2.7 City life has touched Mukul and Shivaraj
“My brother and I were studying in Class 3 in Kavre district. But the school was not good; because of the Maoists we could not get a good education. They used to come into our classroom and deliver their nonsense speeches. They even asked our teachers for donations.”

“One day, one of my teachers defied the Maoists; he was beaten very badly in front of us. I was very afraid at that time,” explained Mukul Sharma, now 12. Today, Mukul lives in Gaurighat in Kathmandu with his family in a dark, narrow room where there is not much space.

The situation was bad in the village, and Mukul’s father had already left for Kathmandu four months ago. His mother Shova said, “It was very difficult to stay in the village, so I packed my bags and took the children to their father in Kathmandu.”

The day they left their village there was a nationwide strike, called Nepal banda. She woke her children up at 4 am and they followed their mother. They walked until 8:30 at night when at last they reached Kathmandu. When Mukul got his first glimpse of the capital he felt very happy, like he was in a dream. But the boys were so tired from their long journey that they fell sick.

Mukul was very animated as he described their journey but his brother Shivaraj seemed lost somewhere in his imagination. Shivaraj has only one eye, so he is not so active.

Mukul continued, “Our house in the village was broken down so we stayed in one of our neighbor’s sheds, but after a few months it also broke down. Then we started to live in another neighbor’s shed. Soon after, my mother brought us here to Kathmandu. City life is better than the village, isn’t it brother?” Mukul asked Shivaraj, who just smiled.

The boys’ mother couldn’t help laughing when she heard her son’s speech. She added, “Maybe you don’t believe these children but it is true – we really don’t have our own home in the village. Mukul’s father had three brothers, and when we asked for property, my father-in-law said we had to clear a loan of Rs 75,000[i]. We decided to leave that house, and we worked very hard to save Rs 9,000. With that money we brought 3 ropanis[ii] of land and my uncle helped us to build a small house. Unfortunately, after 11 years the previous land owner took back the land. We had to beg people for shelter.”

Mukul’s father went to the Maoists for help in getting the land back from the cheating landlord. But instead of help, the Maoists forced him to join them. That is why the family had to leave that place to come to Kathmandu.

In Kathmandu, Mukul’s parents worked in the Pashupati Development Fund office as laborers. One day, Mukul’s mother met a teacher from SSS and shared her story with that teacher, who suggested she send her children to SS School. In that way, they got a chance to study at SSS.

Satan Bhandari became Mukul’s best friend at the school. Says Mukul, “When Satan remembered his family and began to cry, I also felt very sad and tears came into my eyes too. But I comforted him by saying that not all children are as lucky as we are; we have got a chance to study in a beautiful environment but many kids don’t even get the opportunity to study in an ordinary village school.”

In his own way, Mukul convinced his other heartbroken friends too. He is a very clever boy, but he still doesn’t know what he wants to be in the future.

Mukul often thinks about his village and his friends but he prefers life in Kathmandu to his village, because educational opportunities are better here and secondly he doesn’t have to fear the Maoists. “I don’t want to return to my village,” he says.

Mukul’s mother said, “What to do, Sir? When one doesn’t have their own house, it’s enough to simply have shelter. Now we are paying Rs 1,300 per month for this small room. We wouldn’t have to pay if we were in the village. But here I can earn Rs 100 per day, whereas in the village we rarely got work and when we did we earned only Rs 30. My villagers want to help us and they want us to go back. But now I don’t want to return. I will educate my children here by hook or by crook.”

Mukul asked his teacher Sabin Khadka, who had accompanied us to his room, “When is our school’s birthday, Sir?” It was very new for Mukul to see his friends celebrating their birthdays at school. In his village, no on celebrates their birthday.

Mukul’s mother insisted that we drink tea. Unfortunately, Mukul’s younger brother broke the glass. But his mother said, “It does not matter if one glass is broken; I only wish and pray to God that my children’s luck won’t be not broken.”

[i] Mukul's grandfather had taken a loan, which he divided among his three sons, and each son had been asked to bear Rs 75,000, one of them being Mukul's father.
[ii] Ropani as defined by http://www.sizes.com/units/ropani.htm: a unit of land area, = 5476 square feet or approximately 608.44 square yards, approximately 508.74 square meters. A square 74 feet on a side is 1 ropani, 1 hectare is about 19.65 ropani, and there are almost exactly 8 ropani to the acre.

3 Conclusion
Life for many children was pathetic during the 11 years of conflict between Maoists and government forces. Even if we just study the condition of students at Shanti Sewa School in Kathmandu, we can get a sense of how children were affected.

The conflict disrupted the education of thousands of students. Many moved to cities in search of a suitable environment to study, and some lived lonely lives without their families. Some of those who went alone were burdened with household work rather than studies. Often they were easy victims for sexual harassment by soldiers from both sides.

The Army killed double the number that the Maoists did. But Maoists often forced villagers to cook for them, give ‘donations’ or, especially, participate in their programs. Those activities forced many people to flee their villages. Some villages were left with almost no men, which made their wives’ lives very miserable. Migration to cities often seemed to make life harder, with some families of up to seven people forced to live squeezed into small rooms.

