative

Skills Training for a Sustainable Future

Manju Devi from Loharpatti Municipality, Mahottari represents Dom community of Madhesh Province. In the past, Manju and her husband generated income by selling hand-made baskets, fences and a variety of bamboo products.

The products have been an integral part of their culture for years, especially during festivals like Chhath. However, the growing demand for modern construction materials, plastic and metal wares, have slowly compelled them to give up the eon-old occupation and look out for alternative means of income. 

She works as an agricultural laborer and her husband as a laborer in different construction sites to make ends meet.

Manju learned about the temporary employment program supported by Youth Employment Transformation Initiative (YETI) from her neighbors. Manju and her husband applied together in 2021 but only she got selected.  Under the program, she has mainly been working in the maintenance and cleaning of sewage and canals. 

Manju's income, however, isn't enough to take care of the family of five. She usually gets groceries and supplies from shops on credit and pays them off when the couple earns some money. They have no money left for savings. She says, “I want to save money to send my children to a better school. If they have quality education, they will be able to have a better life in the future.”

She adds, "I appreciate this program and the opportunity, but I wish the number of workdays were more than 100 days. Also. if we could learn additional skills from this program, we would be able start something by ourselves in future.” 

A Fresh Start in Life

Sangita Shivabhakti is from Bidur Municipality, Nuwakot, Nepal. She had a small family of four with her husband, father-in-law and a two-year-old daughter.

Her husband used to work as a driver transporting construction materials in different parts of the country. 

As he wasn't satisfied with the work, he returned to Nuwakot to start something of his own. One day in 2021, he was out for work and didn’t return. Sangita searched for him everywhere and even reported it to the police. Two days later, he was found dead. Sangita says, “Everything changed after that.” 

The tragic incident shook her to the core, but Sangita had to stay strong and take care of her family. She used to work in paper-making factories and construction sites, but the income was not stable. Her family owned a small plot of land for cultivation and a few buffaloes, but they were not sufficient to meet the family’s growing needs.

She was searching for work when she found out about the Temporary Employment Program supported by Youth Employment Transformation Initiative (YETI). She joined in the year 2022 and has been working as a caretaker and gardener for the different parks in Nuwakot. Tending to the parks from 9 am-4 pm, Sangita finds peace in the greenery.

She says, "The responsibility of my daughter and parents are the only motivation to work and live on." She has enrolled her daughter in kindergarten as an early start to focus on her education. 

She says, “It’s extremely difficult to go through all the trauma but I am taking it one day at a time. This employment program is a start, I am trying to stay positive and believe that there will be better days ahead.”