A country coordinator for an international NGO in Nepal said: "When I got the letter saying the [USAID-funded Adolescent Reproductive Health] program was closing, I was terrified. All I could think was, ‘What will happen to those girls now? Will they have to go through the same suffering their mothers endured?’ We had truly given hope to those mothers and girls."

Date: 3/26

Region: South Asia

Country: Nepal

Topic: Gender Equality & Inclusion, Health

Policy Lens: Moral Leadership

Entry Type: Field Observation

Additional Context: This quote was collected as part of The Aid Report's original reporting, "In Nepal, US ends effort to help women make life-or-death choices." The reporter looked into the impacts of aid cuts on a nationwide program designed to "break gender norms that undervalued women's lives." The Adolescent Reproductive Health, or ARH, program worked across homes, schools, and villages to shift behaviors around pregnancy, childbirth, and adolescent health.

The quote is attributed to Mona Sherpa, country director for CARE Nepal. CARE Nepal implemented the ARH program before it was terminated.

Source: Devex