Reclaiming her childhood
In western Nepal, timely diagnosis and treatment for a heart condition through a UNICEF-supported initiative are helping a young girl return to the everyday joys of childhood.
Dailekh, Nepal: “I can run much faster than my siblings now,” shares 11-year-old Sarita.
Every day in her village in Narayan Municipality, Dailekh District, Sarita walks with her siblings to the terraced fields below her home, where they graze the family’s goats and collect grass for their cattle.
She lives with her parents and two younger siblings, while her grandparents live next door. Her days now move through the familiar rhythms of school, homework, household chores and time spent playing with her sister and brother.
For many years, however, even these ordinary moments were difficult for her. Having lived with congenital heart disease since birth, Sarita often became tired during routine activities.
“I would run out of breath easily, and my pulse would rise rapidly. Because of my condition, it was challenging to walk to school, to play and to help out around the house,” shares Sarita.
Her father, Nawaraj, remembers the worry of those early years, when Sarita frequently fell sick and he and his wife did not yet know what was causing her symptoms.
“We thought that young children are prone to pneumonia, so we kept taking her to the hospital and getting her medication every time.”
As her symptoms worsened, the family consulted doctors and learned that Sarita had a heart condition that could lead to complications as she grew older. Doctors recommended timely treatment, but for the family, the decision carried the weight of worry, uncertainty and financial strain.
Then, support became available through the establishment of a UNICEF-supported PEN-Plus clinic at the district hospital, designed to treat non-communicable diseases in children and adolescents. Through the PEN-Plus integrated care delivery programme, children like Sarita are being connected to timely diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care closer to home.
With the clinic’s recommendation and facilitation, Sarita travelled to Kathmandu with her uncle for surgery at the Shahid Gangalal National Heart Centre.
The surgery was successful, and Sarita slowly began settling into a different routine: one where school, play and helping at home no longer felt as difficult as before.
UNICEF Nepal/2026/SDangol
“Now I don't have chest pains, and it’s much easier to do things." - Sarita
Her favourite subject in school is health. For Sarita, the lessons carry a personal meaning, offering her a way to better understand her own body.
“They teach you about different diseases and their treatment. I like learning about that.”
The change is also visible to Nawaraj, who now sees his daughter doing many of the things that once exhausted her.
“I'm glad that today my child has a new life, and I'm able to continue holding her hand and walk with her.”
With support from Eli Lilly and Company through UNICEF USA, UNICEF Nepal is working under the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Population, Government of Nepal, and in partnership with the Kathmandu Institute of Child Health, to expand PEN-Plus services for children and adolescents at risk of non-communicable diseases across Nepal.
UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, organization, product or service.
