My name is Pooja Ghimire. I’m 21. I’ve been living at Asha Nepal since I was 8. My mother, Shoba, was from the same rural village in Nepal where I was born. She was the eldest of seven; when her father died, she and her mother raised the younger children. At 16 my mom married, […]
Savita’s Story of Hope
I am Savita Tamang, 30 years old; Asha Nepal has been my home for 10 years. My mom was sold in India when she was very young. She became pregnant and sought an abortion, but my father said he would take full responsibility if the child was a boy. When I was born a girl, […]
Maria’s Story: Chosen by a Gang
“From when I met him when I was 12, he set me up. The whole five years was nothing but a setup.” By 17 years old, Maria had experienced more than many ever will in their lifetime. Her mother was drug addicted and her father had a new family, both were only involved in her […]
Brianna’s Story of Hope
Brianna was a “good girl” from a stable, two-parent home. And yet the three men watching her saw her as an ideal candidate. She had a dream to get out of her small town … needed to make money for college tuition. She was vulnerable and innocent. And they took advantage of her in the […]
Story of Hope: Shamita and Kala Flee From Trafficking to Open Tea Shop
In the mountains of Katmandu, Nepal up a winding cobblestone street surrounded by ancient Nepalese buildings, garlic cloves hang from windows and hay bales dry in the sun. Women dressed in traditional garb spin yarn on the side of the road and children dressed in matching uniforms scuttle by on their way to school. Smoke […]