We are about rescuing and restoring our daughters
Message from Ramesh
Greetings from Nepal! 
 
This past quarter has transformed our lives and our nation. Nepal is currently experiencing a second wave of the COVID crisis that has brought devastating effects all over the nation. We are facing a grave threat to our health and economic stability, and we know the disproportionate effect this will bring to the vulnerable communities in Nepal. Friends, as I am writing this today, the nation of Nepal is under strict lockdown due to the growing number of COVID cases. We have about 10,000 people on average testing positive per day and the count of fatalities is continually rising. Several of our own staff and daughters have contracted Covid19, but thankfully have fully recovered.

Regardless of all these challenges, our commitment towards helping our communities and transforming the lives of our daughters remains strong and in tact. 

So far this year, we have had a surge in the number of victims rescued at our border stations. This has put our Safe Home at full capacity. We are housing 23 daughters in a home that only has capacity for 20, and unfortunately this limits our ability to bring in more daughters from our emergency transit homes.

Our team in Nepal is working very hard on the initial phases of the construction of our second Safe Home. These unprecedented times have brought unexpected challenges resulting in a lengthy delay in the building process, but I am excited to announce that we officially broke ground on June 1st. The expected completion of this project is early 2022, which will allow us to care for an additional 40 daughters.

The Safe Home is a critical part of our daughter's journey to healing. From health checkups to counseling, our daughters are able to be amongst a community of other incredible girls who have overcome challenges and gathered the hope of a renewed life filled with new dreams and aspirations. The daughters in the Safe Home receive both clinical and psychosocial counseling through experienced healthcare professionals who are a part of our extensive network. 

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey. The impact we have made despite unending challenges has been truly remarkable.

Your generosity, your compassion, and your willingness to give has been a lifeline to us and to the communities we serve. 

To those just getting to know us, we invite you to learn more about our impact and how you can partner with us to continue our hard and fruitful work. The following stories of our daughters are what inspires us each day, including the story of one of our beloved staff members, Durga, who has used her pain as her platform in incredible ways.
 
My deepest gratitude to you all!
Impact in Quarter 1, 2021
Sita Is Not Alone
Life can be hard in Nepal. For agrarian families that depend on their crops for sustenance and income, a bad harvest can be devastating. Sometimes the more mouths in a family there are to feed, the heavier the burden is to survive. Lives hang in the balance.

Sita was only 14 years old when her family faced this difficult situation.

A Long Journey Home
Our team in India, despite many challenges, continues to be more and more effective at rescuing victims. India is a massive country. New Delhi, India's capital, is filled with countless brothels making it seemingly impossible to locate trafficking victims. Sting operations are highly sensitive, requiring rescue teams to keep a low profile at all times. If a victim is moved hours away from the city for any number of reasons, it becomes even more challenging to locate and rescue her.

To read more, click here.
Durga Finds her Calling
As our daughters transform from trafficking victims to leaders for change, they are encouraged to use their pain as a platform to help others. As a result of their desire to eliminate the threat of trafficking in Nepal and to keep their Nepali sisters safe, an increasing number of restored daughters are becoming team members, bringing our dream of a daughter-led movement into reality.

Going forward, each quarterly newsletter will introduce a different team member so that they can become a part of your daily thoughts and prayers. Today, meet Durga, a long-time member of the ODI family and incredible hero to many of our daughters.

English as a Second Language
This past quarter, ODI launched it's first ESL pilot program. By learning English, daughters are less vulnerable to trafficking schemes. They also automatically gain more respect in the community and are better able to compete in the marketplace. This pilot program consists of four ESL teaching volunteers and six daughters who are on staff in Nepal. Group meetings are held virtually once per week working through a purchased curriculum, plus a weekly individual class for each participant is held.

The daughters are so amazing and willing to learn! Getting to know them has been such a joy. These classes are one of the highlights of my week. It's so wonderful being part of God's plan to end human trafficking and give these daughters a tool to help bring awareness to human trafficking. ~ Cheryl Howitt (ESL volunteer)

Our vision is to increase the number of teachers and daughters participating in this program. If you are interested in becoming an ESL volunteer, please email allison@ourdaughtersinternational.org for more details. Previous experience is not necessary, although it is welcomed.

If you are inspired by the work of ODI and our partners in Nepal, please consider joining our Freedom Pathway monthly giving program by becoming an ODI Pathfinder. This monthly program provides the foundational support needed to sustain and transform our daughters from victims of trafficking to leaders for change. A gift of $300 will be given for every new Pathfinder that joins the Freedom Pathway. To learn more and sign-up to be an ODI Pathfinder, please click the button below.
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