“Yes, I am a very busy girl. But I am enjoying my work,” the 22-year-old girl says enthusiastically. Despite her workload she does not forget to flash her dazzling smile to anyone she meets.

Kaushila is the treasurer of KPUS, a partner organisation of the LWF Department for World Service programme in Nepal. Established seven years ago, the organisation has worked successfully in abolishing the system of bonded labour in Kailali, a district in remote far-west Nepal. It is now working for rehabilitation of ex-bonded labourers.

Born into a family of bonded labourers in remote Nepal, Kaushila knows the pain and humiliation brought on by slavery. She grew up seeing her parents and neighbours toiling and sweating in a medieval fashion for a demanding “master”.

She recalls her childhood quest for education: “I wanted to study. I never had an opportunity to go to school. I browsed the textbooks used by my brothers…caught a few words here and there.”

For those who know about her education and family background, she comes across as a pleasant surprise, as a source of inspiration. For others who are oblivious to her personal history, she appears as a bright and diligent woman.

She did not see the light of education until she was in her teens. That is how she came in contact with LWF Nepal. She was enrolled in the Child Education Empowerment Programme supported by LWF Nepal for disadvantaged communities in the late 1990s.

“This was a major breakthrough in my life. I was overjoyed at getting an opportunity to study,” Kaushila says. She stood out as the best student in her class.

The education programme, according to Kaushila, benefited quite a number of girls. In the nine-month course, she learnt to read, write and do some mathematics. That was the end of her schooling. No matter how much she tried to persuade her parents, they did not facilitate her transition to formal school.

Courage, determination and perseverance provided her what a feudalistic patriarchal society couldn’t.

“Certainly, the nine-month school education was not enough. I did self-study. I picked up books and studied during my spare time at home. I still do this. I also learnt computer through trial and error,” recalls Kaushila.

Computer literacy is something of a rarity in Nepal.

She regrets not having acquired formal education. Preoccupied with community-based activities and rights advocacy supported by LWF Nepal, she does not have time to attend school regularly.

She is planning to hire a tutor at home for her studies. “This plan is expensive. May be it will never materialise. I wish I could get a scholarship,” she says sadly. Without formal education certificate, her career prospects look dim. Nevertheless, she stands as a leading voice of her community. She pledges to fight for the rights of former bonded labourers.

“We have miles to go. We will continue to fight for dignified rehabilitation of the freed bonded labourers. Land right is our main concern. Otherwise it will be an incomplete revolution,” says Kaushila.

The rehabilitation drive initiated by former bonded labourers with support from national and international organisations is indeed gaining momentum in Nepal, especially after the regime change of April 2006. The former Kamaiyas protested in July 2006 in various parts of the country,including the capital city, demanding rehabilitation and livelihood support.A national survey of 1995 put thetotal number of bonded labourers at 25,000.