A special kind of person – Sujita’s story

It takes a very special kind of person to create a safe and loving environment for vulnerable children to thrive in. Sujita Tamrakar is one such woman.

Sujita is a Program Manager for our in-country partner Sano Paila. Together Sano Paila and BTO provide two small, loving family homes for vulnerable and abandoned children who, for a variety of reasons, need special care. Many of these children are survivors of child trafficking and have experienced significant trauma. Others have come from negligent orphanages, while others have complex special needs and require special care and attention.

The change that Sujita brings to these children is incredible. Her compassionate, nurturing presence provides a safe space for children to learn, grow and create a family. Here at BTO, we are incredibly proud to have her wisdom, kindness and endless love guiding vulnerable young children in Nepal.

We want to share the stories and the triumphs of dedicated people like Sujita who work tirelessly every day to create a better future for children.

This is Sujita’s story

“My name is Sujita Tamrakar. I was born and grew up in Birgunj, Nepal. I love the cultural tradition here. I grew up in a middle-class family experiencing and facing many financial difficulties. I did my schooling and college from Birgunj and I completed my Bachelor (in Public Health) from Kathmandu, Nepal. I have my Father, Mother and Grandmother with 3 sisters in my family. I am the eldest among 3 sisters. My father has a job but he couldn’t afford our education, so my uncle took responsibility for me and my sister’s education. I completed my Bachelor degree living in my uncle house with his family in Kathmandu. I have faced many up and down growing up in a middle-class family and learned a lot of things in life.

I Joined Sano Paila in 2015 as Program Officer for Sunischit Bahwishya Project and it was a pilot project initially. With a good performance, the project turned into a long term program. This program aims to carry out de-institutionalization and transform children’s service to the appropriate care models that are mostly based in family and community.

It’s already been 5 years working in the child protection sector which I thought to be an easy task, but the experience was just the opposite and full of challenges. I still remember the first day I came to Sano Ghar where I met these children. They were of very young age. Knowing that those kids were orphans, invoked heartfelt empathy and a strong desire for me to bring them joy in their young lives.
With the strong determination in my mind and heart, I thought to ensure the best possible ways to provide alternative care in a family-based setting to these orphan children and to make sure that they in no way feel isolated, excluded and institutionalized in any circumstances. We ensure that our staff are well trained to provide a family-based care and support to the children along with the provision of quality education, medical care, food, and clothing in a safe and secure environment. In addition, we provide the children with psychosocial support and involve them in recreational activities in a child friendly space so that they develop to their fullest and enjoy their every right as a child.

While working in this organization, I got married in 2017 with my love one. I have my husband, Mother in-law, Father In-law, Sister In-law and my 2 years old baby girl. We live in harmony although we face many up and downtimes, we try to face it together.

Now when I look back at the past 5 years, it’s totally different for me and these children too. I find an outstanding change in these children with better academic performance, positive behaviour, feeling of co-operation and a strong heart with the big aim for good future in them which proves that family-based care is the best alternative care for a child rather than institutionalization.

For me, it is an inspiring and empowering experience to work in such a challenging area and dealing with children from the different vulnerable situations. Sano Paila and BTO enabled me to boost my experience in my work. And in future, I want to enhance my knowledge and experience in this sector and become a child protection specialist if possible.”