LAST YEAR, SUMIT was preparing for his marriage to a girl from his village.
However, before the day arrived, he decided marriage wasn’t for him… just yet.
Sumit was 13 years old.

In his small village in Nepal, child marriage is the norm.
“I used to like a girl from my school and we decided to get married because we thought that was what should happen next in our lives,” the now 14-year-old explains.

“Getting married at our age is considered very normal in my community so we didn’t see anything wrong with planning our marriage like this.”

His change of heart came after a visit from the Kopila Child Club, which is funded by ActionAid Child Sponsors. During the workshop, the children discussed their rights and child marriage.

They were told about other young couples who faced difficulties because they married during their early teens.
“ I also learnt…