Talent is equally distributed in society, but opportunity is not. Being talented, creative and motivated is not always enough if you are not given the opportunity to develop and nurture your talent. Circumstances matter and Sabina Pariyar, a 17-year-old adolescent girl from Nepal, knows it pretty well. Raised by her grandparents, she grew up in a loving and caring household, but also in a context marked by poverty. Her grandparents relied on small-scale farming for their living but their income was barely enough to put food on the table and cover the expenses of the whole family. 

While going to school, Sabina also played in a local folk band to earn some money and cover her school fees. Very often, she had to skip classes for rehearsals and concerts. But as delayed payments piled up, stress and fatigue took hold, she began to feel discouraged –  worried she might fall behind. 

But she regained hope when she heard about the Youth Project run by Opportunity Village Nepal (OVN) and supported by GSIF: through this program, she took part in a wide range of activities, ranging from life skills training and counseling to nature meditation and trauma therapy. This initiative aims to provide youth with emotional, social and intellectual tools needed to achieve success in life – on a personal level, an interpersonal level, and within their community. Throughout the activities, Sabina regained confidence, nurtured her talents and realized her true potential through learning to know herself and others, to think creatively and critically and to bounce back from adversity.

Feeling seen and supported, Sabina opened up and shared her concern about her studies and the financial problems she was facing: the OVN team carefully assessed her situation and helped her secure an academic scholarship. Since then, Sabina balances her study and her work with a hearter light. During the day, she works as a salesperson in the context of her management studies, and occasionally performs with the local folk band. She now chooses when she wants to play and no longer feels financially pressured to do so.

Sabina’s life would have taken a different turn if she had not been given the support and skills necessary to move forward. Talent lies in every person, but the environment and circumstances do not always allow it to flourish. By  tackling social and economic barriers to employment and education, we create new pathways to opportunities for young people and give them the chance to explore and develop their potential!