Nepal
Protection from violence 2015–2023, THEN 2025–2026
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Girls' education: a hostel for Chepang teenagers
Isolated in the mountains, this hostel is a chance for girls from the Chepang ethnic group in Nepal to continue their studies and to escape the risks of violence and early marriage.
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The context
The Chepang are one of the poorest and most marginalized minorities in Nepal.
10,000 of them live in Dhading district, in hard-to-reach mountain areas, and 90% live below the poverty line.
Women often face a grueling daily workload and work about 30% more than men.
They rarely have access to the family budget and have no decision-making power over its use.
Schooling for adolescent girls is far from being a priority. Some girls have to walk up to 7 hours to get to college.
Violence of all kinds is part of their daily lives.
Married between 11 and 15 years old and pregnant at a very young age, they often experience significant physical and psychological health problems.
In addition, heavy alcohol consumption, especially among men, is one of the main causes of domestic violence.
Without change, the majority of girls are condemned to a life of insecurity.
The pursuit of studies is an opportunity for emancipation for these girls but also an opportunity for society as a whole: each additional year of schooling in a girl's life reduces the risk of death for her unborn child by 10% (UNICEF, 2013).
How is your donation used?
For every €100 raised by Planète Enfants & Développement, €86 goes towards our social mission.
Our projects are evaluated by independent firms. And our accounts are audited and certified each year by KPMG.
%
of Chepang live below the poverty line
of girls are married before 16 years old among the Chepang
hours of walking to reach the college
The project
Since 2015, Planète Enfants & Développement and its local partner, Prayas Nepal, have supported a shelter for young girls run by the Chepang Community Association.
Since the shelter no longer meets any safety or health standards, we have launched the construction of a new hostel in 2020. The new 300-square-meter building, which is environmentally friendly and meets earthquake-resistant standards, is being constructed on land provided to the Chepang Community Association by the local authorities in Gajuri.
This home can accommodate 25 to 30 teenage girls to help them continue their studies and envisage a future other than that of their mothers.who are often illiterate, victims of violence and discrimination. The opening of this new boarding school has enabled them to discover the virtues of individual and team sports, which are rarely practiced among the Chepang people. In addition, the organization, together with its partner Chhori, organized a three-day training session focused on puberty and the menstrual cycle, to empower these young girls and help them feel proud to be women in a country where menstruation remains a taboo.
New Phase for 2025–2026: Empowering Marginalized Adolescent Girls
Raised in extreme poverty in households often marked by paternal alcoholism and domestic violence, these teenage girls grow up without sufficient emotional support, which leads to trauma that takes a heavy toll on their education. Their sense of security, self-esteem, and self-confidence are often severely affected, and many internalize fear, guilt, and silence from a very young age.
Between 2025 and 2026, 30 teenage girls taken in at the boarding school benefited from a comprehensive support In partnership with the Chhori Association:
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Psychosocial support: A program offering individual psychosocial support and monthly group workshops focused on stress management and the prevention of suicidal thoughts, enabling girls to break the silence.
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Personal Development Courses: Organizing workshops to help young girls discover new ways to express themselves, manage their emotions, believe in their abilities, and develop them. The teenage girls leave with concrete goals: to speak in public, practice meditation, and dream bigger.
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Advocacy: Faced with discrimination at school because of their ethnic background, the girls learned to make their voices heard respectfully, gradually changing the teachers’ attitudes over the course of the year. They were also able to secure reductions in their tuition fees to ensure they could continue their studies despite their families’ financial difficulties.
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Family Relationships and Additional Support: Organizing occasional meetings with families to help improve family dynamics and relationships.
Other projects :
Nepal: the awakening of the little ones, a priority
Nepal: a social center for young prostitutes
Nepal: protection of women victims of sexual exploitation
Our partners in the field
Prayas Nepal:
Nepalese NGO which works particularly on the emancipation of women in very marginalized populations.
Chhori:
A Nepalese NGO led by women that works to promote women's empowerment.