“Starting my own business gave a new meaning to my life”, the story of self-empowerment of Chandani

Chandani’s life was never easy. She was born 27 years ago in the Okhaldhunga region, in a very humble family and was only able to study up to 10th grade (4th grade of ESO in Spain). She moved to Kathmandu to find a job and continue her studies, but she met a boy and soon after she married him. She soon began to suffer sexist violence from her husband, who would beat her daily and refused to divorce her. In this situation they had a son.

Desperate to get out of that relationship, she started working in Dohori Sanjha, a prostitution area in the Nepalese capital, to try to save money and escape from her husband. Although the environment and the behavior of the clients towards her were very negative, Chandani struggled there for three years, working to survive and be able to feed her son.

How our centre changed her life

Nine months ago, her life changed: she met Pariwartan, the social center that Mumbai Smiles promotes in Kathmandu for sexually exploited women, and she wanted to take control of her life. Although she now talks about it with gratitude and pride, it was not easy for her to trust the center’s workers. In Chandani’s words, “I didn’t understand how they could offer these services free, I didn’t trust them.”

Finally, she visited the center and began participating in the counseling and empowerment sessions we organized. After seven sessions she realized the value of her own life and she managed to set a goal: to improve her self-confidence and be able to leave prostitution.

And she she became the owner of her own life

The social workers at the Pariwartan center provided her with the legal and psychological support to divorce her husband and to start her own business. For Chandani, that was the milestone that helped her improve her life: “After surviving all that violence and escaping, I felt the strength and courage to leave prostitution and to open my small shop.” She shared her idea with the center and her social workers offered her support and advice while encouraging her to work hard to achieve her goal.

Today, with her efforts and the support of the social center team, Chandani has managed to successfully open her small shop, where she sells snacks, tea and groceries. Currently, she feels happy and proud of herself, because for her: “Starting my business meant finding a new meaning in life.”

Chandani, an example of  self-empowerment to follow

In addition to running her own business and having turned her life around, Chandani is also a role model for many girls who find themselves in the same situation. She herself remains closely linked to the social center and accompanies other women so that they trust the center’s workers and can leave prostitution. It hasn’t been an easy road, but owning her own business has helped her gradually overcome her psychological challenges and gain stability in her life.

Cases like Chandani’s are what make us believe even more in our project. Thanks to the empowerment sessions and continuous support from the workers, Chandani managed to take an important step in her life by leaving prostitution and divorcing her husband. Even more important, if possible, is that thanks to Pariwartan, Chandani has gained self-confidence and is prepared to face all the challenges that arise in the future.