Community initiatives in Lumbini Province are helping dropout girls return to school

In the villages of Rupandehi, cultural norms and economic pressures keep many Dalit and Muslim girls from school.

Ashma Khatun of Manrahawa in ward 4 of Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality of Rupandehi district is currently a ninth grader at a local school. She returned to school just a few years ago after attending a madrasa, a Muslim educational institute. She had to leave her education because of her family’s poor financial status while in the fifth grade. “I wanted to study. But my parents didn’t want me to,” she said. “I was scared that my dream of becoming a teacher wouldn’t come true, but I’m glad I’m able to study now because of the encouragement I received from my friends.”