Supporting Nepal through meal programs and assistant teacher support programs in rural schools.
Nepal is a country with a caste system. It is generally a poor country but the people in the lowest caste – the so-called ‘untouchables’ – experience particular hardship. Many families survive on the equivalent of about $100 per year in Canadian funds. Education is the way for the children of these people to pursue a better life. It is often difficult to get the youth to attend school. Setting up a lunch program in the school was the primary means to improve school attendance and improve the eventual outcomes of the children.
Prem Sharma, a new member of the Rotary Club of Saskatoon, is familiar with a particular village that is quite isolated although it is on a major road by Nepal standards. There has been some work done in this village already. In recent years, a new school was built by local communities. This is where the program takes place.
The plan is to provide a lunch to 75 students through the school year of about 210 days. It is suggested this could be accomplished at the low cost of only $1,550 per year. It was noted that this is a very modest sum to provide meals to so many students for so many days. It was explained that the diet would be lentils, and rice and wheat. The cost includes a stove and gas cylinders for fuel.
The project was initiated in the spring of 2018 with payments of $500 every four months. There is a local Rotary club about 20km from the school which will serve as our local liaison. The actual work would be done by the teachers in the school.
Project goals (objectives)
- Mitigate the dropout rate of children from school during their early learning during very young school age.
- Increase enrolment of children.
- Mitigate the severe effects of malnutrition by providing regular lunches at school.
- Provide premium to assistant teachers who support teaching and other school activities but not paid by the government of Nepal.
- Establish the project as a sustainable one. Transferring ownership of the project to local communities
Project support and sponsors:
- World Community Service Committee( Rotary Club of Saskatoon)
- Partner Rotary Club: Rotary Club of Pokhara, New Road, Nepal (RID3292)
- Other Sponsors Donors:
- Baba Foundation Pokhara, Nepal.
- Jaimini Rural Municipality,
- Om Development Bank – Jaimini Branch
- Mahadibya Livestock and Agriculture Development Farm
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