Original Nepali version by Rewat Raj Timilsina
Original Nepali version edited by Chanki Shrestha
Illustration: Eka Ram Singh
English translation by Sanjoo Sharma
Edited by Hikmat Khadka
Table of contentsForeword
Preface
Acknowledgment
Introduction
1. Street children in Nepal
1.1 Overview
1.2 Characteristics
1.3 Livelihood of street children and their contribution to society
1.4 Diversity – ethnicity, caste and class
1.5 Implication of conflict
1.6 Differences between street children in Kathmandu and Lalitpur
1.7 Dreams
1.8 Life after street
2. Janajagaran Manch Nepal (JAFON)
2.1 Establishment
2.2 Hamro Sansar (Our World)
3. Stories of street children and street youths
3.1 Amit – Escape from abduction
3.2 Biraj – Maoists at the school
3.3 Shree Krishna – Nowhere to go
3.4 Motay – Caught in the middle
3.5 Rajesh – Harassment by mother
ForewordThis booklet has presented the daily activities, lifestyle and future plans of the children and youths living on the streets in a factual manner. I feel that it will touch the hearts of those individuals who are curious to know more about street children and street youths.
The author has not only included stories but also used research approach to present factual data related to street children. He has found out the various reasons why children come to the streets; he tells readers what the future plans of these children are, and explains the differences that exist between street children living in different towns and cities. He also includes a list of organizations working for street children. I believe the information provided in this booklet, as well as programs that have participation from former and current street children and street youths, will prove useful for governmental and non-governmental organizations in designing their programs related to the rehabilitation and socialization of street children and street youths.
Any study and research will only prepare a basis and an outline for social transformation. If organizations working for social transformation do not embrace or adopt the research results, then its publication alone will be limited to academic work. Academic exercises cannot yet be deemed to be popular in an under-developed country like ours. Therefore, the responsibility to execute the tasks, as pointed out in this booklet, is now on our shoulders.
I would like to commend the author’s hard work involved in presenting the reality of street children and street youths before the readers. I wish for the success of this publication.
Shiva Prasad Poudel
For the Executive Director
Central Child Welfare Board[i]
Harihar Bhawan, Pulchowk, Lalitpur
9 February 2007
Preface
When I first met Rewat Raj Timilsina, the author of this booklet, he was not only very young but also more mature than his age. I believe his own life experience made him mature at a young age. I had the opportunity to do some social work with him and also to get to know some of his friends and well-wishers. If only our State was aware enough, I feel it could do something substantial with the energy, enthusiasm and determination of young people like Rewat.
In Rewat’s commitment towards the street children, there is no artificial flavor. His commitment springs out from his own life experience. Like his first book, Sadak Jindagani[ii] , this booklet, too, covers all aspects of the lives led by street children, together with additional facts and experience stories.
Through its facts and findings, this booklet has come up with ideas that could be helpful for organizations working for street children, in designing effective programs and plans for their smooth operation. The issues raised by the author are simple and straightforward. Had the writing followed a development-oriented[iii] and an academic style, the experiences of street children may have, once again, catered to the luxurious meetings and seminars of intellectual and development-based circles. But I am pleased that this has not happened.
The biggest strength of the author is that, apart from writing books and reports on street children’s experiences, he works tirelessly for their welfare. This booklet contains many reflections of his personal experience. I also feel that this booklet is a summary of experiences and facts.
Prahlad Kumar Dhakal
Friends of Needy Children (FNC)[iv]
Acknowledgment
Jagaran Manch Nepal (JAFON) would like to thank the Niwano Peace Foundation, Japan for their help in publicizing the facts about street children and raising awareness in society through a project named People’s Documentation Project for Peace in Nepal. We would also like to thank SHAPLA NEER[v], which has been providing financial assistance to Hamro Sansar[vi], where this booklet was written. Our thanks are also due to Hari Krishna Dangol, Kumar Rai, Gopal Gorachandra, Raju Maharjan, Raju Lama, Bishal Lama and others for their frequent advice and suggestions while writing this booklet.
We are very grateful to Ms. Masako Tanaka, the co-coordinator of People’s Documentation Project for Peace in Nepal, for her active involvement in the documentation process from the very beginning. This booklet is the realization of her dream, and we are just a medium.
We had originally planned to include real-life photographs in this booklet. For this purpose, photographs had been collected from various national and international sources. But for various reasons, the photographs could not be included[vii]. However, we would like to thank all our national and international friends who supported us by providing cameras. We also thank two street children, who were actively involved in the production of this booklet from the very beginning. Similarly, our heartfelt thanks go to all the street children and street youths for sharing their personal stories with us, for allowing us to take photographs of them and for being willing to be interviewed. The publication of this booklet was not an easy job. But we are extremely happy that we succeeded in publishing it, having overcome several obstacles. We would like to thank everyone else who helped us during the course of publication of this booklet.
Rewat Raj Timilsina
Chairperson
Jagaran Manch Nepal (JAFON)
[i] Central Child Welfare Development Board (CCWB), www.ccwb.gov.np
[ii] Street Life
[iii] This is supposed to have a negative connotation here, as there is a general feeling in Nepal that development organizations do not do much in terms of the real work they are supposed to do.
[iv] Friends of Needy Children (FNC), www.fncnepal.org
[v] SHAPLA NEER (Citizens’ Committee in Japan for Overseas Support), www.shaplaneer.org
[vi] SHAPLA NEER withdrew its support from JAFON in 2007
[vii] Although the booklet does not contain the photographs, they have been included on the website.
Introduction
It took me nearly two months to complete this booklet. The children involved in it have worked very hard. Sometimes, we had to run after them to interview them; at other times, they refused to tell us their full stories. Some did not want to share their personal experiences with us. It was challenging to extract true stories from the children. But it was not impossible, especially given the interviewer’s background, who himself used to be a street child.
What wasn’t particularly easy was to follow these children in their daily activities in order to take photographs for their stories. For instance, we sometimes had to go to the streets at midnight to take their photographs. Sometimes, they were high on dendrite, which made it harder for us to get their consent for photographs. Furthermore, they complained that one or the other organization took photographs of them almost every day, using them for their own benefit, and they did not do anything for the welfare of street children. But, in this case, they were willing to have their photographs taken after it was explained to them that they were needed for the organization which was supporting them; that they would, in the long-run, benefit the street children in some way; and that their organization was run by someone who, like them, once used to live on the streets.
When other organizations came to take their photographs, they often gave them some money, bought them good food and clothes and promised to do something for their future. They made similar demands with JAFON.
We were in need of several action shots of the same person. We needed the photo sessions to progress smoothly. We also needed the photographs to be as natural as possible. For this purpose, we trained 30 street children and street youths in photography at a one-day workshop. 10 best trainees were selected, and seven of them took photographs related to their friends’ daily activities. During the process, we came across a street child, 14-15 years of age, who was preparing a flag for a Maoist program. However, Maoist cadres prohibited us from taking photographs of him.
Two street children were actively involved in the preparation of this booklet from the very beginning. The booklet project was explained to them very clearly, in the presence of the author, editor, photographer and organizations providing financial assistance.
This booklet should be helpful in doing a comparative study between the condition of children who have lived on the streets for 10 years and the new street children. How did the 10-year Maoist People’s War affect street children? How were they and their families compelled to spend their life on the streets due to the conflict between the State and the Maoists? What are the dreams and aspirations of street children? What and how are their daily activities? What was their condition during the various movements, closures and curfews? This booklet shall answer some of these questions, which, we believe, will be of help to organizations that want to work for street children.
In a span of nearly 20 years, Rs[i] 300 million has already been spent in the name of these children, but the problem has not yet been solved. Some 8-10 years ago, it used to be reported that there were 5000 street children in Nepal. The same figure is still being used. The number of street children should have decreased over the last 10 years because the number of organizations working for them has quadrupled during this period. Funds have been invested in the same proportion. It is clear that there has been no change in the planning policy related to street children. Otherwise, why are organizations still using the old and outdated figure? A study conducted by the Central Child Welfare Board, in collaboration with street children and organizations including JAFON, collected the detailed information of 740 children. But this data is incomplete in itself. It is difficult to tell by how much the number of street children has increased or decreased in these 10 years.
