Story

Driven by Dreams, Young Nepalis Flock Overseas For Work

April 02, 2014 | Pulitzer Center
By
Anup Kaphle, for the Pulitzer Center

Young men line up at the Department of Foreign Employment in Kathmandu to submit their application for a permit that allows them to travel overseas for work. The International Labor Organization says more than two million Nepali men and women work abroad as domestic workers, construction workers, or in other low-skilled jobs. Image by Anup Kaphle. Nepal, 2014.

Ratna Bahadur Lama plows the farm in the village of Aambhanjhyang, about 100 miles from Kathmandu. Lama says he is hoping to go overseas to find work. Image by Anup Kaphle. Nepal, 2014.

Many young men and women from rural areas are leaving the country to find better-paying jobs in the Gulf countries and Malaysia. Farming is no longer an attractive option in Nepal, as most of its agricultural infrastructure is outdated. Image by Anup Kaphle. Nepal, 2014.

Sun Maya Dong sent her daughter and two of her sons overseas to work. Her eldest daughter died earlier this year—after eight years in coma after she reportedly leaped off a building in Kuwait. Her sons currently work in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Image by Anup Kaphle. Nepal, 2014.

Dong said she wants to keep the youngest son, seen here on far right, at home. Despite risks, growing numbers of young Nepalis continue to leave their villages. Image by Anup Kaphle. Nepal, 2014.

An officer at the Department of Foreign Employment stamps an employment permit in Kathmandu. Nepal’s government uses the permit, which is a sticker attached to the passport, as a record to track how many of its citizens are employed overseas. Image by Anup Kaphle. Nepal, 2014.

Young men crowd outside the window of the employment permit office in Kathmandu. The department handles as many as 10,000 people a week, many of whom travel to Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait for jobs. Image by Anup Kaphle. Nepal, 2014.

The remittances sent by Nepali workers abroad account for 26 per cent of Nepal's GDP, making overseas work the backbone of the national economy. Image by Anup Kaphle. Nepal, 2014.

Young men eat traditional Nepali food—“our last meal in Nepal”—few hours before they board their flight to Malaysia, where they work in a factory. With limited job opportunities at home, the best and fastest way to earn money for Nepalis is to become a migrant worker overseas. Image by Anup Kaphle. Nepal, 2014.

Ask any young Nepali who aspires to work in the Gulf and you’ll hear a variation of responses, all of them pointing to the same problem—there are no jobs in Nepal. So the fastest way to earn more money than anyone could imagine making at home is to become a migrant worker overseas.