Story

Nepal: Absence of Youth in Kala Bang

October 05, 2015 | Pulitzer Center
By
Pankaj Khadka

The village of Kala Bang as seen from an adjacent hill. The majority of young men here have left the village for better economic opportunities, leaving behind empty houses and only children, women and the elderly to care for the village. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

Heavy lifting. A mother and son collect feed for their animals one evening in Kala Bang. Since the men of the families have left the villages for better economic opportunities, the burden of all the household chores falls on the shoulders of women and children. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

An elderly man rests on a bench outside his home in Kala Bang. The elderly, women and children make up most of the population of Kala Bang. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

Delicate balance. Sushmita Sunar, a ninth grade student at Shukra Raj Higher Secondary School in Kala Bang, carries a course book while returning from the field with grass for feed. Sunar had a school examination scheduled for that afternoon. With more than 80 percent of men no longer living in the village, many children have to perform daily household chores while also balancing education and school work. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

Local kids bare it all and jump into a small pond in Kala Bang to swim on a sunny afternoon. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

An elderly woman carries a doko, a hand woven basket, filled with produce to a local shop. With young adults disappearing at an alarming rate from the village, it is up to women and children to grow and sell seasonal vegetables—one of the main sources of income for a number of families in Kala Bang. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

Second grade students at Bhagwati Primary School in Kala Bang wait for classes to begin on a Monday morning. Many families have left the village of Kala Bang and moved to nearby cities to enroll their children at English medium and boarding schools once they're able to afford the expenses thanks to money sent from abroad by their family members. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

Empty Houses. The houses on the bottom left and the bottom right are two of the many houses in Kala Bang that are empty and slowly falling apart. When men leave the village to work in the Gulf and other countries, they send their earnings back to their families, who in turn leave the village and migrate to cities and market places for comfort and better opportunities. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

Natural Growth. Wild vegetation grows out of what was once a kitchen window at one of the many empty houses in Kala Bang. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

A young girl waits for a local bus at one of the bus stops in Kala Bang. As one walks around the village, young adults are very rarely seen. More than 80 percent of youth have migrated to cities and other nations for better economic prospects. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

Concrete houses are slowly replacing some of the the old, traditional mud houses in parts of Kala Bang as families with husbands and sons working abroad receive remittances and can afford to build such houses. Nepal. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

Taking Charge. Women sit outside a local grocery shop and wait for their turn one morning at Kala Bang. With their husbands working in Gulf countries and other Asian nations, the wives in the village are responsible for running their households and making financial decisions. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

A young girl herds a flock of sheep on a sunny afternoon in Kala Bang. Along with going to school, children are also responsible for a number of household chores throughout the day. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

Changing Roles. Women on their way to the fields to collect feed for their animals. With more than 80 percent of young adults no longer in villages, only children, elderly and women are visible on the streets of Kala Bang. Also, with the absence of men, women have to shoulder the burden of many household chores, some of which have traditionally been done by men. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

An old man returns home after a day in the fields. Image by Pankaj Khadka. Nepal, 2015.

One walk through the village of Kala Bang, Nepal, and the realization immediately sinks in—there are no young men in the village. With more than 80 percent of the young people gone from the village in search of foreign employment and better opportunities, left behind are women, children and the elderly—all of whom shoulder the burden of everyday household chores while taking on tasks traditionally held by men.