Nepal

Rohini Devi Chaudhary posa davanti a una pila di mattoni.
Rohini Devi Chaudhary, 33, completed a training course in masonry in 2009. © HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation Nepal

Rohini Devi Chaudhary, mason

Rohini Devi Chaudhary is an ex-bonded labourer who has been working continuously as a mason for the past five years since her training. She is working on the construction of a large building but also takes on contracts herself to build small houses and has built three so far. Rohini likes this trade because it did not require an investment to start working on her own. She has also worked as a trainer. She is satisfied and happy to have taken the training in masonry. 

Rohini has four children, three daughters and a son. Her husband is at home taking care of their fields. Before the training, she used to stay at home, without enough money for food and her children’s schooling. She now earns NPR 550 per day (about CHF 5.60). She has found it lonely working as a woman with several men. She recalls that her life is much better than her mother’s because she can make her own decisions. 

There is equal salary for women and men. People are paid based on their experience. She wants to continue working as a mason as long as she can. She will also encourage others to take this training because it is easy to get jobs. “Women who are smart will work. But women who are ignorant will not work, thinking it’s their husband who has to earn a living.”

Corresponding project

A vocational education and training fund for disadvantaged people in Nepal