Kalanga is one of the 68 Village Development Committees in Baitadi, a hill district with a population of more than 200,000, lying 885 kilometres west of Kathmandu.
Women campaign for better lives.
New mothers were often kept in cowsheds alongside cattle for up to 10 days after delivery. They drank only hot salty water and were given small amounts of food, in the belief that their babies would suffer indigestion if they ate too much. Sanitation was overlooked and rusty equipment often used to cut the baby's cord. As a result, large numbers of women died during childbirth and surviving babies ran a high risk of infection. As in many traditional societies, sex-related issues were considered taboo.