We want to tell national and international organizations wishing to work for the welfare of street children that we need a correct and a long-term work-plan in favor of the street children. Radical changes are needed in the existing investment policy and plans. Money is a necessity for every individual, organization and country. But in the absence of the right policy and work-plan, no investment will be effective, regardless of how big the amount is. Therefore, organizations working for street children should focus on the development and implementation of a common work-plan concept.
It took me nearly two months to complete this booklet. The children involved in it have worked very hard. Sometimes, we had to run after them to interview them; at other times, they refused to tell us their full stories. Some did not want to share their personal experiences with us. It was challenging to extract true stories from the children. But it was not impossible, especially given the interviewer’s background, who himself used to be a street child.
What wasn’t particularly easy was to follow these children in their daily activities in order to take photographs for their stories. For instance, we sometimes had to go to the streets at midnight to take their photographs. Sometimes, they were high on dendrite, which made it harder for us to get their consent for photographs. Furthermore, they complained that one or the other organization took photographs of them almost every day, using them for their own benefit, and they did not do anything for the welfare of street children. But, in this case, they were willing to have their photographs taken after it was explained to them that they were needed for the organization which was supporting them; that they would, in the long-run, benefit the street children in some way; and that their organization was run by someone who, like them, once used to live on the streets.
When other organizations came to take their photographs, they often gave them some money, bought them good food and clothes and promised to do something for their future. They made similar demands with JAFON.
We were in need of several action shots of the same person. We needed the photo sessions to progress smoothly. We also needed the photographs to be as natural as possible. For this purpose, we trained 30 street children and street youths in photography at a one-day workshop. 10 best trainees were selected, and seven of them took photographs related to their friends’ daily activities. During the process, we came across a street child, 14-15 years of age, who was preparing a flag for a Maoist program. However, Maoist cadres prohibited us from taking photographs of him.
Two street children were actively involved in the preparation of this booklet from the very beginning. The booklet project was explained to them very clearly, in the presence of the author, editor, photographer and organizations providing financial assistance.
This booklet should be helpful in doing a comparative study between the condition of children who have lived on the streets for 10 years and the new street children. How did the 10-year Maoist People’s War affect street children? How were they and their families compelled to spend their life on the streets due to the conflict between the State and the Maoists? What are the dreams and aspirations of street children? What and how are their daily activities? What was their condition during the various movements, closures and curfews? This booklet shall answer some of these questions, which, we believe, will be of help to organizations that want to work for street children.
In a span of nearly 20 years, Rs[i] 300 million has already been spent in the name of these children, but the problem has not yet been solved. Some 8-10 years ago, it used to be reported that there were 5000 street children in Nepal. The same figure is still being used. The number of street children should have decreased over the last 10 years because the number of organizations working for them has quadrupled during this period. Funds have been invested in the same proportion. It is clear that there has been no change in the planning policy related to street children. Otherwise, why are organizations still using the old and outdated figure? A study conducted by the Central Child Welfare Board, in collaboration with street children and organizations including JAFON, collected the detailed information of 740 children. But this data is incomplete in itself. It is difficult to tell by how much the number of street children has increased or decreased in these 10 years.
We want to tell national and international organizations wishing to work for the welfare of street children that we need a correct and a long-term work-plan in favor of the street children. Radical changes are needed in the existing investment policy and plans. Money is a necessity for every individual, organization and country. But in the absence of the right policy and work-plan, no investment will be effective, regardless of how big the amount is. Therefore, organizations working for street children should focus on the development and implementation of a common work-plan concept.
When it comes to wanting to learn a skill, there is huge difference between the interest demonstrated by the children who have been living on the streets for 10 years and the current street children. This booklet should help concerned individuals and organizations to study these differences. If a work-plan is developed according to this study, appropriate steps could be taken to resolves the problem. The other notable fact highlighted in this booklet is that the street children now are more educated than the ones in the past. Many of these children did not want to study, so they left home and came to live on the streets. What is important to understand here is that street children are not particularly interested in education. Instead, various skill development training opportunities should be provided to them. However, this is not to say that educational irrelevant. The number of street children who want continue their studies is also not less. We are only suggesting that equal emphasis should be given to both education and skill development programs.
[i] Short for rupees, the currency of Nepal (US$1=Rs 78, as of February 2009)
1. Street children in Nepal1.1 Overview[i]
There is no factual history related to the street children in Nepal. When and in what condition were they found? There is no answer to this question in the records maintained by any organization. Since there hasn’t been any in-depth study about street children, there is no concrete information related to them. Even organizations, which have been working for years for the welfare of street children, do not have an answer to some of these questions: why were they called street children? How did they start living on the streets? Who took the first initiative to rescue them?
Let alone the past, these organizations don’t even possess a current statistics of these children. A survey conducted by CWIN[ii], in 2002, stated that there were almost 5000 street children in Nepal, with almost 1000 to 1500 children on the streets of Kathmandu. No proper studies were conducted thereafter. The data presented by different organizations seems to vary, which makes it difficult for one to trust the reliability of such data. Similar surveys were conducted by other organizations working for street children. According to CWSN[iii], there were 250 street children in Pokhara. Similarly, a study conducted by UPCA[iv] showed that there were 200 children each on the streets of Dharan and Biratnagar. And according to CPCS[v], there were 200 children each on the streets of Narayanghat and Butwal.
Though there isn't a concrete factual history about street children, it has been estimated that Nepali children have been living on the streets for the last 25 years. It has also been found that various national and international organizations started paying attention to street children around the same time. Therefore, international organizations have been working, in collaboration with Nepali organizations, for street children for over two decades. Presently, the number of organizations working in the street children’s sector has increased. Given the two and a half decade history of street children in Nepal, and the presence of so many organizations, including JAFON, working in this sector, the outcome of the initiatives taken so far does not look satisfactory. In fact, many organizations started working without the knowledge of what the street children needed. Findings reveal that almost Rs 300 million has already been spent in the name of street children. This is not an ordinary amount. Furthermore, if we go into the detailed calculation of the corporal investment of various national and international NGOs, then the actual investment may even exceed the amount mentioned above. Why, in spite of such a hefty investment, could the problem of street children not be solved? This is a serious question.
Given below is a list of some organizations working for street children in Nepal, together with their work stations:
- CWIN: Kathmandu and Pokhara
- CPCS: Kathmandu, Narayanghat and Butwal
- SAHARA: Kathmandu
- Voice of Children: Kathmandu and Lalitpur
- Sath-Sath: Kathmandu
- CWSN: Pokhara
- SATHI: Lalitpur
- UPCA: Dharan, Biratnagar and Inaruwa
- Diyalo Parivaar: Narayanghat
- Bal Watawaran Kendra: Kathmandu
- CAPCON: Lalitpur
- CCC: Butwal
- Jagaran Manch Nepal (JAFON): Lalitpur
If we look at the present scenario, we see that the number of street children is increasing instead of decreasing. Few years ago, the prime reason for children coming to live on the streets was poverty. Slowly, the situation is changing, and so are their reasons for living on the streets. Children have taken up a life on the streets because they have been ignored by their parents, disturbed by family dispute and influenced by friends. There are even instances of children from affluent families finding a home for themselves on the streets.
Many children came to live on the streets after 1996, as families were displaced from their homes because of the conflict between the Maoists and the State. Consequently, they were forced to leave their villages, their children following them, and migrate to towns and cities like Kathmandu and Lalitpur. Therefore, these cities in particular saw a drastic increase in the number of street children. Also, during the conflict, children who were above 11 years of age were recruited from the villages, by the Maoists; they were also suspected of being Maoists and were harassed by the army. While many of these children chose to move to towns and cities, some were forced by their parents to take such a move. In the absence of proper job opportunities in the city, street life served as an easy option for the survival of these children.
