Blind students in Achham battle distance, poverty and barriers to learning

Despite Nepal’s inclusive education policy, many children with visual impairment lose years of schooling because poetry, remoteness and lack of accessible facilities keep them away from classrooms.

Fourteen-year-old Lal Bahadur BK, from Rahaf in ward 1 of Turmakhand Rural Municipality in Achham, has been visually impaired since birth. Yet, even after entering his teenage years, he remained out of school for a long time. Living far from the district headquarters of Mangalsen, his family had no idea where or how a blind child could get an education.