Happy New Year for 2020 (and Best Wishes for a new decade too!) to all our UMN friends around the world!

We are happy at the start of 2020 to share good news from one of our projects which was completed in December 2019. One of our working areas in Kapilbastu District held a huge celebration on 28th December as it was declared free of child marriage. This comes after the work of UMN’s Community Capacity Building Project (CCBP) implemented by UMN’s partner Lumbini Christian Society (LCS). Around 1,500 people – local government representatives, police, media, dignitaries, NGO representatives and local community members – came out in the cold weather to attend the celebration in Ward no 7 of Yashodhara Rural Municipality. We are delighted in this success not only towards ending child marriages but also in ensuring the basic rights of children.

Watch Kismati’s story here – she was recently saved from becoming a child bride through our work in that same village!