Early in the morning in Okhaldhunga, before heading into the community, Sharmila Karki Katuwal finishes the work that begins her day: cooking, tending to the house, and checking on the family’s small farm. As a mother of three daughters and part of a six-member household, these responsibilities are part of everyday life.

But once the household tasks are done, Sharmila steps into another role that has become just as important to her community, supporting people facing violence and emotional distress.

Over the past six years, she has been working as a Community Psychosocial Worker through the Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Project, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Coordination, and Norway and implemented by UNFPA in Nepal.

Through the program, she has received training on psychological first aid, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, and community-based psychosocial support, equipping her to respond to some of the most sensitive situations in the community.

Her work often begins with simple home visits. She employs the "Look, Listen, and Link" approach, observing risks, listening empathetically, and linking to services while realizing both women and men endure violence and confronting injustices driven by poverty and superstition.

Among the many cases she has supported, one story continues to stay with her.

Smriti* was married off young by her father as a way to pay back a loan, caught between superstition and money troubles.

Her marriage led her into domestic violence and brutal sexual torture, with her husband tying her with ropes and rubbing chili on sensitive body parts, a cruelty her mother-in-law soon adopted after her husband left for migrant work.

Sharmila spotted it during regular home checks. The signs were subtle but troubling.

Each time she tried to speak privately with Smriti, however, the young woman avoided conversation, clearly frightened of the consequences.

Building trust took time. Eventually, it was earned through repeated home interactions, leading to a confidential counseling session in a remote hillside grass-cutting field where

Sharmila assured complete safety and privacy, letting Smriti share her full story for the first time.

With Sharmila's facilitation alongside local authorities, Smriti returned to her parental home and started receiving medical treatment and psychosocial counseling through the One-Stop Crisis Management Center at the district hospital. Continued counseling through a partner organization helped her gradually regain her physical and emotional strength.

When her husband later returned from abroad, Smriti made a decision for herself. The marriage ended through mutual consent, allowing her to move forward with her life.

Sharmila then connected her to a safe house for three months and participated in livelihood skills training.

Today, Smriti supports herself and her parents through work at an organization helping the community, living with dignity. Through her efforts, the formerly closed public restroom near the bus stop by the local police station is now open for all, with its management keeping it clean and accessible for the community while generating income from its use

Emotionally she once said to Sharmila with deep feeling, "Without you, I wouldn't be alive."

Challenges persisted, like the case of a powerful villager forcing himself on a young woman with disabilities, while her mother who also had mental health struggles got threats from the community to keep quiet.

Sharmila didn't back down. She worked with different groups and local leaders to take the case to the police. The attacker ended up in jail, and now both the young woman and her mother get regular counseling at OCMC.

Stories like these can weigh heavily on anyone who listens to them day after day. At times, Sharmila herself feels emotionally exhausted. Supervision sessions and counseling help her process these experiences and continue the work.

Before becoming a psychosocial worker, she often wondered what someone like her could do when witnessing violence in her community. Today, she carries a quiet answer with her.

“Our presence may seem small,” she says, “but even small efforts can bring hope to someone’s home. That belief gives me the strength to keep walking these mountain paths.”

Through those daily walks across villages and hillsides, Sharmila continues to open doors to safety, support, and new beginnings for many in her community.

*Names have been changed to maintain anonymity.

---

If you are facing any form of gender-based violence, please visit the nearest One-Stop Crisis Management Center (OCMC) or contact the 24-hour toll-free National Women Commission's hotline 1145.