Projects
1. Functional Literacy for Internally Displaced People - FLIDP
FLIDP project started at 2006 and has been running three years by now. It is supported by Methodist Relief and Development Fund UK. Currently it has fundings until year 2010. The project is implemented in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Dhading and Chitawan districts. Among the different areas of Kathmandu valley, the areas targeted are mainly the residence areas of homeless and poor people, particularly involved in the construction work, restaurant job, carpet factory and domestic helper. The main goal of the project is to improve socio-economic status of internally displaced women through functional literacy.
During the project 35 literacy classes for 898 participants have been conducted so far. For the current moment 800 people have become literate and are able to write their names, read simple Nepali language, make simple calculations and express their ideas in written form. Mentioned skills have enabled these women to follow different professions, increase the income opportunities and avoid being cheated in their daily lives while going shopping, traveling with public bus, etc.
All participants of literacy classes have also gone through Post-Literacy Classes (PLC), where different skill trainings are provided: candle making, sewing, organic kitchen gardening, making bakery items, women empowerment and leadership development, account management, saving and credit concept, entrepreneurship, etc. The participants of PLC have formed into women groups or cooperatives, which are active to carry out different activities for the benefit of its members - like saving and credit schemes, tole cleaning, campaigns against the domestic violence etc. All these activities have had very positive impact to the livelihood of the participants. Some women have started their own small production and/or shop, many have started to keep the record of their sales or other income.
English class:
2. Bhaktapur Girls Education Program - BGEP
BGEP project lasts two years (from 2007 until 2009) and is supported by World Vision International. It is implemented in Bhaktapur district, in 5 Village Development Committees (VDC) - Changu, Katunje, Nangkhel, Sipadol and Sudal. The goal of the project is to improve the enrollment and attendance of adolescent girls in secondary and higher secondary school, where the drop-out rates increase remarkably. The project aims to foster an increased understanding of the benefits of education, and address some of the key factors that limit attendance - including lack of access to schools; high incidence of early marriage; inequitable household labor distribution and limited economic resources.
The main target beneficiaries are adolescent girls of 14-18 years age, who dropped out from the classes 6-10 or who are at high risk to drop out. As a result of project these girls will have greater opportunity to attend school and their families will benefit from initiatives to redistribute household labor and increase family income. In the long term it is hoped that more girls will be able to attend secondary school and then act as a role model to demonstrate the benefits of extended girl education.
During the project street dramas and song competitions against early marriage are conducted. The communities learn about the consequences of early marriage and similar messages given through the songs help both girls and their parents to consider continuing education. In addition to knowledge about consequences of early marriage, the participants learn practical skills about how to perform street drama. Workshops and campaigns are arranged in order to raise awareness about importance of education and legal rights of girls. In each VDC local women have created counseling groups, in order to provide counseling service to vulnerable and drop-out adolescent girls. Thanks to all these activities many girls are empowered to secure their right demanding their parents to release them from some household tasks, so that they would have time to go to school and study. In addition to that 535 parents of adolescent girls have received different skill trainings like sewing, knitting, vegetable farming, goat raising - in order to increase their income opportunities. If the income of the family increases, it allows parents to send their daughters to school - to buy all necessary clothes and books, to pay school fees etc.
Candle making training:
