The Auntie Project
The Heart of Womem Working With Women Projects
The Auntie Project - This program is our pilot program. In Nepal it is not uncommon for girls from very poor families to be sold into marriage at a very young age. When they marry they become the 'property' of the in-laws. The new family members are then given the hardest and most disagreeable work in the family and are kept under the authority of the mother-in-law. When they have children of their own they, the children, are then controlled by the mother-in-law.
An example of this project.
As an example; Anita and Astha, two of the girls in our program are from a situation where their father was terminally ill, the only one working to support the entire extended family was their mother, and she did not have a regular job but was taking cleaning jobs as she could find them. They have two brothers. The mother-in-law would not allow the girls to have as much food as their brothers. The father died and the mother-in-law said that the girls could no longer have any food. We have taken the two girls into our house where they will be fed, clothed, and educated. We offered the mother a job as the cook, but as she was controlled by the mother in law, she was not allowed to take the job. The mother can still visit, however she must sneak away to do it. When she was asked how she felt about giving up her two daughters she said: "If I keep them on my lap, it will only do them harm."
Girls in Nepal begin to be at risk for sale into slavery or marriage at about the age of 5. They are often used only as labo,r and are fed less than their brothers. Education is not free in Nepal, even though the government claims it is. The government requires an application fee that is often the amount of a years wages. When there is money for education it will be spent on the boys and not on the girls, so basically education is not available to girls from anything but upper middle to upper class families.
Two of the girls we found for our first program were living on the streets with there mothers, usually in fatherless situation. Two of the initial girls are from far western Nepal from families who cannot afford bread and butter for the family. The last two are Anita and Astha, mentioned above.
Two of the girls we found for our first program were living on the streets with there mothers, usually in fatherless situation. Two of the initial girls are from far western Nepal from families who cannot afford bread and butter for the family. The last two are Anita and Astha, mentioned above.