Shikha, from Mumbai, India, came to the field of development due to her fascination with targeting the practice of human trafficking and keen interest to further her knowledge on the topic. After completing her Master’s degree in Social Welfare, she served as a program manager of an anti-trafficking organization in Mumbai, which aims to provide reintegration services for the daughters of sex workers to break the cycle of intergenerational prostitution. 

With the understanding of cultural similarities between Nepal and India, she chose to pursue her internship with Restless Development in Nepal, an INGO that aims to bring young people to the decision-making table across areas of civic participation, livelihood, and sexual and reproductive health. Shikha was involved in a project called Zero Tolerance, run by the Nepalese Government to tackle issues of gender-based violence in rural schools. She contributed to the curriculum design and implementation of the project and created a procedure to sensitively handle cases of violence. She was also involved in training for local and UK volunteers of the International Citizenship Program about the use of participatory approaches and the importance of partnerships.

The enrolment rate of children into Nepalese schools is on the rise, but there are still concerns about the poor quality of education, linked with the inequity of access, geographical remoteness, gender, and socioeconomic differences. The young Dalit (the ‘untouchable’ caste) boy, is the first person in his family to go to school; his dream is to become an aeronautical engineer. Restless Development is an INGO working in the rural schools of Nepal, aiming to make quality education beneficial and accessible to all, and encouraging children to believe that their life goals are attainable.

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