The children from such displaced families, especially with a weaker economic standing, took up a life on the streets. They became accustomed to living on the streets, so much so that they did not want to return to their villages, even though the situation there improved later. The attraction of the city was so profound in them that in spite of financial crisis, they were not willing to leave the streets.
Their parents were busy earning for the family and often did not have the time for their children. The children also worked during the day, and in the name of helping their parents, they ended up on the streets. This meant that there was danger that they would be influenced by other street children to become permanent street children.
In the present context, there are two types of street children in Nepal. One category of them spends the entire day and night on the streets. The other category spends the day on the streets but returns home during the night. Some continue to live permanently on the streets even after they reach 20 years of age. As they have been living on the streets for a long time, records of such children and youths exist with most organizations. But it is difficult to estimate the number of children who spend their day time on the streets and return home in the evening. Even some of these children stop going back to their families once they make friends with the more permanent street children.
[i] The author’s opinion in this section is the same as in the original Nepali version
[ii] Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN), web: www.cwin.org.np
[iii] Child Welfare Scheme Nepal (CSWN), www.childwelfare.org
[iv] Under Privileged Children Association (UPCA), www.upca.org.np
[v] Child Protection Centers and Services (CPCS), www.cpcs-int.org
1.2 Characteristics
The nature of street children is slightly different as compared to other children. For example, they trust each other very much, but they don’t trust or want to mingle with strangers. Once they trust someone, the trust is unbreakable. They open their heart to the person they trust and do not hesitate to share with them the good and bad things about their daily lives. At first, they may seem introvert, but once you get talking to them, you will find them very friendly. But they might not reciprocate the same level of dedication you have for them. In spite of your frankness, they might still try to take advantage of you. That is why things like your money and belongings going missing become normal when street children enter your life. But there will come a day when they will get tired of street life and will want to get involved in a noble cause. If they get your support, they will quit street life and become good citizens. As part of our budgeted program, when we went looking for street children, we found that some had chosen a good path while others had returned to the streets after being fed up of people’s selfish attitude.
Street children spend more money as compared to other children. Many Nepali families must wait for special festivals before they can afford to eat meat. But street children do not eat their food without meat. This might come as a surprise, but it is a fact. If they have enough money with them, all they want to buy is meat. It is their habit to watch movies almost every day and to keep eating at frequent intervals. They collect waste plastic to make a living, and they seldom fall ill. Their immunization power is strong, and because they eat food enriched with vitamin, they are often in good health.
Street children wish to earn money even after they quit street life. This is so because they are used to earning during street life. They don’t mind working 12-14 hours a day for an income. The first dream of almost every street child is to become a taxi driver. It is clear to them that they can earn more money by driving taxis. Some of their other dreams include wanting to marry a girl from affluent families and to become a film star. In some cases, they even struggle against class-based discrimination and the State.
The nature of street children is slightly different as compared to other children. For example, they trust each other very much, but they don’t trust or want to mingle with strangers. Once they trust someone, the trust is unbreakable. They open their heart to the person they trust and do not hesitate to share with them the good and bad things about their daily lives. At first, they may seem introvert, but once you get talking to them, you will find them very friendly. But they might not reciprocate the same level of dedication you have for them. In spite of your frankness, they might still try to take advantage of you. That is why things like your money and belongings going missing become normal when street children enter your life. But there will come a day when they will get tired of street life and will want to get involved in a noble cause. If they get your support, they will quit street life and become good citizens. As part of our budgeted program, when we went looking for street children, we found that some had chosen a good path while others had returned to the streets after being fed up of people’s selfish attitude.
Street children spend more money as compared to other children. Many Nepali families must wait for special festivals before they can afford to eat meat. But street children do not eat their food without meat. This might come as a surprise, but it is a fact. If they have enough money with them, all they want to buy is meat. It is their habit to watch movies almost every day and to keep eating at frequent intervals. They collect waste plastic to make a living, and they seldom fall ill. Their immunization power is strong, and because they eat food enriched with vitamin, they are often in good health.
Street children wish to earn money even after they quit street life. This is so because they are used to earning during street life. They don’t mind working 12-14 hours a day for an income. The first dream of almost every street child is to become a taxi driver. It is clear to them that they can earn more money by driving taxis. Some of their other dreams include wanting to marry a girl from affluent families and to become a film star. In some cases, they even struggle against class-based discrimination and the State.
Street children also want to reform themselves. But it takes time. They make mistakes frequently due to bad past habits.
1.3 Livelihood of street children and their contribution to societyThe main source of income for the street children are waste plastic, milk packets, oil pouches, broken plastic buckets, bottles, pieces of copper, tin and iron. They collect these items from neighborhoods and streets, and earn their daily bread and butter by selling them.
If street children hadn’t collected the waste from our surrounding, it would have created a serious problem. For instance, diseases would spread and epidemics would break out. So, in a way, street children are relieving city-dwellers from health hazards; they are also assisting the metropolitan authorities with waste management. However, they are still disregarded and looked down upon.
The trend of disrespecting and abusing street children by referring them as khate[i] and chor[ii] still continues. Although they assist the metropolitan authorities with waste management, there are no programs to support these children. Their contribution to waste management should be evaluated, and the metropolitan authorities should make the necessary provision for their health, security, skill and education. City-dwellers should change their outlook on street children because they are directly contributing to their good health. In the present scenario, it would be difficult to imagine a healthy and clean city in the absence of these children. If only they didn’t collect the waste for 10 days, the city environment would be so polluted that cholera and other epidemics would break out. Then, on the other hand, waste metal items collected by these children are proving direct employment opportunities to many individuals and organizations[iii]. However, street children receive no dividend. Social bodies which are directly benefiting because of the street children are only creating an adverse situation for these children. They only think about their gains and benefit. They do not feel indebted towards the street children, or acknowledge them, in any way.
What would happen if street children stopped collecting waste metal items? How much money would metropolitan authorities have to invest in metal and waste collection? What would happen to factories that run because of the items street children collect? How would the health of city-dwellers be affected? These questions need serious thought and consideration. It’s time for those who are benefiting directly because of the street children to change their negative outlook on them. In fact, the role of street children in environment conservation appears to be important.
Street children get actively involved in door-to-door waste collection and management activities from a very young age. The children who once used to collect waste by carrying a sack on their back are now going around blowing whistles and collecting waste, and contributing directly to society. Only, their working style has changed. But the street children are negatively affected now. Previously, streets used to be littered with rubbish everywhere, and the metropolitan waste management department usually collected the garbage very late. So the street children got to collect waste plastic and sell it for money. But now, people are not allowed to throw garbage wherever they like, and the metropolitan waste management department collects the waste from designated areas early in the morning. This has endangered the street children’s waste-collection occupation. Therefore, they are forced to get involved in negative activities, including theft, robbery and prostitution. While some children are involved in waste management, the younger children beg on the streets. Some others are still struggling to make a living by collecting and selling waste plastic from the streets.
Though waste management is important from the environmental perspective, we should not forget about the other side of the coin. When the occupation of street children is endangered, they are driven towards negative activities, which is certain to appear as a major problem for the State. The government should, therefore, think of alternatives in time.
Given below is a summary of the daily activities of the street children:
- They search for waste plastic from 6 in the evening until midnight.
- After midnight, some of them sleep on the streets, while others return to their respective organizations; some even go to junkyards.
- They wake up at 4-5 in the morning, go out again in search of waste plastic and sell the collected plastic from 8 to 10.
- After selling the collected items, they go out for the day, watch movies or get engaged in other forms of entertainment.- They finish their money by buying meat, gambling, watching movies, going out and by purchasing clothes, alcoholic drinks and dendrite.
1.4 Diversity – ethnicity, caste and class
There is no caste-based discrimination among the street children. When they are meeting someone for the first time, they do not ask the caste of that person. If in the course of living or being together, they happened to know the caste of a friend, they addressed that person with their caste. For instance, if that person was from the Brahmin community, they would be addressed as Bahun. Similarly, if someone belonged to the Bhutia community, then they would be called Bhote. But this is not applicable to everybody. For instance, if someone is from a low caste, such as Kami[i] and Damai[ii], then that person is called by their caste. This shows that they have also been influenced by social culture and practices.
