BACKGROUND
In Nepal, a large part of the population is affected by poverty and lacks means to give children access to education. The probability that girls are denied school attendance is particularly high. Child labour is very common in Nepal. In the Kathmandu Valley many girls are forced to work in the nighlife sector, where they are exposed to the dangers of sexual violence and human trafficking. Due to the high workload, school attendance is sometimes not possible at all or there is only little time to study for school besides the regular lessons.
Empowering Schoolchildren and their Families
Together with a local partner, Usthi has been setting up a new educational project in the district of Dhading over the past few years,which aims at empowering the population on several levels. The project provides educational support to children from families affected by poverty who work in the informal sector. To this end, investments are being made in the infrastructure of the schools and the quality of education. As part of the project, workshops on topics such as methods and didactics are held for the teachers. In addition, parents are also supported to secure their own livelihoods in order to be able to contribute to the financing of their children’s education. This is an essential intervention to ensure the sustainability of the project and to prevent the children from having to contribute to the family’s income. In addition, the school children take part in regular health checks and the local population is sensitised on topics such as children’s rights, child labour and health. The project benefits a total of about 3000 school children at 15 schools. 150 children whose parents do not have the financial means to send their children to school are enabled to attend primary or secondary school. In addition, 111 families received livelihood support.
The project in Nepal is supported by the Tauro Foundation.
