Sapana

Sapana grew up in the Eastern hills of Nepal. Her mother did labor work around the village to make ends meet while her father worked in the field day and night. Her family did not have much, but they managed to send both their daughters to school.  Sapana was in 11th grade when she first heard about Facebook. Her friends constantly talked about it in school. She would see them take pretty pictures and upload them and hundreds of people would comment on their pictures. Sapana wanted that friendship and attention. While she did not have a phone, she begged her father to buy her one and he eventually did.

 A few months later, Sapana got a friend request from a man. She accepted it and within a month of chats & calls, they decided that they were ready for marriage. However, the guy wanted her to visit his family in India. She knew her father would never agree, so she decided to run away with him. While Sapana was on her way to India, the man told her about the police and the border staff that would be present there. He told her that if she were to tell them the truth, they would never believe her and they would eventually be separated. Sapana, who was madly in love did not want that to happen, so as they reached the Biratnagar border station, she decided to tell our KIN Nepal counselors that she they were married.

The counselors knew something was wrong. Sapana looked underaged, and while talking to her, she was extremely nervous. Upon asking further questions, they got to know that they did not have a marriage registration certificate. As they decided to separate the couple for additional counseling, the guy ran away leaving Sapana alone at the border.

Sapana joined us at the safe house in March. While she could not believe what had happened to her, she is grateful for the path she is in now. After her graduation from the safe house, Sapana joined us at the training center where she is currently enrolled in our cosmetology training.