“I am going to school more regularly because I got a disability scholarship after I got my legal identity and disability card with the support of SathSath.”
Tarika (pictured above) lives in a small rented room in a squatter area of Kathmandu with her mother and younger sister. Life hasn’t been easy for Tarika. Following an acccident as a toddler, Tarika had her left leg amputated when she was injured in a fire. Since then, she has used a prosthetic leg. Tarika shares;
“My mother works a lot. She works as house maid; she goes to work early in the morning by preparing food for us. During her free time, she collects scraps and during the night time she goes to collect sand from the river. With no one around, I look after my younger sister. We mostly hang out with the other kids from the streets and play under the bridge. I didn’t like to show my prosthetic leg but my friends insisted because people gave me money when I showed it. I started doing it more to earn money to buy things and help out my mother financially.”
Pictured below: Tarika with her mother and sister.
SathSath, Toybox’s partner in Nepal, has been working with Tarika since 2023 and supported her through the process of getting her birth certicate and disability card. A staff member from the team shares;
“Tarika used to have low self-esteem because of her amputated leg and having to use a prosthetic one. She used to beg in the streets with her friends and sister. Now, she is growing in confidence, loving herself and is able to access the services provided by the government to disabled people with her disability card. She is slowly unlearning her habit of begging.”
Since becoming registered and receiving her disability card, Tarika has received a scholarship and is now attending school more regularly.
“My mother still works a lot but my father still doesn’t care about us much. He has gone abroad. I am going to school more regularly because I got a disability scholarship after I got my legal identity and disability card with the support of SathSath. I help out at home by doing household chores and look after my sister. My friends call me to hang out with them but I only go out with them sometimes when I need money.”
Pictured below: Tarika with her birth certificate and disability card.
One of the biggest changes in Tarika’s life is how she now sees her future. Her teachers and staff from SathSath encouraged her passion for art and she’s taken it to heart.
“Nowadays I am busy drawing since my teachers and SathSath Didi (staff) told me that I have to practice a lot to be an artist in the future. I want to draw beautiful things and win lots of prizes.
“I recently won first prize in a drawing competition at school. The prize was chocolates and colouring pencils. I drew a fruit basket from my textbook. My teachers and friends loved it. I also teach my sister to draw but she likes colouring more and doesn’t really listen to me when I teach!”
Pictured below: Tarika shows her prize winning drawing.
