Parwati Sunar, 27, speaks with her classmates during a class at Jeevan Jyoti secondary school in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 5, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYShow moreShow less
Yam Bahadur Sunar, 34, a migrant worker who works as a labourer in the Indian city of Chennai to support his family, video calls with his wife Parwati Sunar, 27, in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 4, 2022. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH ?WIDER IMAGE? FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
A toilet pan is hung on a tree behind the house of Parwati Sunar, 27, in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 4, 2022. Parwati's home lacks a toilet, so the family use a nearby plot of public land instead. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH ?WIDER IMAGE? FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Resham Sunar, 11, stands in a queue with his friends for lunch, at Jeevan Jyoti secondary school in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 9, 2022. "I feel good to go to school with mum," said Resham, who is a grade behind his mother. "We chat as we walk to school and we learn from our conversation," he said, adding that his mother hoped he could become a doctor. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYShow moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, and her son Resham Sunar, 11, walk to school from their house in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 5, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYShow moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, calls to check on her eldest son, Resham Sunar, 11, after he went home unwell, in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 7, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, works in a field outside her house in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 6, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, hangs foliage for her goats, inside her house in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 6, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, offers a homemade cake made of wheat flour, sugar, and milk to her eldest son, Resham Sunar, 11, during his birthday in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 6, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, walks next to her son Resham Sunar, 11, as they head towards Jeevan Jyoti secondary school in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 7, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
A paper boat floats on a puddle outside a classroom at Jeevan Jyoti secondary school, Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 5, 2022. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, checks on her son, Resham Sunar, 11, who is suffering from fever, after arriving home from school in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 7, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, and her son Resham Sunar, 11, ride a bicycle to their computer class at New World Vision Computer Institute in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 8, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYShow moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, and her sons, Resham Sunar, 11, and Arjun Sunar, 7, pose for a picture before getting dressed for school, outside their house in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 7, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, and her sons, Resham Sunar, 11, and Arjun Sunar, 7, get ready for school outside their house in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 9, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Navraj Ojha, a maths teacher, helps Parwati Sunar, 27, during a class at Jeevan Jyoti secondary school in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 5, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, and her sons, Resham Sunar, 11, and Arjun Sunar, 7, pose for a picture after getting dressed for school, outside their house in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 7, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, reacts while playing a game with her classmates at Jeevan Jyoti secondary school in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 7, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, sits next to her son Resham Sunar, 11, as they share a meal during the lunch break at Jeevan Jyoti secondary school in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 9, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, helps her eldest son, Resham Sunar, 11, to wash, as her younger son Arjun Sunar, 7, draws water from a hand pump, at their home in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 6, 2022. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH ?WIDER IMAGE? FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, talks to her son Resham Sunar, 11, during a computer class at New World Vision Computer Institute, in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 8, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, sings the national anthem of Nepal while attending an assembly at Jeevan Jyoti secondary school in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 7, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYShow moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, works on homework with her sons, Resham Sunar, 11, and Arjun Sunar, 7, in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 4, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH ?WIDER IMAGE? FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Bharat Basnet, Principal of Jeevan Jyoti secondary school, sits at his desk, in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest, Nepal August 5, 2022. "As a student, Parwati Sunar, 27, was below average, but a keen learner", said Basnet. Just about 57% of women are literate in the country of 29 million. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Parwati Sunar, 27, sits on the porch of her two room tin-roofed house late in the evening in Punarbas, Kanchanpur district, southwest Nepal, August 4, 2022. Parwati attends the same school as her eldest son, Resham, after returning to an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man seven years her senior. Parwaiti said she hoped to become "literate enough"?to be able to keep household accounts. "I think I should not have left my school," she said, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar SEARCH "CHITRAKAR NEPAL EDUCATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Show moreShow less
Nepali woman's quest to learn takes her back to school with son