Youth migration to India has been a major problem of Nepal for decades. This problem is more prominent in far western regions of the country like Bajhang district. The migration to India is largely male dominated and various studies have shown that that male youths migrate to India in search of good income to afford basic needs for the family and good education for the children. Though, many youths have been able to provide for family through employment in India, there are a lot of negative sides attached. The shortage of agriculture man power in the village and disruption of local economy are some of the problems, muscle drain brings to the community. From the perspective of child well being, a child grows in the absence of male parent/father which deprives him from the love and care he deserves. Similarly, during the time of adversities the migrants do not get the necessary protection from the government abroad which was evidently seen during the covid crisis.

It is certain that male members are forced to go to India for making their living due to the absence of livelihood oppurtunities in their own district or community. Finding good income oppurtunities back home and spending their active life with children and family is always a dream for youths working in India or abroad. But these dreams turn into reality for only limited number of people. And Prem is one such lucky person who is living his dream.

Prem Bahadur aged 25, hails from Kedarsiyun Rural Municipality-8, which is a rural part of a far western district, Bajhang. He migrated to India a few years back searching for good income generating oppurtunities. He had just started doing well when the covid broke out and he was out of work. He was forced to return to Nepal and it seriously affected his family as they had no source of income. His small business in community run by his father was also hit by covid and bearing loss. From the money he saved in India, he had bought a small temporary hut along roadside for starting business but was unable to run it due to the lack of capital during covid. “I have a family of six including two small children to feed. During the covid time, we were really struggling and I was very depressed”, Prem recalls. It was a matter of fortune for him that the Nutrition and Resilient Livelihood Project under the partnership of Progressive Youth Society (PYS) and World Vision International Nepal (WVIN) had just started in his community and business recovery supports to covid affected persons was one of the activities planned in its PoA. Also, his daughter Ambika, aged 5, was registered in WVIN sponsorship programme. He approached the organization and shared the story requesting for business support. He was selected as one of the beneficiaries as he met the criteria’s set.  He was supported with grocery items worth Rs 25,000 (213 USD) for recovering his business.

“The support from PYS and WVIN really proved to be my savior. I was able to sustain my business at hard times due to the grocery items provided to me. As the situations got better, I saw rise in my income. Now, I have increased my business and I have been making Rs (2500-3500) per day (25 USD per day) and I have been providing my family well. My children are happy and I am able to pay for their proper education and health facilities”, he happily admits.

Although, the support from PYS and WVIN was a catalyst in Prem’s recovery, it was his hard work and determination that enabled the transformation of his small business into a successful venture. There are many migrant returnees like Prem who want to succeed and run their business in their locality but they have not been able to do so. It may be due to lack of opportunities and fortune or may be dur to lack of the hard work that one needs to put in for success. But, the case of Prem can definitely be a source of inspiration for people like these to work hard and look for the right opportunities. We hope the story of Prem positively affects the minds of many people and motivates them to work hard and excel.