An Academy member created this Project because at age 14 her parents were preparing her marriage to a man in his forties. She wanted to continue school and recognized that she would no longer be able to continue her education. She decided to run away from her village with money from a teacher. Alone, by bus, she traveled seven hours to Kathmandu where she begged on a street corner for a family to take her in, earned money by cleaning houses until she had enough to return to school. Several years later she entered the World Academy and saw this issue as one she wanted to impact.

Members of the World Academy worked with her to create and perform a drama about the damage early marriages are to young girls. She contacted her parents in the village she had left and asked to return and discuss the issues with the families and children in the village. They agreed. With facilitators and members she returned to the village. The drama about child marriages was performed at a village meeting to families and students. The performance explained and described how young girls lost their opportunity for education, their ability to earn a living, were forced to bear children and care for them, had no voice or independence, and no opportunities to grow and develop when they were forced to marry young.

After the performance of the drama, the members visited homes and spoke to every family in the village to discuss how early marriage destroyed a young girls future and to encourage them not to force their young daughters into marriage. They spoke to the students in school and asked them to sign a petition that they would never consider early marriage and encourage them to speak out against child marriage to end the practice in their communities.

While child marriages are illegal in Nepal, they are still common practice in villages where enforcement is ignored.

This member and other World Academy members continue to speak out against child marriages with young girls and their parents. They want to give young girls a voice and a choice.