Over 85% of children living in “orphanages” in Nepal have living parents.  Orphanage trafficking began during Nepal’s 10-year civil conflict during which children displaced from their families were placed by traffickers in exploitative institutional care, and mushroomed again after the 2015 earthquake.  Traffickers take advantage of the aspirations of rural families who want their children to have a good education by promising parents that their children will be well cared for.  For-profit orphanages are a lucrative business model, financially supported by well-intentioned foreign volunteers and donors who are touched by the tragic stories traffickers tell about the children.

One Day’s Wages partnered with Next Generation Nepal to educate people about the manipulative tactics used by traffickers and stop child trafficking before it starts.  Our partnership raised awareness in rural villages of Kalikot District through radio ads, street dramas, and meetings with government officials and community groups.  Street dramas often brought out entire villages, and conveyed messaging in ways that were compelling and culturally relevant.  As a result, local officials shared that traffickers are almost nowhere to be found in the villages where the awareness activities took place. In addition, officials are now committed to no longer issuing recommendation letters for children with parents to be sent to orphanages – a practice that was very common in Kalikot just a few years ago.