• Project Area: Tackling Modern Day Slavery
• Project Duration: 2020-07-01 to 2024-01-31
• Donor: Humanity United

Modern-day slavery in brick kilns is a significant human rights issue in Nepal. Workers, including men, women, and children, are often trapped in a cycle of debt bondage. This indebtedness forces them to work long hours under hazardous conditions with little or no access to healthcare, education, or freedom of choice to pursue alternative economic opportunities. Efforts to combat this issue include advocacy, legal aid, and rehabilitation programs, but systemic change remains challenging due to deep-rooted economic and social structures. 

With support from Humanity United & READ Global, , READ Nepal has been tackling this issue by aiding workers to break free from vicious cycles of bonded labor prevalent in brick kilns. Implemented since 2020, the Practical Community Solution (PCS) project adopts a Human-Centered Design approach to effectively engage and support target communities, particularly in Jahada, Nawalparai, and Srijana Lahan Siraha. At the heart of its achievements are two key Community Library and Resource Centers (CLRCs), namely Srijana(Siraha) and Jahada(Nawalparasi), which have been instrumental in fostering community engagement and empowerment. 

The project's interventions were structured to tackle pivotal issues such as facilitating early childhood development by establishing Mobile Learning Centers, facilitating access to saving cooperatives by aiding marginalized individuals, enhancing their livelihood opportunities and financial literacy to enable the pursuit of alternative income sources beyond brick kiln labour as well as providing emergency assistance to vulnerable families.