Eighteen-year-old Bidhyawati Yadav of Kapilvastu Municipality Ward No. 2 in Kapilvastu district says she is looking forward to attending school on her bicycle that was gifted by the ward office. She is an eleventh grader at Tauleshwornath Sanskrit School in Taulihawa, the district headquarters of Kapilvastu district.

On Friday, Kapilvastu Ward No. 2 distributed bicycles to girl students of impoverished, Dalit and Muslim families pursuing their higher education at various community schools. According to the ward office, the bicycles were distributed to the girl students to encourage them to attend school regularly.

“My school is far from my house. By the time I got done with household chores and left for school, I would always be running late. But now I can reach school quickly on the bicycle. This has made my life easier,” Yadav said.

Twenty-five girls studying in various community schools of Ward No. 2 received bicycles on Friday. They have assured the ward officials to be regular in their schools.

Most of the girl students from the southern part of Kapilvastu face difficulties in continuing with their higher education because of household responsibilities and long distance to their schools.

“I had to walk all the way to my school after completing my household chores. But now, I can reach school on time on my bicycle and don’t have to waste so much time on the road,” said Deepa Kurmi, 18, from Ramatalahaki in Kapilvastu Municipality. She studies at grade 11 of Buddhapadam Higher Secondary School.

According to Ram Bhajan Kalawar, chairman of Kapilvastu Ward No. 2, the ward office decided to distribute bicycles to young girls to empower them.

“Ill practices like child marriage are prevalent in our society due to a lack of education. With the cycle distribution drive, girls have become motivated to attend schools regularly. This is our achievement,” Kalawar said.

The ward office said it will continue the campaign in the next fiscal year as well.