This year’s Dashain passed with great joy.
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20 Dec, 2025
In past years, Dashain was never like this. From the very beginning, I used to work far away from my daughters. In earlier Dashain festivals, my workplace was outside the district. By the time I managed to return home for Dashain, The neighbours’ houses would already be freshly plastered and decorated, while I would still be struggling just to plaster my own house. But this year, from before Dashain itself, I was able to stay together with my daughters, manage all the household work properly, and celebrate the festival. This year’s Dashain felt truly special as I could spend it with my daughters.”
This was shared by Nirmala Chaudhary, a resident of Tabarpur Ward No. 1, Rajpur Rural Municipality, while explaining how the festival became even more meaningful for her after her house was constructed with support from the project.
With financial support from the Met Life Foundation and NIVAS, and in partnership with the Rural Women Development enter (RWDC), Rajpur Rural Municipality, Gadhawa Rural Municipality, and Ghorahi Sub-Metropolitan City, the project titled “Strengthening Women-Led Families through Safe Housing and Advocacy (SWFHA) in Rural Dang” has been implemented in Dang district.
Under this project, support has been provided for the construction of safe houses for single women from marginalized and vulnerable communities and children below 16 years of age, as part of the initiative “Strengthening Women through Secure Housing and Promoting Awareness on Women’s Land Ownership.” Through this project, Nirmala was selected as a beneficiary and received support for house construction.
After being selected for support for house construction under the project, Nirmala built her own house. She shared that by working as a daily wage laborer in her own house construction for 28 days, she earned an income of NPR 25,600.
Nirmala explained that it was precisely this income that enabled her to celebrate this year’s Dashain in a happier and more joyful way than in previous years, together with her daughters.
Nirmala was extremely happy to have her own house through the project. She is only 29 years old and has given birth to three daughters. At present, she is living with two daughters. Her eldest daughter, Anisha, is 13 years old, and her middle daughter, Anushka, is 11 years old. Due to poverty, deprivation, and the suffering she endured after losing her husband, she has been raising her youngest daughter with the support of her paternal aunt, who has been keeping the child with her and ensuring her education. The youngest daughter is currently six years old.
After the house construction began, the youngest daughter became extremely happy and expressed her desire to live and study together with her mother and sisters. Nirmala also wishes to live together with all her daughters.
However, to manage daily meals, Nirmala still has to go out for work every morning and evening. There are limited work opportunities in her own village, and even when work is available, contractors often do not pay wages on time. Because of these challenges, Nirmala had been compelled to seek work outside the district.
Now that house construction has begun through the project, she shared that working there is comparatively easier and more reliable in terms of payment. Therefore, Nirmala expressed her willingness to also work on the construction of other houses being built under the same project.
Nirmala was married at a very young age. In the beginning, her life was joyful. Although they had no property or wealth, she had the companionship and love of her husband. Life moved forward with its ups and downs.
In Butwal, Nirmala’s husband worked in house construction. One night, after returning home exhausted from a full day of work, he suddenly fell seriously ill. While Nirmala was taking him to Nepalgunj for medical treatment, her husband passed away on the way.
It has now been three years since her husband’s death. Nirmala does not own fertile land for growing crops; she has only one kattha of barren land. She is solely responsible for raising three daughters. At the time of her husband’s death, the exact cause of his illness was not known. However, it was later discovered that her 11-year-old middle daughter, Anushka, has sickle cell thalassemia and requires regular blood transfusions every month.
Initially, it was extremely difficult for Nirmala to identify the disease. Until the diagnosis was confirmed, she went into debt. After sickle cell disease was diagnosed in her middle daughter, doctors advised medical testing for the other two daughters as well. However, due to lack of money, she could not afford to have those tests done, Nirmala shared.
Despite this, Nirmala wishes to spend her life together with her daughters. Although she could not receive formal training through the project for house construction, she has gained good practical knowledge about construction work by working as a laborer. Through the project, many house construction works are now taking place within her own rural municipality, which means she no longer has to travel far in search of work. Women like her—poor, widowed, and disadvantaged—are able to find employment, and houses are also being built.
For these opportunities, Nirmala expressed her gratitude to the Met Life Foundation, NIVAS, the Rural Women Development Center, and Rajpur Rural Municipality.
