The Dialego Foundation for Children helped 200 former Kamalari-Girls in Nepal by scholarships for their education to give them a chance to lead a self-determined life in future. “Kamalari” means “hard working woman” and is comparable to bondage. Due to their low income many families are forced to sell their daughters as a Kamalari to rich families. The Dialego Foundation for Children supports the girls to escape from this exploitative working situation and enables them to make theirown living.
Although child labor is prohibited in Nepal since the year 2000 the government is not able to achieve the law in all parts of the country. Within the Ethnie of Tharu in the western part of Nepal the Kamalari system belongs to the deeply engrained traditions. To change this situation we advocate ourselves for the rescue of the girls. Up to now 3000 girls could be freed from theirbondage. Many of them are living with their families again and are visiting school. But only a low number of the girls may proceed with their scholar education after the 10th grade. They have to work for their own living because their families are too poor to support the daughters financially. A survey among Kamalari-Girls states that many of the girls would like to extend their qualification.