Rebika is a 7 years old child living in a hostel of Makawanpur district. Her mother is in Birgunj Jail (3 hour away from Rebika’s school by local transportation) because of drug case. As SETU is playing a bridge role as its name, every year SETU takes Rebika to meet her mother in the jail to connect and feel both of them to each other. Last month we took Rebika in the Jail for meeting to her mother. We were thinking to leave her for one day with her mother and requested to jailer for that. But it did not happened because of the changed rule of jail. After strong request to jailer from SETU Nepal her mother was taken out from the bar just for a moment (10 minutes) to hug to each other and after 10 minutes we were forced to detach them from each other. It was very emotional scenario that we felt from motherhood perspective. Rebika expressed her feeling that she wants to live with her mother.
As her mother has already completed 4 years duration of imprisonment she is not allowed to get released from the jail due to lack of payment of penalty. She was charged ninety thousand of Nepalese rupees ($ 9000). There is no one outside the jail (family or relatives) who is ready to support financially for her release. She has to stay around 10 more years if she could not pay the penalty (Nrs.25/per day staying). However she has saved Nrs. 20000 from her daily allowance of 70 rupees given by Nepal government to prisoner. Now she is appealing for Nrs. 70 thousand to release and spending her life with her cute daughter Rebika. In this regards we would like to request to all well wisher for releasing her by providing financial support as this is not only the matter of women and motherhood but also the matter of childhood and nurturing of Rebika was well as her right to live with her mother rather than in a hostel.