Although street children do not make discrimination between upper caste and lower caste, they still tease each other by their caste. For instance, if someone is a Brahmin, the others around him say, “Bahun Baje[iii] won’t eat the food touched by us.” Then the Brahmin replies, “You are almost touching my food. If you touch it, maybe you will eat it too. So let me run away with my food!” Clearly, they make fun of the practice of untouchability that still exists in Nepal. Sometimes they even have a debate on various castes and creed. All this is done for fun, without intending to hurt or derogate another. When these children turn adults, caste-based discrimination becomes a non-issue. Many street youths have gone for inter-caste marriages. Some of them marry while still living on the streets. There are also cases where they have delivered babies on the street. In such cases, various organizations seem to be helping them.
There are also examples of some street youth breaking wealth and class-based barriers. For instance, they have fallen in love with girls from affluent families and even married them. For instance, there was a boy who had been living on the streets for 12-13 years. While still on the streets, he fell in love with a girl who was a resident of Kathmandu. After a few months, the girl’s family found out about their affair and tried to separate them. But the couple ran away and went to Pokhara. The girl’s family brought her back from Pokhara and married her to somebody else. There are many cases such as this one.
However, some affairs have been successful, too. Affluent families have accepted their daughter’s choice. After the marriage, they have supported the street youth to take up various professions. In this way, some street youths have been leading a dignified life.
There is no caste-based discrimination among the street children. When they are meeting someone for the first time, they do not ask the caste of that person. If in the course of living or being together, they happened to know the caste of a friend, they addressed that person with their caste. For instance, if that person was from the Brahmin community, they would be addressed as Bahun. Similarly, if someone belonged to the Bhutia community, then they would be called Bhote. But this is not applicable to everybody. For instance, if someone is from a low caste, such as Kami[i] and Damai[ii], then that person is called by their caste. This shows that they have also been influenced by social culture and practices.
Although street children do not make discrimination between upper caste and lower caste, they still tease each other by their caste. For instance, if someone is a Brahmin, the others around him say, “Bahun Baje[iii] won’t eat the food touched by us.” Then the Brahmin replies, “You are almost touching my food. If you touch it, maybe you will eat it too. So let me run away with my food!” Clearly, they make fun of the practice of untouchability that still exists in Nepal. Sometimes they even have a debate on various castes and creed. All this is done for fun, without intending to hurt or derogate another. When these children turn adults, caste-based discrimination becomes a non-issue. Many street youths have gone for inter-caste marriages. Some of them marry while still living on the streets. There are also cases where they have delivered babies on the street. In such cases, various organizations seem to be helping them.
There are also examples of some street youth breaking wealth and class-based barriers. For instance, they have fallen in love with girls from affluent families and even married them. For instance, there was a boy who had been living on the streets for 12-13 years. While still on the streets, he fell in love with a girl who was a resident of Kathmandu. After a few months, the girl’s family found out about their affair and tried to separate them. But the couple ran away and went to Pokhara. The girl’s family brought her back from Pokhara and married her to somebody else. There are many cases such as this one.
However, some affairs have been successful, too. Affluent families have accepted their daughter’s choice. After the marriage, they have supported the street youth to take up various professions. In this way, some street youths have been leading a dignified life.
No proper research has been conducted to study the condition of street children by caste, religion and economic status. As a matter of fact, these aspects seem to make a significant impact in their lives. In view of some of the ‘estimated’ statistics above, it appears important to conduct a research on their caste and religion.
1.5 Implication of conflict
The problem related to street children is a serious one for Nepal. But it has often been overshadowed. On the one hand, the organizations working in this sector do not seem to be making much of a positive impact. On the other, Nepal’s other problems seem to be encouraging the street children. Due to the conflict, many children were displaced from their villages and were forced to live in the city streets. Moreover, the conflict made it even more difficult for them to spend their lives on the streets. Many children entered the cities due to fear of the Maoists. In the villages, they would either be forcefully recruited by the Maoists or suspected by the army of being Maoists or their spies. Therefore, they ran away to the city out of their own will or were advised by their families to do so. But when they came to the city, they could not find a job for themselves, and the only alternative they had was street life. There are also cases where some children spent some time with the Maoists before escaping from them.
During the movement for democracy, in 2006, the situation of the street children became very tense. They were very frightened and unsteady during this period because of the curfew imposed by the government in the country’s major towns and cities. The army was deployed in every junction and alley. No one knew when fire would be opened. Given such circumstances, these children could not come out for many days. It’s hard to tell where they must have stayed during that period, but one can guess that they must have found shelter in some corner of the city and in junkyards, or they must have sought refuge with various organizations. Their other problem at the time was their work. When the movement was taking place, they were not able to collect waste plastic and junk. As a result of this, they couldn’t make an income and had to starve for many days.
There were even cases where some children were trampled by the crowd during the movement. These children came out when they saw the mob, but when the security personnel chased the mob, the children got crushed in the rushing crowd.
Shiva Lama has been living on the streets for seven years. He has bitter experiences of being harassed by the army. He feels that the army and the police harass the street children much more now than they did in the past. When he and his friends went out at night, to collect waste plastic, they searched them over, suspecting them of being Maoists. When they explained that they weren’t Maoists, the security personnel scolded and abused them. They also inquired the street children how often they met with the Maoists.
On the one hand, the army and police harassed the street children, and on the other, the Maoists forcefully involved street youths in their meetings. They experienced pressure from both sides.
Some street children were even detained on various charges, such as theft, fighting and drug abuse. Such children were threatened and intimidated by the police, who accused them of being Maoists.
The problem related to street children is a serious one for Nepal. But it has often been overshadowed. On the one hand, the organizations working in this sector do not seem to be making much of a positive impact. On the other, Nepal’s other problems seem to be encouraging the street children. Due to the conflict, many children were displaced from their villages and were forced to live in the city streets. Moreover, the conflict made it even more difficult for them to spend their lives on the streets. Many children entered the cities due to fear of the Maoists. In the villages, they would either be forcefully recruited by the Maoists or suspected by the army of being Maoists or their spies. Therefore, they ran away to the city out of their own will or were advised by their families to do so. But when they came to the city, they could not find a job for themselves, and the only alternative they had was street life. There are also cases where some children spent some time with the Maoists before escaping from them.
During the movement for democracy, in 2006, the situation of the street children became very tense. They were very frightened and unsteady during this period because of the curfew imposed by the government in the country’s major towns and cities. The army was deployed in every junction and alley. No one knew when fire would be opened. Given such circumstances, these children could not come out for many days. It’s hard to tell where they must have stayed during that period, but one can guess that they must have found shelter in some corner of the city and in junkyards, or they must have sought refuge with various organizations. Their other problem at the time was their work. When the movement was taking place, they were not able to collect waste plastic and junk. As a result of this, they couldn’t make an income and had to starve for many days.
There were even cases where some children were trampled by the crowd during the movement. These children came out when they saw the mob, but when the security personnel chased the mob, the children got crushed in the rushing crowd.
Shiva Lama has been living on the streets for seven years. He has bitter experiences of being harassed by the army. He feels that the army and the police harass the street children much more now than they did in the past. When he and his friends went out at night, to collect waste plastic, they searched them over, suspecting them of being Maoists. When they explained that they weren’t Maoists, the security personnel scolded and abused them. They also inquired the street children how often they met with the Maoists.
On the one hand, the army and police harassed the street children, and on the other, the Maoists forcefully involved street youths in their meetings. They experienced pressure from both sides.
Some street children were even detained on various charges, such as theft, fighting and drug abuse. Such children were threatened and intimidated by the police, who accused them of being Maoists.
Street children faced many hardships during the conflict. In this connection, organizations working for street children held discussions with the police several times. According to the police, it was likely that street youths would be used by the Maoists. But when we looked at the situation from our perspective, we found that street children and street youths were caught between both sides. This book includes stories of children who were affected by the conflict and later forced to take up street life. These children were harassed by the Maoists. We could not reach out to those who had been harassed by the government security forces. This book therefore reveals some negative aspects relating to the Maoists. But we have read in the national papers that the number of street children who were harassed by the government security is also around the same. We must therefore make it clear that we are not biased towards or against any particular party.
