It’s summer in the UK and with the appearance of the sun and exams season, thoughts in English schools are turning towards the upcoming holidays. But in Nepal the summer is the start of a brand new school year as we continue to support the most disadvantaged children with their education.
Education materials
In May our Chief Executive Janice Miller, fresh from the canoe and our Wye100 Challenge, attended one of our sessions distributing school supplies. These distribution sessions are crucial as in Nepal children aren’t allowed to attend school without a uniform, bag, books and stationery – but as many families can’t afford these things, their children can’t go to school. One crucial way, therefore, that Kidasha can support the education of children in extreme poverty is by providing them with these critical supplies. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, in May we were able to give 51 children – including out of school children as well as street-connected children who have been reintegrated with their families – a uniform, bag, books and stationery, in addition to helping with government school fees. Those at this particular distribution included 17 newly identified children, who had previously not received support, and we were very grateful to be able to help them in their education journey which leads to more options and a path away from precarious situations. This year our projects will be supporting over 750 children into school.
Functional Learning
The educational support we offer varies and is tailored to the individual needs of the children we support: a one-size-fits-all approach will never be truly effective. At Kidasha we are proud of pioneering our functional learning courses – a programme specifically developed for out of school adolescents. This course teaches critical reading and writing skills within a practical context, practicising and developing these skills through filling out government forms, for example. Our latest course was delivered on site in garages and workshops in four locations at Pokhara, starting at 6am each morning before the children began their work, so as not to impact their current source of income. In May, 30 students on our functional learning course attended a short ‘graduation’ programme, and it was wonderful to recognise the hard work of all the students. To date, your donations have helped 450 working and at-risk adolescents to complete the course and work towards a new future and better quality of life.