Almost all children living in Light for Nepal are originally from villages at the foot of the Himalayas. Some of them are orphans, many are half-orphans. In Nepal, if a child loses a parent and the other parent remarries, the child is often neglected by the new partner. These children have no other choice than to start living on the street.
All children of Light for Nepal are from very poor families, who are unable to nourish their children properly. The children would be forced to work extremely hard on the fields from young age onwards. In many villages, there are no schools. The children are sent to Kathmandu to find a way to get at least basic education. Many girls in small villages have to get married very early or fall victim to girls' trafficking and are sold to India.