Fight to change

Pariwartan means change in Hindi and it is the name of the project that we at Mumbai Smiles are promoting in the Thamel area, in the Nepalese city of Kathmandu. This is a social center that provides care and support to the women victims of human trafficking.

The story that we are going to share with you is of a woman who needed a change of life. Dinish Limbu from Pokhara (Nepal), she is 30 years old and currently lives in Imadol, Lalitpur, she is working at Dohori Sanjha as a waitress. Another prostitution area. She has two children.

But this is her current life, but until now abuse and discrimination have marked her story.

It all started in her house, when she was born. Her father wanted a boy and she was the fourth daughter. And in fact she was abandoned at birth, but her neighbor saw it and returned her to her house, where she was raised with the essentials until she was two years old and taken to a shelter home. She stayed in that house until she was seven or eight years old, she doesn’t know exactly. And she was sent to Kathmandu as a domestic worker. I worked a lot and didn’t study, which has also marked my life. The truth is that they didn’t pay me either, so when I was 14 I returned home. Where I was obviously not welcomed. I quickly returned to Kathmandu.

I lived on the streets, I met a girl who worked in Dohori Sanjha, I accompanied her and I also started working, I met a man, I fell in love and got married. I had a boy and a girl. The abuse in my life has come from everywhere, including from the landlord of our house or from my children’s school when I couldn’t pay. And evidently in my work the abuses were constant.

There came a point when I was absolutely lost, desperate and broken inside. I had already separated from my husband to get rid of

Dinish Limbu_ Mumbai Smiles

beatings and addictions, but I didn’t know how to change my life. A few months ago I learned about the project promoted by Mumbai Smiles. At that time I couldn’t sleep and was suffering from a continuous suicidal thoughts, anxiety and a serious eating disorder. Starting to attend the center’s sessions was a real lifesaver for me. I regained confidence in myself and faith in such a way that I started thinking that now I would be able to change things in my life.

Constant and extensive fight

There has not been a radical change yet, I continue with my work and the relationship with my daughter is still very complicated because she does not respect me for what I do. However, I just want to prevent her and her brother from having a life like mine. It won’t be easy, but I want to fight for change.

Thank you Dinish Limbu (name changed) for your testimony, we will continue to be by your side #TransformingFutures.