1.6 Differences between street children in Kathmandu and Lalitpur
The condition of not all the street children living in Nepal’s major towns and cities is the same. The structure of the town/city, facilities availed as well as the population play a vital role in this variation. Some towns/cities may be equipped with more facilities, where lifestyle and eating habits may be completely modern. These conditions determine the lifestyle of street children also. We need not go too far. We can see a huge difference between the lifestyles of the street children in Lalitpur and Kathmandu.
The general feeling seems to be that all street children are of similar nature. When most people hear about someone living on the streets, they tend to assume that they must all have the same attitude and nature. But it has been found that their situations vary according to the place where they live. According to JAFON’s findings, there are around 200 street children in Lalitpur. It has been estimated that there are nearly 800 street children in Kathmandu alone. Among them, 400 are in the contact with JAFON. It is quite surprising that there is such a drastic difference in the number of street children in these two cities. The children in Lalitpur are generally cleverer and more educated than the ones in Kathmandu. Comparatively, children have more access to opportunities in Lalitpur. Likewise, their eating habits also differ. The children in Kathmandu get to eat two to three meals a day. They also receive food at programs and campaigns organized by various organizations.
Interestingly, the Lalitpur children visit Kathmandu less often, whereas the Kathmandu children visit quite Lalitpur frequently. Due to scanty availability of plastic in Kathmandu, these children are found to be going to Lalitpur.
Comparatively, there are more street children-related organizations in Kathmandu than in Lalitpur. Even the media seems to support the Kathmandu children more. These children come into contact with various individuals.
The Lalitpur children are found to be in constant touch with their families, whereas the Kathmandu children are not so keen to be in touch with their families. Most small children, who come to Lalitpur, are from nearby villages. Therefore, it’s not hard for them to stay in touch with their families. If they have Rs 20-50 in their pockets, they can travel home anytime. During the festival of Dashain[i], most of these children visit their families. There are some children who despite being ignored by their family visit their parents often. Some children are supporting their families by collecting waste plastic. In some cases, the whole family has taken up this work. A number of other parents have become street vendors.
The condition of not all the street children living in Nepal’s major towns and cities is the same. The structure of the town/city, facilities availed as well as the population play a vital role in this variation. Some towns/cities may be equipped with more facilities, where lifestyle and eating habits may be completely modern. These conditions determine the lifestyle of street children also. We need not go too far. We can see a huge difference between the lifestyles of the street children in Lalitpur and Kathmandu.
The general feeling seems to be that all street children are of similar nature. When most people hear about someone living on the streets, they tend to assume that they must all have the same attitude and nature. But it has been found that their situations vary according to the place where they live. According to JAFON’s findings, there are around 200 street children in Lalitpur. It has been estimated that there are nearly 800 street children in Kathmandu alone. Among them, 400 are in the contact with JAFON. It is quite surprising that there is such a drastic difference in the number of street children in these two cities. The children in Lalitpur are generally cleverer and more educated than the ones in Kathmandu. Comparatively, children have more access to opportunities in Lalitpur. Likewise, their eating habits also differ. The children in Kathmandu get to eat two to three meals a day. They also receive food at programs and campaigns organized by various organizations.
Interestingly, the Lalitpur children visit Kathmandu less often, whereas the Kathmandu children visit quite Lalitpur frequently. Due to scanty availability of plastic in Kathmandu, these children are found to be going to Lalitpur.
Comparatively, there are more street children-related organizations in Kathmandu than in Lalitpur. Even the media seems to support the Kathmandu children more. These children come into contact with various individuals.
The Lalitpur children are found to be in constant touch with their families, whereas the Kathmandu children are not so keen to be in touch with their families. Most small children, who come to Lalitpur, are from nearby villages. Therefore, it’s not hard for them to stay in touch with their families. If they have Rs 20-50 in their pockets, they can travel home anytime. During the festival of Dashain[i], most of these children visit their families. There are some children who despite being ignored by their family visit their parents often. Some children are supporting their families by collecting waste plastic. In some cases, the whole family has taken up this work. A number of other parents have become street vendors.
But things are different for the Kathmandu children, who come to the city from various districts of the country. It is harder and costlier for them to travel back and forth in order to go home. So only a few children are able to visit their families. Until some time ago, the street children in Kathmandu and Lalitpur were not able to visit their families because of the conflict between the State and the Maoists. They feared that they would be abducted by the Maoists or detained by the police in suspicion of being a Maoist. Regardless of where they come from, the Kathmandu street children are a little behind when it comes to keeping in touch with their families.
[i] 15-day long Hindu festival, which is also the national festival of Nepal, usually celebrated in the month of October
1.7 Dreams
Every street child wants to lead a reputable life like any other person in society. But when the time and circumstances do not go in their favor, they are compelled to live on the streets. However, they also cherish dreams of earning name, fame and money.
- Most street children and youths want to become drivers.
- Others want to become artistes.
- Some want to set up fabric businesses, restaurant and retail business.
- They want to become cooks.
- They want to do house-wiring.
- They want to become plumbers.
- They want to get involved in the production of agricultural goods.
- They want to go abroad to earn money.
- They want to set up social organizations to help their friends on the streets.
- They want to join service.
- They want to join the army.
However, they do NOT want to join the police or hold low-income jobs.
Most notably, today’s street children appear to be more educated than those of the past. While most of them can read and write, there are some who come to live on the streets after passing Class 8 to SLC[i].
Every street child wants to lead a reputable life like any other person in society. But when the time and circumstances do not go in their favor, they are compelled to live on the streets. However, they also cherish dreams of earning name, fame and money.
- Most street children and youths want to become drivers.
- Others want to become artistes.
- Some want to set up fabric businesses, restaurant and retail business.
- They want to become cooks.
- They want to do house-wiring.
- They want to become plumbers.
- They want to get involved in the production of agricultural goods.
- They want to go abroad to earn money.
- They want to set up social organizations to help their friends on the streets.
- They want to join service.
- They want to join the army.
However, they do NOT want to join the police or hold low-income jobs.
Most notably, today’s street children appear to be more educated than those of the past. While most of them can read and write, there are some who come to live on the streets after passing Class 8 to SLC[i].
This indicates that they are more in search of skills and opportunities rather than education. But it would be important to place an equal emphasis on education.
[i] School Leaving Certificate, mandated by the government at the end of tenth school grade
1.8 Life after street
Although they may have lived on the streets some time ago, some street children are leading a different life now. This is because they are capable or have access to better opportunities, among other reasons. The list of young people, who were once street children but are now leading a successful life as any other citizen, is very long. Some of these children receive help from organizations so that they are able to quit street life and lead a successful life. It would therefore be inappropriate to say that organizations have not contributed to their success, but no to the extent of transforming their lives completely.
Although they may have lived on the streets some time ago, some street children are leading a different life now. This is because they are capable or have access to better opportunities, among other reasons. The list of young people, who were once street children but are now leading a successful life as any other citizen, is very long. Some of these children receive help from organizations so that they are able to quit street life and lead a successful life. It would therefore be inappropriate to say that organizations have not contributed to their success, but no to the extent of transforming their lives completely.
Many organizations have been set up to work for the street children of young age. But not much interest has been demonstrated towards these children. In some cases, children stop receiving help after they reach a certain age. This kind of help may benefit the street children temporarily, but not in the long run. But there are some examples of children who have transformed their lives as a result of the help they received when they were young. When such children enter adulthood, they leave the street to begin a new life. In many cities, there are examples of former street children leading reformed lives. Such youths have taken up various professions; while most have become drivers, others have joined garment business, government service and the army. Some are even holding good positions in private companies. Similarly, some are associated with organizations working for street children or have set up similar organizations.
