Baglung, June 30 -- Going to school is an uphill battle for 14-year-old Sharmila BK of Thalepokhara in ward 8 of Galkot Municipality in Baglung district. Every morning, she embarks on a three-hour trek through steep, slippery trails and dense forest to reach her school, Shiva Secondary School, located on the bank of the Daramkhola river. Her return journey is even more arduous, which takes nearly three and a half hours due to the uphill climb.

Sharmila has to carry a torchlight in her schoolbag, especially in winter, to return home in the evening. The eighth grader is not alone in her ordeal. Her classmate Suman Galami faces the same struggle. The two, along with a few others from their village, walk in groups for safety, especially duri...