The baby, however, did not survive long and died in three months. After a year she gave birth to a baby girl but the child also died within a month. Charimaya, now 18 years old, is pregnant again. [break]
Age wise she is in her prime, but looks lean and weak physically. Charimaya´s father Bhim Lal Chepang, however, is not worried about her health.
“It is common in the village; they marry early and give birth early. When she was born, her mother was 14,” said Bhim Lal. He said they fall in love at an early age and then get married. “Most of them elope as villagers do not have money to arrange their marriage,” Bhim Lal said.
Like Charimaya, Nanimaya, a mother of two children, got married at a young age. She had eloped at the age of 15 and gave birth to a son soon after. The son is now three years old and just a month ago Nanimaya gave birth to a daughter. Her mother, too, married early and gave birth to eight children, four sons and four daughters.
The story of Babita Chepang, of Thakuri Bhanganj, is no different. She is a mother of nine months-old. When she got married, she was still a school going kid. Her husband, Umesh Chepang was a student of grade 9.
Like Charimaya, Babita has never had a chance to go to school. She has picked up bad habits like smoking and drinking alcohol just as everyone else in the village. Unaware of the harmful effects of smoking, she smokes biri with her son on her lap.
Resham Lal Praja said that he drinks alcohol with his daughter and daughter-in-law during their pregnancy. He said if complication arises during labor, old women of the village simply push the belly of pregnant women.
Rammaya Chepang, 27 of Korakari, who has given birth to half a dozen children has similar tale to tell. She has been suffering from problems that are results of the lack of proper care during postnatal period.
The whole generation of the likes of Charimaya from the Chepang community face the risk of life threatening complications during pregnancy. Early marriage, early pregnancy and early child birth are not just problems of a community. “It is a socio-economic problem," said Dr Bijaya Poudel. "The government should bring programs targeting these communities.”
Related story
Married and unmarried women suffering from uterine prolapse