The students were full of fear when they saw their teachers and relatives being mistreated. Many carried these traumas with them when they moved to cities, and till today cannot concentrate on their studies. Those students are not getting proper psychological treatment in all of the schools. Unfortunately, instead of resuming their education, some of those former students were found working as laborers, ignored by their neighbors and at risk of further mental and physical abuse.

Records reveal that many of the students are falsely designated as orphans and taken to cities in the name of education, the government remains quiet. The schools however, should ensure that when students apply they provide them with essential information, like name and address. Schools also must keep proper records.

Psychological counseling is necessary for the orphans, and education is necessary for children who have been displaced due to various reasons. People tend to ignore small children working as laborers, which is making their future bleak. Instead of ignoring, they should be informing such children about their rights.

It has been revealed that some children were trafficked. Their families were convinced that they were being taken to the city to study, but instead they were sold. In the future before parents put their children in the care of these ‘guardians’, they must know what is planned for their children.

After the ceasefire, it is necessary for both sides to comply with the Ceasefire Code of Conduct. Children should not be permitted in any political meeting. We must reinforce the concept that children are zones of peace. Efforts should be made to rehabilitate displaced persons in their own villages rather than allowing them to migrate to urban areas.

Shanti Sewa Griha
Shanti Sewa Griha (SSG) is a non-government organization situated at Gaushala, Kathmandu. It was established in 1992 for people with leprosy and for others who are poor, helpless, handicapped, mentally challenged and orphaned. Till now in rural areas, leprosy is considered a curse of God rather than a disease, so that people with leprosy are humiliated and unaccepted by society. Believed to be carrying a curse from a previous life, lepers are not allowed to touch or come near anyone. Some people with the disease have even committed suicide because they couldn’t tolerate the insult, hatred and discrimination.

Leprosy is a normal disease that can be cured by regular use of prescribed medicines. People with leprosy can live normal and respectful lives like other people. With this vision, Mr. Krishna Gurung and Dr. Rameshwor Man Singh established the Shanti Sewa Griha. German citizen Marianna Goshpriye helped them in this project.

Besides assisting leprosy patients, the organization also helps handicapped and mentally challenged people. SSG has also provided living space and work for displaced people.

About 1,200 people from rural areas have become independent due to the organization. They include Indian and Bangladeshi citizens. At SSG help is their religion; they believe that it must be given where it is needed.

SSG gives different kinds of vocational training to increase patients’ independence and boost their self-esteem. It makes a wide variety of products, including Nepali paper, jewelry, necklaces, Dhaka topi (traditional Nepali hat), carpets, handicrafts and furniture. Organic vegetables and honey are also produced at SSG. Its products are sold in and outside of Nepal.

SSG also has a clinic that provides free medical check-ups.

SSG believes in building esteem rather than just consoling victims. Their duty is to help financially backward individuals; their aim is to make them independent.

The SSG child care center at Gaushala houses 65 children. There is a separate classroom for physically challenged children, where 11 students are receiving care. 90% of the laborers at SSG are illiterate. Believing that their children should not be deprived of education, Shanti Sewa School has been set up at Budhanilkantha, which includes a health clinic. A modern hospital is being built at Tilganga.

The SSG philosophy is that only when there is peace in a person’s mind can there be peace in that person’s family. Peace in one family will flow to another family, then to a group, society and finally the whole country will be at peace. SSG appeals to everyone to help to develop these children and their families so that they can live in simple and safe environments.

Shanti Sewa School
Shanti Sewa School (SSS) was established in 1998 at Lipikot, Budhanilkantha in Kathmandu, under the management of Shanti Sewa Griha. At first, it was established only for the children of leprosy patients but today it also admits students who are victims of the conflict and poor children whose families are economically not able to send their children to school.

The school is in a walking distance of 25 minutes from Budhanilkantha, nestled among trees and other greenery in a very calm and beautiful environment. When new students see the setting, they forget their troubles.

88 students – an equal number of boys and girls – attend the school. There is an infant care unit, which cares for 14 children. The school has also established a special class for physically and mentally challenged students, who now number 11.

Although the school was initially established for children of leprosy patients, today these students number only 10. Children admitted on the basis of economic hardship number 17 and there are 13 students who are conflict victims. According to Mr. Krishna Gurung, chairman of SSG, increasing emphasis has been given to children whose families are financially unstable and/or conflict victims. They are admitted based on their personal accounts of their situations; no proof of their stories is required.

The students also include six physically handicapped children, nine who are victims of domestic violence and five orphans. There are seven teachers. Most of the students are from rural districts, including Sindhupalchowk, Kavrepalanchowk, Humla, Mugu, Nuwakot, Janakpur, Dolakha, Makwanpur, Bara, Baglung, Nawalparasi, Chitwan, Sarlahi, Dhading, Khotang, Bhojpur and Solukhumbu. Some are even from India.