2. Jagaran Manch Nepal (JAFON)2.1 Establishment
There are now many organizations in Nepal working for street children. Jagaran Manch Nepal (JAFON) is among them. JAFON was founded on 8 April 2000 by Rewat Raj Timilsina. This organization is different from other organizations in various respects. Likewise, its operation also differs from that of others. Timilsina is a former street child himself. That is why JAFON’s campaign has a particular significance.
The story of JAFON would be incomplete without a mention of Rewat Raj Timilsina. The story of his street life is long. His struggle from the streets to the successful life he now leads is a source of inspiration to many. His struggle is linked with JAFON and many street children associated with this organization. Timilsina is originally from Siraha. He left his house when he was 7 years old because of family dispute. His parents quarreled and started to live separately. Thereafter, his mother took him to Birgunj for his studies. In those days, she was a teacher in Birgunj. While in Birgunj, Timilsina made friends with the city boys. He was more interested in movies and entertainment than in studies. He started hanging out with boys his age, watching movies, wandering at night and not returning home. He deviated from studies.
Four years later, Timilsina entered Kathmandu with eleven other boys, expecting to earn money in the capital city. On the first day, the boys stayed in Dhalko[i]. His friends knew a junkyard, where they could exchange waste tin and plastic for money. For every kilo, they made Rs 12-15. Timilsina worked there for six months. Then he left Dhalko and moved to Bagbazar[ii]. Thereafter, he started living on the streets. He spent almost 12 years of his life on the streets. He has many bitter experiences of his street life.
Through his friends, one day, in 1992, he ended up in CWIN, which works for street children. In those days, CWIN was working on a play with the Aarohan Theatre Group[iii]. 12 youths were needed for the play, for which Timilsina was also selected. Aarohan trained them for a month, and they prepared a play on street life. They play was titled Mahanagarka Anagarik haru (Non-citizens of the Metropolitan). Directed by Mr. Sunil Pokhrel and acted in by street children, including Timilsina, the play was staged in various places. Timilsina stayed with CWIN for almost a year, after which he started living in Gwarko[iv] with other friends. After some time, Timilsina moved into a hostel for street children, which was operated by the same Aarohan Group. During his stay there, he got a job as trainer in a program called ‘Child to Child’, which was related to child rights. He then left the hostel and did this work for 10 months. After that, he moved to Pokhara for to work as the chief filed officer at the Child Welfare Society.
He had the opportunity to work with several organizations working for street children. However, he and his friends were not happy with the way some of these organizations operated. One day, they felt that they could start their own organization. In 2000, Timilsina set up an awareness group for the welfare of street children, together with former street children friends. In the same year, Timilsina solely established JAFON. Presently, Timilsina is fully involved with this organization.
JAFON is a social organization operated by former street children, who spent more than 12 years on the streets. The organization has been operating its programs throughout Nepal and making an effort to create an environment where there will be no more children on the streets. Presently, it is operating various programs for the street children in Kathmandu and Lalitpur. It has its offices in Kumbheshwor, Lalitpur.
At first, the JAFON office was in Anamnagar[v]. The story of struggle of this newly established organization is memorable. Its first objective was related to waste management. Its other objective was to create employment opportunities for street children and to save the remaining money for the welfare of street children. This work was initiated by two street youths. They went from door to door to collect waste materials. During the first few days, they were involved in the waste management of seven houses. This number has now increased to 400 houses, in which 12 youths are involved. This program is still running under the leadership of JAFON, providing employment opportunities to several street youths.
2.2 Hamro Sansar (Our World)On 11 December 2004, JAFON started Hamro Sansar, a home for street boys. A house was rented in Kumbheshwor in order to set up the home. The boys who live here are provided with different opportunities. The program is supported by SHAPLA NEER, which was founded by Japanese citizens, who contributed their savings to the organization. For the last 12 years, SHAPLA NEER has been supporting various community development projects and programs for street children. Due to their support, it has been possible for Hamro Sansar to accommodate 30-40 street children and street youths in Kumbheshwor. Along with accommodation, Hamro Sansar provides various facilities, including health services, television for entertainment, musical instruments, sporting facilities, affordable and healthy canteen, saving facility, non-formal education classes, cleanliness and hygiene arrangement and the operation of an internal junkyard in order to prevent the children from being cheated (as they are cheated by other junkyards). The canteen and junkyard were started with a view to making the organization self-sustained. Hamro Sansar is operating many other programs, including programs to motivate the street children and other programs relating to skill development, driving license, citizenship, legal service and art.
Hamro Sansar occupies two floors with eleven rooms. One of the rooms is allocated for the office. Another room is allocated for entertainment, where the children watch television. Then there is a separate room for non-formal education, where the children are taught. Three rooms are used as bedrooms; two of the bedrooms are for smaller children and the third one is for grown up children. There is a separate room where they keep their belongings. Likewise, separate rooms are allocated for kitchen and dining. There is also a staffroom.
Hamro Sansar provides them with bathing soap. Medical facilities are also provided. The boys generally get ready for breakfast at six in the morning, although some of them oversleep. The working boys leave for work after breakfast. They come back to Hamro Sansar for lunch in the afternoon. They buy food with the money from their own earnings. The Hamro Sansar canteen serves a meal at Rs 25. Most of the boys have now got into the habit of buying food with their own income.
Hamro Sansar has its own rules and regulations, and the children staying here have their own lifestyle and daily routine. After they have dinner at six in the evening, they go out in search of waste plastic until 11 or 12 at night. Then they come back to Hamro Sansar for sleep. They wake up early and go out again in search of junk materials and waste plastic. They sell the collected materials to the Hamro Sansar junkyard. Then they go for a shower. After showering, some of the boys watch television while others play the guitar and start singing. Some boys also play the carom- board[i].There is a problem of drug addiction among some of these children, who are not able to get over the habit. They consume dendrite and other intoxicating items even during daytime. Drug addiction is a serious problem amongst the street children. The Hamro Sansar children, who are addicted to drugs, have not been able to quit drugs in spite of counseling.
Children and youth ranging from 8 years of age to 26 years live in Hamro Sansar. However, the children below the age of 17 have a majority. Some old boys leave Hamro Sansar and the new ones come in; this trend goes on. Despite the facilities Hamro Sansar provides, it is sometimes hard to stop them if they want to leave. They come and go as they wish. But for many boys, Hamro Sansar has become a home. Once they come here, they do not want to go anywhere else. They enjoy living here. They bond with other boys, share friendly conversations and enjoy the company of each other.
[i] Visit http://www.carromuk.co.uk/carromboard.html for details on what this game is and how it is played
3. Stories of street children and street youthsThough the stories presented in this section are real life stories, the real names of the characters have been replaced by the names of their favorite stars in order to protect their identity and safeguard their future. Likewise, their addresses, too, have been changed.
3.1 Amit – Escape from abduction
My name is Amit Dhungana. I am 17 years old. I am from Bungmati, Lalitpur. I started living on the streets since 1999. I was 10 years old at the time. It was because of my friends and my cousin that I started living on the streets. They used to come from the village to Lagankhel and Jawalakhel[i]. They earned some money by gathering passengers for tempos[ii]. They also brought me along with them. When I realized that money could be earned in this manner, I teamed up with my cousin and started working for a tempo, gathering passengers. After some time, I became familiar with more people and got to know the work better. Then I liked this job even more. My interest in studies declined, as I frequently bunked classes and often walked alone from Bungmati to come to the city. Sometimes, I even walked all the way back home at night. As I did more work for the tempo, I got to know some tempo drivers well and eventually became a conductor. At the beginning, I used to return home at night. Later on, I saw that the conductors usually slept on the streets. Most of them were boys my age. We got along with each other and shared common interests. Therefore, I also started to sleep on the streets. At first, my parents scolded me for not returning home. They told me off for not concentrating on my studies. But I could not mend my ways.
