Sajana helped in building a safe school
Sajana from Sindhuli is transforming her community. She is building a gabion wall to protect her school from landslides, earning her first income, gaining new skills, and creating a safer future for her son and 200 children.
From farming to building a safe school
“I had never earned money through my own hard work before. When I received NPR 24,000 (EURO 166) in my first month, I felt both proud and happy,” says Sajana.
Sajana, 30, lives in Sindhuli, a rural, hilly district of Nepal, exposed to frequent landslides. Her family relied on small-scale farming and her husband’s daily wage labour, which was not enough to meet their household needs. Like many families in the area, they faced limited income opportunities, and young people often had to migrate for work.
When the opportunity to work on constructing a gabion wall around her local school through the Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Development (YEED) arose, Sajana joined without hesitation. Every day, she carried stones, gravel, and sand, operated a shovel, and helped weave the gabion mesh to reinforce the slope. The work was tough at first, but she gradually gained skills and confidence.
Receiving NPR 24,000 (EURO 166) in her first month was a transformative moment, her first-ever independent income. “This is the first time I have earned money on my own. I never had such an opportunity before. I feel proud,” she says.
“Earlier, landslides would repeatedly fall just below the school building. I used to feel scared sending my son to school. Now that the wall is built, I feel safer”
Sanjana, a mother
The school is close to her heart. Sajana studied there as a child, and now her son is in grade 2. Frequent landslides had made the school unsafe, and she often worried about sending him to class. “Earlier, landslides would repeatedly fall just below the school building. I used to feel scared sending my son to school. Now that the wall is built, I feel safer,” she adds. “A safe school means a safe future for 200 children in this village, including my own son.”
A brighter future for her son and the community
Looking ahead, Sajana hopes to take masonry training to improve her skills and secure better employment. “With mason training, I could work more easily and take on skilled tasks. I want to improve myself,” she explains.
Her dream goes beyond earning. “My dream is to educate my son so that he becomes a good and successful person. For his future, my husband and I are ready to do whatever it takes,” Sajana says.
“Through my work with the YEED project, I am not just earning an income; I am helping make my school safer, building skills, and shaping a brighter future for my son and the 200 children in my community.”
“Through my work with the YEED project, I am not just earning an income; I am helping make my school safer, building skills, and shaping a brighter future for my son and the 200 children in my community.”
Sajana, a mother
About the project
Sindhuli is a rural, hilly district highly exposed to landslides. Families largely depend on agriculture, which often cannot meet food or income needs year-round. The YEED Project, implemented in partnership with Sindhuli Integrated Development Services, creates local employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for youth.
Through the Cash for Work approach, around 45 young people, including Sajana, are constructing gabion walls around the school. The project combines small-scale engineering with nature-based solutions, such as plantations and bamboo walls, to stabilise slopes, prevent erosion, and strengthen community resilience.
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