Beyond her years
Inside the life of a girl balancing work, learning and activism in Nepal’s south
“As girls, we’re always told by society that we should be patient, be tolerant. But that should not be to the point of losing ourselves,” Rachana shares.
Rachana is a busy 17-year-old. By early morning, she is already out on her cycle on the streets of Kapilvastu in Nepal’s southern plains, helping her father deliver milk. After completing her diploma in computer studies, she has now stepped into barista training, which takes up her afternoons.
Then, on weekends, she takes up the mantle of a Rupantaran facilitator, working to raise awareness about child marriage in her community. She returns to her alma mater – Shree Baal Shikshya Secondary School – where she leads young girls in gaining key financial and social skills as part of the Rupantaran package.
Rachana believes that it is interaction and play that makes more of an impact than long lectures, which is why she incorporates role-play activities in her sessions. One of the dramas is on child marriage, designed to reveal to participants the pitfalls and long-term repercussions of getting married too early.
“Rather than being made to memorize information, using drama to communicate ideas — while engaging the girls themselves — is a much more effective way of influencing them.”
And certainly, her influence is clear. Rachana has already helped stop three child marriages in her community, counselling those involved and advising them to take a different path, and on one occasion, obliged to intervene directly.
So, what drives her to continue such efforts? She says it all begins at home.
Raised in a supportive family of five, Rachana grew up with values rooted in kindness and doing what is right. These values shape who she is today, someone who is gentle, yet firm when needed; compassionate, yet unafraid to speak up.
She shares a close bond with her mother. More than just a parent-child relationship, one built not just on love, but on learning. Rachana has taught her mother to read and write in Nepali.
“Now she’s able to read and write in Nepali.”
Her mother, who never had the chance to go to school, always believed education would open doors to a better future.
“I’d make sure my children would study, and watch them have bright, shining futures.”
Inspired, Rachana shares her long-held desire to become a teacher.
“It’s because of teachers that leaders, doctors, and pilots are born, isn’t it?” she asks matter-of-factly.
For now, though, Rachana is keen to continue as she is, helping her family at home, learning new skills, supporting adolescent girls and boys, and giving back to her community and country in whatever way she can.
Rupantaran is an initiative under the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage, generously funded by the Governments of Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Zonta International.