While working as a tempo conductor, I began to know many people at the restaurants in Lagankhel. By this time, I had started growing fed up of my work for the tempo; I fancied working at a restaurant, so I joined a restaurant in Lagankhel, where I washed the dishes and cleaned for a few months. But I did not like this work, so I became a tempo conductor once again. In the meantime, I happened to meet some boys on the streets, who were into collecting waste plastic and selling it for money. I joined them and started earning money. But street hooligans troubled us. They took away our money. They caught small boys like us and made us wash their clothes. We had to face many hardships on the streets. As we didn’t have warm clothes, we couldn’t sleep at all during the winter. Eventually, I was fed up of street life and wanted to return home.
I finally returned home after four years. My parents were happy to see me. I was also pleased to be reunited with my family after such a long time. I had friends in the village. I went out to play with them. My parents were urging me to resume my studies. One day, the Maoists abducted a group of students, who were returning from school. When I heard about this incident, I was so frightened that I left home without informing my parents. I came to Kathmandu, where I started living on the streets again and continued collecting waste plastic.
After few months, I returned home. But my parents had left the house by then, probably due to fear of the Maoists. So I came back to the city, to the same old street and same old work. But I am now with Hamro Sansar.
[i] Lagankhel and Jawalakhel are places in Lalitpur district
[ii] Small three-wheeler vehicles common for traveling, particularly in Nepal and India
3.2 Biraj – Maoists at the schoolMy name is Biraj Bhatta. I have been living on the streets for five years. I used to live in my village. The Maoists often came to our house, and so did the government’s men. We were scared of them, which was why my parents left the village and came to the city. I followed them.
One day, I had gone to the forest to collect firewood with my parents. I had climbed a tree to chop some wood when I noticed a group of people approaching me. They were clad in an army uniform and were carrying arms. They were Maoists. They ordered me to get off the tree. I was very scared but did as I was told. When I got off, they told me that I had grown up, so I should go with them. They also talked to my parents. In fear, my parents agreed to let them take me away. They warned us not to tell anybody in the village about the incident, threatening to kill us if we did. They said that they would come to get me the next day and left.
I went to school the next day. I told my teacher and classmates about our encounter with the Maoists the previous day. By that time, a number of Maoists had arrived in the school premises, to take some students with them. They also told me to join them. Quietly, my teacher called me near her and advised me to tell the Maoists that I would go with them the next day. I told them as I was advised. When the Maoists were still talking to other students, my teacher helped me slip out quietly, and I went home. I was very scared. After I told my parents about what had happened, we all went to my aunt’s[i] house. My parents stayed there. But I didn’t feel like staying at my aunt’s house due to fear. Then I met a driver I knew and asked for a ride in his vehicle, without seeking permission from my parents. I slept in the vehicle. When I woke up at 4 the next morning, we had arrived in Kathmandu.
After arriving in Kathmandu, I went to my aunt’s[ii] house in Lalitpur and started staying with her. I went to Lagankhel frequently, where I got acquainted with tempo drivers and conductors. Eventually, I started working as a tempo conductor. Thereafter, I left my aunt’s house and started sleeping on the streets.
Few days after my arrival in Kathmandu, my parents also came to the city. Now they live in Lagankhel and work as laborers at a marble factory there.
Life was fun in the village. I got to go to school and have a good time with my friends. I loved the food cooked by my mother. But we have to work very hard here. I want to become a driver. Let’s see what happens.
I used to live in Lagankhel. But for the last three months, I have been staying at Hamro Sansar in Kumbheshwor.
[i] More specifically, father’s sister
[ii] More specifically, mother’s elder sister
3.3 Shree Krishna – Nowhere to goMy name is Shree Krishna Shrestha. I am 22 years old. I am from a village in Rolpa district. I left my house at the age of 13. I had to leave my village because of the Maoists.
Our family was very poor. My parents used to work as daily-wage laborers. We had to travel a long distance to buy goods. My parents used to work as porters for others, traveling long distances on foot. I used to go with them and help carry the goods. With the little money they earned, they had to meet all the household expenses. We did not get to wear new clothes even during Dashain. There were many problems at home. Some people from our village went to the city to make money. My parents often spoke of neighbors who brought back a lot of money from the city.
One day, my parents sent me to the city with a neighbor. They wanted me to earn some money. I also felt that I could earn something in the city. We walked for two days to come to Pokhara. The journey was long, and it was very difficult for me to walk. We couldn’t find much food on the way, so we walked on an empty stomach. By the time we arrived in Pokhara, my legs were aching badly. In Pokhara, I got a job of a dish-washer at a hotel. They gave me two meals a day. I needed to work very hard, but they didn’t pay me. During my stay in Pokhara, I met some boys my age. They told me that more money could be earned in Kathmandu than in Pokhara. So I also felt tempted to go to Kathmandu.
One day, I took the night bus to Kathmandu. They didn’t even ask me for the fare. Maybe it was because I was little. The next morning, I arrived at the new bus park in Kathmandu. But I knew nothing about the city, as it was my first visit. I was confused. I went looking for work around the bus park hotels and finally got a job at one of those hotels as a dish- washer. At first, the hotel owner treated me well. But later on, he started abusing me. He gave me the food but not the money. He said he would pay me when it was time for me to return home. Slowly, I got to know Kathmandu and also a few people.
After some time, I escaped from that hotel and I started working for another hotel in Lagankhel. After I worked there for some months, they also treated me badly. This hotel was like a hub for drivers and conductors of most vehicles. I knew most of them. I went with one of the drivers I knew and started working as a tempo conductor. When I was doing this work, I got to meet with many young conductors like me and boys who slept on the streets. As a conductor, I couldn’t find a place to sleep. The driver took the tempo home with him, which meant that I couldn’t sleep inside the vehicle. I ended up sleeping on the streets, together with other friends. I saw that these boys were earning money by collecting and selling waste plastic. This looked like an easy job to me, so I also started collecting plastic. I have been doing this work for eight years now.
After coming to Kathmandu, I missed my parents very much. So I once went home, covering a journey of two days on foot. My parents were thrilled to see me after such a long time. One day, six Maoists came to our house and told me to go with them. I refused. They threatened to kill my parents if I didn’t go. I feared for my parents’ lives, so I went with them. They tied me up for four days without telling me the reason. They even beat me up and didn’t feed me properly. On the fourth day, they released me on the condition that I would not leave the village. When I returned home, my parents advised me against staying in the village. Once again, I returned to Kathmandu via Pokhara. I could not find an easier job. I resumed the same old job of collecting waste plastic and returned to street life with my friends. I wanted to become a driver. But one needs a citizenship certificate in order to obtain a driving license. I didn’t have a citizenship certificate. I couldn’t have gone back to my village to have my citizenship certificate made, and I couldn’t have it issued from Kathmandu.
Street life is full of hardships. The police as well as hooligans trouble the street children. They take away even the little money that these children make. One must bear all kinds of weathers, heat and chill, while living on the streets.
At the beginning, I felt like returning to the village because of the hardship in the city. But I couldn’t possibly go back since there were chances that the Maoists would abduct boys like me. I had nowhere else to go other than the street. So I continued to live on the streets.
3.4 Motay – Caught in the middleMy name is Motay Magar. My real name is something else, but all my friends call me Motay[i], and I also like this name. I am 18 years old. My home is in Sindhupalchok district. I have been on the streets for two years. I was 16 years old when I entered the city.
My parents were engaged in agriculture. I used to assist them in the fields. I also went to school. On the way to school, I often ran into the Maoists as well as the State army. The Maoists told us boys to join their force. The army asked us if we knew any Maoists in the village. Sometimes, the army even suspected us of being Maoists and searched us over. Some of my friends escaped to the city because of this fear.
One day, I was working in the fields with my parents. Some Maoists arrived in the scene and said to my parents, “Your son is a young man now, so we shall take him with us.” My parents tried to object. “Fear not,” they said. “We won’t recruit your son into the Maoist army. We want him to cook for us.” I went with them. My parents could do nothing to stop them from taking me away. Although I was I was meant to cook for them, they made me a porter. I worked as their porter for two months.