Mr. Krishna Gurung aims to make the school a pollution-free area, which is why they use only simple cloth bags rather than polythene bags. Three dozen leprosy patients and their families live in the school compound, about 100 people in total. SSS provides lunch to all the students, using solar power for cooking.

Pencils, pens, books, notebooks and other stationery items are provided free to the students, along with school uniforms. The money for these items comes from foreign aid agencies. Vice-Principal, Mr. Sabin Khadka, says, “Foreigners who have a keen interest in the children do their best to support the school.”

Teaching methodology
Since 2001, the school has followed a new concept of teaching based on Waldorf Education[i]. Its philosophy is that practical knowledge leads to genuine knowledge. SSS believes that students will succeed only if their minds are at peace and so it is the teachers’ duty to provide education in a peaceful environment. Waldorf Education stresses that a pure soul, cool mind and strong bond between teacher and student are necessary for the proper sharing of knowledge. These are all found in Shanti Sewa School, where classes are offered from kindergarten to Class 6.

Before starting the day’s classes, teachers and students cheer and welcome each other and thank nature for a new dawn. The children help to create their own world inside the classrooms, each one of which is decorated with different materials related to natural seasons.

The knowledge that SSS provides can’t be found in other schools. Each subject is taught in a practical way. For example, if the topic is irrigation, they build a dike, sow wheat and observe how the water helps it to grow.

SSS believes that too many people are leading hedonistic lives, fighting for artificial things. Therefore, it provides students with knowledge about such artificial things, as well as about the natural and spiritual worlds. Teachers enlighten their students about human beings’ relationship with the soul and with all living things, animals or plants. They teach that we are all human beings, whether we are black, white, Buddhist, Hindu or Christian. After all, we are the creations of God. Using poems and stories, teachers emphasize that life is beautiful.

Children at SS School learn not only from books and lectures but from hands-on experience, where they see, feel and do. Such first-hand learning remains with us forever. The students are given not only intellectual exercise, but also learning for their souls and minds, which helps them discover their potential in all facets of life.

SS School teachers have been trained in different parts of India and Nepal. They teach painting, sketching and clay modeling. Children also learn dancing, singing and drama and use these skills as tools in studying other subject matter.

One teacher, Mr. Kesab Rimal, used to teach at a boarding school in Kathmandu. He sees a vast difference between that school and SS School, and no longer feels the need to carry a stick to the classroom to discipline students. He says that if the students are finding it hard to understand his teaching, he finds another way to whet their interest. When students are taught according to their interests, they find it easier to realize their mistakes.

SSS celebrates different festivals, such as Dashain, Tihar and Shivaratri. That way, the students learn the value of Nepal’s traditions.

Opinions of former students
Ganesh Pradhan and Sanju Majhi studied up to Class 6 at Shanti Sewa School and are currently studying at Sunlight School in Kathmandu. Their fees are still paid by Shanti Sewa. They say they greatly enjoyed studying at SS School: “When we joined the new school, we found we had less book knowledge but more knowledge outside of books than other students. At SS School, our teacher used to teach according to the needs of students. But these days, we have to focus on studying and homework. We can talk only in English; we have to pay a penalty if we talk in Nepali. We were never punished at SS School.”

Suman Sigdel, 17, spent four years at Shanti Sewa School. A former street child, he says the school provided him with love and care, just like a family. He is also glad to have learned so many things there, and sees a vast difference between it and his current school: “We never learned from our mind; rather we used to learn by playing, painting, sketching and entertaining. This kind of environment is hard to find in other schools.”

Suman says the rules and regulations at his present school are very strict. Students have to do lots of homework and rote learning. They prepare well because they are afraid of punishment, whereas in Shanti Sewa, children were treated as friends. He can’t forget SS School’s decorated classrooms and the weekly nature walks to different villages and forests.

References:
Community Study and Welfare Centre (CSWC). A Decade of Disaster, Human and Physical cost of Nepal conflict, 1996-2005, research report. Kathmandu.
INSEC. 2007. Human Rights Year Book 2007.
Shrestha, SK. 2004. Print Media, Coverage on Children’s Issues: A Report. Hatemalo Sanchar, Lalitpur.
नेपाल शान्ति संस्था। आन्तरिक व्यवस्थापनसम्बन्धी वकालत पुस्तिका २००५। ललितपुर।
नेपाल साप्ताहिक। २०६३ असोज ८।
प्रधान, गौरी। २०६० माघ। युद्धको भुमरीमा बालबालिकाहरू। सिविन, काठमाडौँ।
प्राची द्वैमासिक। २०६३ साउन।
हिमाल पाक्षिक। २०६३ कार्तिक १६-३०।

[i] Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_Education) on Waldorf education: Waldorf education (also known as Steiner or Steiner-Waldorf education) is a pedagogy based upon the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy.

Life under the sky

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 contents

Foreword
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

Foreword
This 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.

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 Nepal
1.1 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.

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 society
The 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.

[i] Derogatory for street child
[ii] Thief
[iii] Through the recycling of waste metal