One day, I was walking with a group of Maoists through the jungle. It was evening. On the way, we encountered the army. Then there was a big clash between the two parties. I ran away and came to Lagankhel. I started working at a hotel in Lagankhel. But it was a lot of hard work. Sometimes, I worked as late as 11 at night. I just ran away from there, without even asking for any money, and started working again as a porter on the streets. Then the street became my home, where I slept at night. I met other street children and, in their company, I started collecting waste plastic. I also worked as a tempo conductor. While I was collecting waste plastic, some of my friends brought me to an organization, which happened to be Hamro Sansar in Kumbeshwor, Lalitpur. Hamro Sansar became my new home.
Sometimes, I remember my times with the Maoists. They taught me how to use a gun. Whenever I carried a gun, I felt like killing all the rich people and steal their money. I miss my village now. I fondly think of the moments spent with friends, our fishing trips and our picnics. But I am on the streets now. Things are not so enjoyable here.
(Five months later, Motay Magar left Hamro Sansar. His whereabouts are unknown. This story is based on our conversations with him when he was here.)
3.5 Rajesh – Harassment by mother(Rajesh Hamal is slightly different as compared to other street children. Although he had a proper home, he was driven to the streets for various reasons. He has studied up to Class 5 at an English Boarding School and can express himself well. He is of very simple and kind nature. His eyes appear to be watery most of the time. Although he looks like a drug addict, he says smoking is his only addiction. He is good at talking in a very loving and innocent manner.)
My name is Rajesh Hamal. I am 13 years old now. I left my home two years ago. I was 11 years old then. At first, I studied at the AIMS Academy in Lagankhel and later joined the Namuna Machhindra School. I have studied up to Class 5. But I dropped my studies while I was in the fifth grade. Then I left home and started working at a hotel in Thapathali, Kathmandu. My father was a tempo driver, and my mother worked in the fields. My elder brother was very naughty since he was young, and my younger sister was very little. My mother didn’t seem to like me at all. She often beat me up and filled my father’s ears with things that weren’t true about me. Then my father hit me with a belt.
When I was 5, I was hit by a tempo. My mind has been slightly disturbed since that accident. I feel something is wrong. The villagers and my neighbors said that I had lost my mental balance. I did not feel like working. I was often lost in thoughts. My mother told me to get out the house. So I left one day. But now, I miss my family. We are very poor. There are many problems. We can’t earn money.
I worked at the hotel in Thapathali for some months. The hotel owner agreed to pay me Rs 700 per month. I slept at the hotel. The owner paid me during the first few months but later stopped giving me any money. I left the hotel one day but made sure that I got my money back with the help of my elder brother’s friends. By this time, I had lost touch with my studies, and I had left home. But I spent the money I earned at the hotel on my sister’s education.
When I was working at the hotel, the owner gave me a place to sleep. But after I left, I had nowhere to sleep. So I started sleeping on the streets. I still remember my first night on the streets. There were some bed-cots at the Lagankhel bus park. I slept there, along with many other boys. Then I started collecting waste plastic for money. I also started doing drugs in the company of my friends. I still remember the first time I tried dendrite with my friends. One day, I saw my friend consuming a can of dendrite near the street. Quietly, I stole his can and ran away. He saw and chased me for long. Then I went to a corner and poured the dendrite on a milk packet. After tasting the dendrite, I could not feel or remember anything. The intoxication of dendrite was so strong. I was addicted at once. I started having it every day to feel high. Its addiction is so strong that once someone starts consuming dendrite, it’s hard to get over the habit. Dendrite is easily available at shops, so anyone can buy and try it.
I love music. My favorite song is “Euta Manchhe ko Maya le Kati Pharak Pardachha Jindagi ma”[i] by Narayan Gopal. I love it because I feel this song tells a great story of love. I like such songs. I like to sing songs like “Kasle Dela Dag Batti”[ii]. I know the songs by Udit Narayan Jha and Raju Lama. One of my senior brothers at Hamro Sansar, where I am staying now, teaches me to sing. He sings well. Whenever I hear him sing, I also feel like singing. I always wanted to be a singer. But how can people like me ever become singers? I also want to learn to play the guitar.
Before coming to Hamro Sansar, I was into drugs like marijuana and hashish, but I have got over that habit now. However, I can’t do without smoking. I find it very difficult to quit smoking, especially since I developed this habit when I was young. My mother used to smoke, and I was used to inhaling the smoke of a cigarette. Later on, I was tempted to try it – one puff and I was addicted!
I have acted in a Nepali movie named 'Basanta Ritu'[iii]. I knew a film artiste when I was working at the hotel in Thapathali. He came to the hotel frequently. I also got to visit his house several times to deliver services. One day, he asked me whether I would be interested in acting in a movie. He added that I should go with him, if interested. I got excited. I told him I was interested and went with him. Eventually, I played the role of the younger brother of actor Shiva Hari Paudel, who is a garage mechanic in the movie. In the same movie, I played the role of a child who is into dendrite. For this, I had to sit on the footpath, acting like I was consuming dendrite from a milk packet with the help of the outer cover of a ball pen. The camera shot me. But I wasn’t allowed to consume real dendrite – I only had to pretend like I did. It was then that I got to know stars like Rajesh Hamal and Jal Shah. They have probably forgotten me by now. But if I see them again, I shall certainly speak with them.
It has been a year since I came to Hamro Sansar. I don’t feel like going to the streets anymore. While living on the streets, we had to peep through a television shop to watch television. But here in Hamro Sansar, there is a television for us. I watch the television a lot. Every time I see film heroes and heroines dancing on the screen, I want to be like them.
In the past, there were times when I did not take a shower for months. But after coming to Hamro Sansar, I shower every week. They give us bathing and washing soaps. I play carom-board in the afternoon. Sometimes, my friends come home with drugs secretly, and I feel tempted to have them again.
Nowadays I don’t feel like going out too often. I spend my days at Hamro Sansar. Sometimes, if I am able to borrow Bale Dai’s[iv] bicycle, I cycle to Baudhha[v], where my grand uncle lives. He is very old. I feel happy when I meet him. He always asks me about my health whenever we meet. He is also poor. I love him. Sometimes, I also go cycling to Thapathali and Thamel. I enjoy going around the city. It makes me happy to see different kinds of people, big buildings and shops. But I feel sad when I see street children. My heart goes out to them. Life is harsh on the streets. Many people look down on street children. The police also trouble them. Even vehicles seem to be driven in such a way that they might run over these children. When I see such sights in the city, I feel terrible.
When I worked as a conductor, I was able to save Rs 5 a day. During the day, I worked for the tempo, and in the evening, I went to an organization called Ganses Nepal to deposit my daily savings. The ladies working there helped me with the deposit. I had managed to save Rs 1500, but I spent the money on medicine for my father, when he fell ill. He is still ill. He can’t work. My mother sells maize in Mangal Bazaar[vi]. I get worried when it rains. I don’t know why, but I miss my parents when it rains and tend to worry about many things.
Our old house was in a village called Dhunge Kharka in Lalitpur. Nowadays, I often think about the village. The memories of my village make me happy. We stole plums and berries to have fun. Whenever we attended wedding parties, we ate until we were stuffed. Not only that, we hid some food in our pockets and had it for lunch at school the next day. We even stole sweets from the party, when no one was looking.
Life at Hamro Sansar is good. A few days ago, when our Sirs[vii] purchased a computer, my friends and I were very happy and felt proud to see that our organization too had a computer of its own. I like staying here. Everybody loves us. But when we get scolded sometimes, I feel like crying. This doesn’t happen often, though. Everything else is fine. But my heart is not always happy, as you can never tell what will happen when – life is uncertain.
Reference
CWIN (2002), Glue Sniffing: Among Street Children in the Kathmandu Valley, CWIN, Kathmandu[i] A popular Nepali song, whose literal translation is: a person’s love can make much difference to one’s life
[ii] Literal translation: who will light my funeral pyre
[iii] Spring season
[iv] Dai is the Nepali word for elder brother; Bale is a Hamro Sansaar staff member.
[v] The area in Kathmandu where the Bauddha Nath stupa lies
[vi] Now a touristy area in Lalitpur, where the famous Patan Durbar Square is
[vii] Reference to Hamro Sansar staff
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